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The Spotlight Fades. The Wounds Don't.
For performers and former child stars, the deepest wounds are often the ones you've assumed you'll live with forever. You don't have to.
What No One Else Sees
Sometimes the most difficult aspect of a creative life isn't the work itself. It's what you're left alone with when the performing ends.
For example, you might focus on rejections that confirm a familiar sense of being “not enough,” despite having experienced success. Maybe there are painful memories you've managed to dance around, so you can feel safe. You might feel a compulsive drive to work, due to fears of falling behind or becoming irrelevant. Or even trying to figure out who you really are, outside of the roles you’ve played or the identity you’ve formed from your career.
You might look like you're doing fine to the people in your life. But you know there’s a shadow deep inside that no one else can see, and it follows you everywhere, no matter how you act.
What I Help People With
The performers, artists, and former child stars I work with are usually dealing with something deeper than nerves or mild self-criticism:
- Anxiety, shame, or self-doubt that persists despite success
- "Crime of existing" – the perception that your birth and childhood caused your parents' overwhelm, leading to an intuitive feeling that merely existing is a "crime" (a major cause of shame and low-self worth)
- Resentment, disappointment, or grief
- Traumatic memories that still hurt, no matter how much time has passed
- Trust issues that make it difficult to let people in (due to exploitation or being suspicious of others’ motives)
- Feeling like your true value is only as good as your last performance
- Relying on external validation to feel okay, worthy, or loved (being addicted to fame)
- Perfectionism, body image issues, and an inner critic that never stops
- People-pleasing and losing yourself to meet others’ expectations
- Overwhelm, overwork, and burnout
- Childhood wounds that run your adult life, including adultification and sexualization
- Abuse of all kinds, including physical, mental/emotional, or sexual
- Identity crisis and difficulty separating your persona from your authentic self (assuming you even know who you really are)
- Stress from scrutiny
- Triggers
- Feeling scarred by your past, as if some things simply won't heal
I can help with the lighter, in-the-moment struggles too, like performance anxiety, phobias, or creative blocks. But the work that means the most to me is helping people finally heal the wounds that haven’t fully healed.
You're Not “Too Sensitive”
Feeling things deeply wasn’t really the problem. Somewhere along the way, your mind learned to protect you by reacting to anything that reminds you of an upsetting experience, as if it were happening again. What began as a survival tactic kept going long after the danger was gone. Those reactions simply show that something unresolved is still waiting to be addressed. Fortunately, the subconscious mind is capable of real change – IF it’s addressed properly.
Why Are Former Child Stars My Primary Focus?
I have a real soft spot for people who grew up in the spotlight. When children or teens experience the demands of performing or even fame, they are shaped just as they’re starting to form their own identity. It can bring public scrutiny, lost privacy, exploitation, and enormous pressure, along with a lifelong struggle to separate your worth as a person from your success as a performer.
It's no surprise that former child performers and entertainers battle anxiety, addiction, and despair at much higher rates than the general public – because they’re dragging such heavy baggage behind them. Some of my most meaningful work is helping them to stop carrying it around and put it down for good.
Take the first step toward freedom
This process begins with you.
We'll guide you the rest of the way.
When Life’s Been So Tough, You Can Settle for Survival
Many of the people I work with have already gone through very dark chapters. Some had overcome addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts, which took more strength than most people will ever understand. And because so many of their peers don't make it that far, they often assume that simply stopping the worst of it is as good as life gets.
When you've spent years just keeping your head above water, it can be hard to imagine reaching dry land. Although it can seem impossible to get there, it’s not. Ending the crisis and healing what caused it are two different things, and the anxiety, shame, and painful memories underneath can be released.
The fact that most people around you settled for survival doesn't make survival your limit. How far you go is your decision, and I can help you get there.
Some who’ve recovered from addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicidal tendencies claim to be in a “good place,” despite still suffering from anxiety, shame, self-doubt, or traumatic memories. For them, no longer struggling to survive qualifies as “good,” even though most people would consider that kind of life to be unbearable.
When I’ve consulted with those survivors, I’ve often said at the beginning, “Only you can judge whether your progress is good enough or not. Just remember this…You get to choose how much more progress you can make by changing your subconscious patterns. It’s within your power, so it’s entirely up to you.”
Revelation Isn’t Resolution – Why Understanding It Hasn't Been Enough
You may already know exactly where your patterns come from. You might have talked them through many times, and still the old feelings return right on cue. It’s not your fault, because these triggered reactions run automatically in the emotional subconscious mind, while insight and understanding live in the rational conscious mind.
Knowing why you hurt is helpful, but on its own it rarely sets you free. Insight isn't the same as healing, and revelation isn't the same as resolution. To change how you feel, you must change the subconscious pattern itself, not just your awareness of it.
A Different Perspective on Addiction and "Self-Sabotage"
I've had clients who were convinced they must hate themselves. After all, why else would they continue to sabotage their career opportunities, finances, relationships, and health? Many of these same people were also told that their addiction was a disease that could only be managed, not completely resolved.
Those beliefs make sense only if you just treat symptoms and view things solely from a logical, long-term perspective. But most of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are controlled by your emotional, short-term, subconscious mind. That part of you is dedicated to avoiding discomfort, seeking instant gratification, and escaping danger.
People who deeply believe they're "not worthy" of success, wealth, love, or health tend to experience an internal conflict if they're able to achieve any of those things: "I know I want love, success, and money...but I don't feel like I deserve it." That shame or guilt causes stress and anxiety. "Sabotaging" themselves by any means relieves the anxiety and gives them what their subconscious believes they deserve – loneliness, struggle, financial losses, and poor health.
So, from the subconscious point of view, they've resolved the conflict, and now they feel safe (for the moment). And if they sabotage through addictive behaviors? They temporarily gain pleasure and distract from emotional distress. Again, that's a win for the subconscious. This is harmful from a long-term perspective but helpful from a short-term perspective. That's why I told those clients, "You also love yourself, or you wouldn't be so committed to behaviors that help you relieve your suffering."
Addiction is therefore as much a treatment as a disease. It (temporarily) relieves the emotional distress and internal conflict, which is why it repeats and persists. Unless you subconsciously resolve your personal suffering (the true disease), addictive tendencies may continue as a short-term solution.
It's a known fact that treating symptoms can make you dependent on the treatment. True healing can occur only by addressing the root cause.
And once you do that, you can honestly graduate from saying "I'm in recovery" to "I have recovered."
Here’s How I Can Help
As a Board Certified Hypnotist, I’ve been helping clients to release trauma and its negative effects since 2015. In our sessions, I use hypnosis, NLP, Integral Eye Movement Technique, the Demartini Method, and other techniques that encourage memory reconsolidation (a well-researched way the brain updates emotional imprints). Together, we work to release the emotional charge that’s attached to your triggers and painful memories, so they release their hold on you.
The process is gentle and trauma-aware. You won't have to relive anything in detail or talk through every painful moment. Many of my clients find that their upsetting memories lose their emotional charge within minutes, after which they can think or talk about them without feeling the sting.
I also want you to know how I'll relate to you. I assume you're someone who has tried to do your best given your particular challenges (despite what your critical voice might say). You're also someone who is now ready to be accountable and courageous enough to rise above those challenges.
I'll NEVER reduce you to a diagnosis or a label, not only because that's a narrow view, but it's also harmful. My goal is to empower you to thrive in your life, so that you're dependent on nothing and no one but yourself.
My job isn't to fix you, because you’re not broken, even if you've felt that way. I'm here to help you activate the strength and resilience that are already within you.
We'll meet one-on-one by Zoom, so we can work together from wherever you are. It's private, confidential, and convenient.
Why This Work Matters to Me
I'm not a performer myself, but the creative world gave me hope through some of the most challenging stretches of my own life, and this is my way of giving back to it. I've written professionally produced and recorded songs (Not Your Property and Best Behavior), so I know what it is to put your inner world into something and hope it's received.
Honestly, I see a lot of myself in the people I work with. For my own reasons, I understand what it's like to live with patterns that started as protection. I know what it’s like to feel judged, misunderstood, and unseen, and that's where most of my empathy comes from. Although I won't pretend I've lived your exact story, I know what those wounds can do to a person. I also know they can heal. And I know you can heal.
What Becomes Possible
Imagine the shame finally loosening its hold. The memories that have derailed you become just “something that happened.” You feel like yourself again (maybe for the first time in years) and know that you're worth something more than what you produce or how you perform. You can set healthy boundaries and honor them, feel like you belong, and prioritize your well-being.
When you stop allowing yesterday’s traumas to write today's script, your energy comes back for creating, connecting, and actually living. That is the kind of change I want for you, and it's more possible than you may have let yourself believe.
Let's Talk
It starts with an initial consultation over Zoom – a private, confidential conversation about what you’d like to accomplish and the challenges that have held you back, up until now. If we're a good fit, I’ll design a customized program to meet your needs and support your goals.
Take the first step toward freedom
This process begins with you.
We'll guide you the rest of the way.
"Gina is fantastic and is really able to help pinpoint root causes for any issue you may be having in your life. I can’t say enough about this place and even the people around me have noted a drastic (in a very good way) change in me and my overall demeanor. I have already recommended friends and family to Gina.
If you are ready to change your life, this is your place."
Lourdes Gayo
“My overall experience working with Gina was fantastic. Before I met with her, I was very high strung. I had this low level, constant worry that really impacted me every single day of my life and felt like a part of me.
It's hard to describe how helpful and compassionate she is, and just how safe I felt in every single interaction I had with her. And it was over Zoom, which is remarkable.
Now, I can think back to what made me so emotionally charged, the memory is still there, but that negative emotion that went with it isn't there anymore.
Issues that I've had for 30 years are now essentially non-issues. I can't even explain how it's possible. To do this over Zoom, and for it to be that effective is just crazy.”
Brad Barrett
“My personal issue before meeting with Gina was excessive alcohol consumption, drinking heavily for the past 30 years. It affected me personally, made me anxious, depressed, low self-worth, and it affected my relationships with family and friends. I would drink more because I'd feel guilty and then shame.
Then I would try to stop off and on for the past probably 10 years with little to no success trying to white knuckle my way through it. I went through several therapists online and was diagnosed with PTSD from a traumatic childhood between my two alcoholic parents. But I felt like therapy was just rehashing the past and actually made me drink heavier after those sessions, just getting all those negative feelings back up. Somebody had referred me to hypnosis just because they noticed how much I was drinking and blacking out.
I had an initial consult with Gina, and I felt like it was a good working relationship. I will say, when I first came into it, I had my doubts, but working with Gina exceeded my expectations. Getting to the root of the problem and chipping away at it through the different sessions, something just clicked. It didn't really hit me until probably three or four weeks into it, then one day I didn't have the urge to drink anymore, going from 8-10 drinks a night to one or two. But then it really, really stuck.
These past few weeks I have had no urges or even temptation to drink. I haven't had anything to drink. It's hard to describe. I just feel normal without drinking. I don't feel like I need it. I feel more confident, able to talk to people without drinking, not getting socially anxious and awkward. Also, the anxiety is pretty much gone. My relationships have gotten better. I'm more present with my wife. I've been a lot more productive.
I would highly recommend it. I know at first people might be skeptical, like I was. Be skeptical if you want, just have an open mind going into it. And then, if you do that, just trust the process and follow instructions, and I guarantee you'll be successful.”
Chris S.
“The issue I had was self-esteem, stress, and anxiety, as well as the loss of my dad. It was affecting me so much I was unrecognizable. I was in bed for days, crying all the time, and wouldn't eat or sleep. I would take out my anger on my mom and everyone around me and wouldn't even be able to communicate my feelings. I had tried traditional therapy before for a really long time. It didn't really help.
My experience with Gina Goodwin changed my life for the better… in ways that I would have never imagined. I don't handle problems or confrontation the same way I used to. When something bothers me now, I don't blow up anymore. I just take a breath and express how I'm feeling to the best of my ability.
I'm literally a different person. It's expensive, but it’s the best investment I have ever made in my entire life.
I will never go back to a "normal" therapist.”
Vanely Sanchez
“Anxiety issues that I’d deal with on a daily basis: inability to be socially present at events, being in chairs, traffic, I’d feel trapped. And then getting on a plane was not my favorite thing in the world either. It sent me looking for a way to manage this that wasn't medication, because I don't want the negative effects.
I always said medicine is going to be the route for me, but it never treated the issue, and working with Gina treated the issues. Not only did she come with this vast knowledge and understanding of how the subconscious brain works, but along the way she was able to give other videos and other resources that I could use.
The hypnosis [audios] that I'd have weekly were tremendous. They were amazing. It was definitely cumulative week to week, as at the end of each session you could feel, “Oh, wow, I can do that now.” It was really pretty cool. I refer to it as absolute magic.
Recently, my wife and I went on a trip and ate out every day, something I wasn't able to do before. We're now able to do things that I wouldn't do before, because I didn't want to feel the anxiety, the panic that would come with it. My wife would tell you that I am definitely more engaged in life. I'm a little more present. I don't think about everything that goes wrong anymore.
This was more helpful than I could ever imagine. I highly recommend this for everybody that wants to get better without medication.”
John W.
“Gina has been unbelievable and a pleasure to work with throughout this process. She has helped me unpack so much from my childhood and throughout my life up to this point. She has been thoughtful and supportive and I couldn’t be more grateful for her guidance.
Anyone who is teetering on the fence on whether to give this a shot…do yourself a favor and just take the leap. Trust me you won’t regret it.”
PJ Russell
“My self-confidence is growing, my emotions have been stable, and best of all, I only had a half glass of wine on the 4th at a gathering (down from at least a bottle a night), and that was paired with my ice water at the table 😊.
Nothing since before our last meeting and I felt comfortable saying “maybe a half glass” when it was offered. I have used the eye movement exercise a few times before something I needed to feel a little more confident and less anxious about and still listen to recordings when I need to shut my thinking down when I go to bed.”
Melissa
About Gina Goodwin
I'm a Board Certified Hypnotist (a title held by 2% of hypnotists) and a Certified Master Practitioner of NLP. Since 2015, I've been helping clients resolve what insight and willpower couldn't.
Most people carry wounds from earlier in life. But performers learn early to hide theirs – to be composed on demand, and to keep an audience from seeing what's underneath. The ones I've worked with had built entire careers (and identities) on that skill, yet were still secretly holding what the spotlight never healed. Releasing that pain is the work I do privately, one-on-one, by Zoom.
Read more about my background and approach →
Hypnosis can be a powerful tool to help you:
- Feel at Ease in Your Own Life
- Remember Your Past Without Reacting to It
- Face What's Ahead with Real Confidence
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. I hold everything you share with me in strict confidence. What happens in our work together stays between us. Many of my clients do choose to talk about their experience afterward, through referrals, online reviews, or testimonials, and I'm always grateful when they do. But that's their decision, never an expectation. Your privacy is yours to keep or share as you see fit.
In several important ways. Talk therapy is often open-ended and works mainly with your conscious, thinking mind, revisiting your history through conversation. My approach differs on three fronts. It's solutions-focused, so we work toward a defined outcome rather than meeting indefinitely. It targets the underlying cause instead of just helping you to manage symptoms. And it's subconscious-oriented, because that's where your automatic habits and emotional reactions actually live.
Understanding why you feel a certain way is valuable, but insight alone rarely changes it. I use hypnosis, NLP, and related methods to update the pattern itself, which is a big reason why this helps when talking hasn't.
No. Most clients give me a general overview of their story during the consultation, but I don't need the details of a painful event in order to help you resolve it. The trauma work itself doesn't require you to relive anything or narrate what happened. On the rare occasions when sharing some detail would help, I always reduce the emotional charge first, so it no longer hurts to talk about. In fact, I've worked with clients who legally weren't allowed to discuss their experiences at all, and I was able to help them just the same.
Not at all. Many of my clients started out skeptical, and some were downright doubtful that anyone could help them. A little skepticism is completely fine, as long as you keep an open mind and genuinely want the change. It also helps to know that I do much more than hypnosis. I combine it with NLP, memory reconsolidation, and several other established methods, which is a big part of why this works when other approaches haven't, including hypnosis by itself.
If you'd like to see for yourself, you can discover how hypnosis and NLP work, watch videos to see hypnosis and NLP in action, and hear past clients describe their experience.
Yes, with one important condition: I don't work with people who are actively using hard drugs. Once you're clean and stable, I can help with what's driving it. Addictive behavior usually isn't really about the substance. From your subconscious point of view, it's a solution, a way to relieve emotional distress or silence an inner conflict, even though it costs you dearly in the long run. That's why willpower alone so often fails, and why treating only the symptom tends to keep you dependent on the treatment.
In fact, this is why so many people relapse even after completing treatment in residential behavioral health programs, and where subconscious root-cause work can make the difference. When we resolve the underlying suffering and shift the subconscious mindset that leaves you vulnerable, the likelihood of relapse goes down dramatically. That's how you graduate from “I'm in recovery” to “I have recovered.”
Yes, and it's often even more effective once you've made some progress. If you've stopped an addictive substance or behavior, or reached a more stable place, that gives us a strong foundation to build on, though in many cases prior abstinence isn't even necessary. Here's what I see so often: people who have done the hard work of surviving, yet still live with the anxiety, shame, or painful memories underneath.
Ending the crisis and healing what caused it are two different things. You don't have to settle for just keeping your head above water. I know how to help you safely go the rest of the way to shore.
That’s no problem at all. I've been helping people heal from abuse and serious childhood trauma since 2015, and it's some of the most meaningful work I do. The process is gentle and typically quick, and as I mentioned, it doesn't ask you to relive anything.
On this page, I've included a short video where I describe an anonymized client who overcame severe trauma, along with a long list of its effects, after being trafficked as a teenager by her own mother. If healing is possible after something like that, there is real hope for what you're facing too.
Not at all. Performers and former child stars have a special place in my practice, but the majority of my clients are people from all walks of life. You don't have to be famous to live with the kinds of wounds this page describes. Many people struggle with the same anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism, and trauma, whether or not they ever stepped on a stage or in front of a camera. If this speaks to you, you're welcome here.
Almost everyone can be hypnotized, and no, you won't lose control. Hypnosis isn't the loss of awareness you've seen in movies or stage shows. You stay aware and in charge the whole time, and you can't be made to do anything against your values. My role is simply to guide you.
For a fuller explanation, you can discover how hypnosis and NLP work or visit our FAQ page.
No. I'm a Board Certified Hypnotist, not a psychotherapist, and this isn't psychotherapy. I don't diagnose conditions, and I don't rely on the usual therapeutic tools like talk therapy or willpower. Instead, I guide you through deep, lasting change using established subconscious methods, including hypnosis, NLP, and memory reconsolidation techniques.
Many of my clients tried traditional therapy before finding me, and some continue to see a therapist alongside our work, depending on what they need. The two can complement each other well.
Every program is customized to your specific needs, challenges, and goals. There's no one-size-fits-all package. To shape yours, I review your new client application, ask questions during your consultation, and draw on my professional experience since 2015. By the end of the consultation, I'll propose a plan I believe will help you make significant progress in a reasonable amount of time. From there, the work usually includes a series of one-on-one Zoom sessions, customized hypnosis audio recordings to reinforce our work between sessions, and other supportive resources along the way.
Take the first step toward freedom
This process begins with you.
We'll guide you the rest of the way.
NAVIGATION:
DISCLAIMER:
DISCLAIMER:
Testimonials by former clients of Todd or Gina Goodwin are true and factual. Goodwin Hypnosis, its officers, and personnel, do not imply or claim that these comments represent typical results. Results vary depending on age, gender, lifestyle, motivation, and individual commitment to achieve a desired result. These clients voluntarily offered their feedback and were not compensated in any way. Each comment is the opinion of one person at a specific time and should be considered only in that context.
Copyright © 2007-2026 Goodwin Hypnosis LLC
Goodwin Hypnosis LLC
Copyright © 2007-2026