Alexandra: I started speaking to Alexandra due to panic attacks and anxiety around going back to work. We moved slow and steady through her methodology and she always made me feel safe. She has a keen awareness of the subconscious mind and knows how to follow where it's taking me. And once we get there, so much is released and revealed. I have now started working again and feel much more comfortable. I continue to perform the exercises she prescribed and I continue to work with her to this day. Don't think twice, just go see her. You'll notice the difference after day one. read more

Let me preface this review by saying I heard about this service from a coworker and my first thought was that hypnosis sounds like a lot of hogwash. Then my second thought was that I shouldn't knock it until I try it. So I did. The session far exceeded my expectations and I felt the effects carry onto the next day. She leaves you with some knowledge of how to help yourself. The therapy session is quite similar to "normal" therapy where you talk out your feelings and such. Her price is quite cheaper than the other therapists I've seen in the area. read more

"I'm a good dieter, I'm a bad dieter". That's what I told Alexandra when I showed up for my first session. I went on to explain the madness I put myself through when trying to lose weight for an/any upcoming event. You see; I can lose weight fast, but once I get to my given goal, fit comfortably in my suit and arrive at the occasion; God Bless the caterer. I had always felt that I'd rather be miserable for a couple of weeks than be uncomfortable for months. Six weeks to the next wedding? Fifteen pounds overweight? No problem! Let's calculate that out to 1200 calories a day. Then after a week I'd look at the scale; hadn't lost enough weight yet? Okay, let's cut that back to 1000 calories a day. Still not on track? Eventually I'd be under 800 calories with 7 days to go. It was crazy! It was insanity! I'd limp into the venue weak and listless, make sure I met every hors d'oeuvre waiter and hang out at the buffet all night long. Maybe even stop at that fast food restaurant on the way home to try the latest burger they were promoting. The stress I was putting on my body was enormous. My heart would race uncontrollably at times. I'd put myself to sleep early so I wouldn't eat any more food for the day. I didn't have enough energy to get out of bed, but I'd tell myself that was okay because I was skipping a meal. It was just all wrong. I thought Alexandra would hypnotize me with a pendant and send me on my way. Fast, just like the way I like to lose weight. But, she had a different approach. She wanted to get down to the root of my problem. She wanted to understand why I did this and how I arrived at this process. It was clear, she wasn't going to sell me the latest weight loss plan or Thigh-Master, she wasn't interested in a bandage, but more of a long-term solution, a life style change. She managed to peel away and unravel the issues that I didn't see myself. I can honestly say that I have never felt hungry or starved and yet the weight has come off consistently. She's absolutely fantastic at what she does. She's got me eating sensibly again and may have saved my life in the process. read more

I worked with Alexandra on two occasions, each in preparation for surgery and general anesthesia. It was a wonderful experience, and worked out very well for me. read more

I am beyond grateful to have found Alexandra. Years of traditional therapy could not help me. I was creating a pattern of behaviors that I was not able to break away from. With Alexandra's guidance, she helped me navigate and root cause the behavior back to childhood trauma which I had endured. We addressed it and she assigned exercises to ease the pain. She is patient and I felt safe to disclose my deepest thoughts. The review is way overdue. I can only tell you that I believe in her methods enough to send my loved ones her way. I am no longer suffering as I had before thanks to her help. A million Thanks. With adoration and gratitude for Alexandra. read more

I feel empathy for providers who work with me, because despite all my very terrific qualities, lol, I can also be demanding, exacting, confrontational ... some have deemed me a "difficult" patient. Anyway, I was struggling with a stubborn, decades-long, behavioral repetitive and habitual pattern which I recognized that in a vacuum with my own efforts, I was not making progress, and needed expert guidance. But who was I gonna go to? All practices are only as good as the person practicing it, and hypnotherapy is more art than anything, and I was on a quest for an artist, someone who could sculpt healing through through presence, but not in a mumbo jumbo esoteric fairy way, but through years of solid experience and training. I also needed to feel a purity of intention, and there's no diploma for this--I just sense it intuitively and felt it in my bones, you know what I mean? It's the 'gut trust' sort of thing. It's easy to simply go through the motions of sharing information in a dry and intellectual part. But that wasn't my goal. In fact, having knowledge, especially being a psychologist, this was not one iota helpful to me, because the process I needed to undergo was a physiological internalizing and manifesting of an emotional reality. This is so damn hard. I needed to emotionally open up, but that's very hard. It's hard for me to entrust someone with my soul. It's hard, not at all easy for me to do what feels like "giving myself over." I heard about Alexandra from a former professor of my husband's and was compelled to make an appt. Immediately on meeting her (and on the phone), I felt a sense of quiet confidence. I could feel myself relax into the experience that I was about to have, a visceral sense of internal relenting, which I think was essential in my process of internalizing the visits afterwards. She exudes a conscientious and responsible, efficient spirit, with a warmth I felt comfortable with. I did not take this for granted, because practitioners simply by virtue of calling themselves "healers," are not necessarily healing. Since I live in Millbrae, her Palo Alto office is out of the way for me and since driving was hard, my husband dropped me off ... all the rigmarole of getting there was ultimately worth it, just to 'feeling-fully know' in my body or my body 'knowingly-feel.' One of the best qualities of my hypnotherapy with her was that I'm hyper-sensitive to feeling "pushed," contorted, or judged--if there's a judgement or critique (from a medical/mental health professional) within a thousand yards, I'll laser-like sniff it out--throughout my visits with her, thank god this was not an issue--boy was I relieved. In fact, in the first visit, when I was describing exactly what I wanted help with, I was hyper-vigilant about getting any sense of judgement from her, and instead, appreciated her very matter of fact, accepting, no-nonsense attitude. The upshot of my experience, though I had time-bound, finite visits with her: I felt sufficiently free, understood, and accepted to keep going back. From my therapy with her, I wrote some key sentences and phrases that resonated and impacted me, and to this day, I open my iphone notes app, and see those phrases, they transport me (almost like a time/capsule machine) back to sitting in that comfy chair, a cocoon-like safe office, serene and calm quietude. I read those phrases and feel awash in a reality that deeply relaxes, soothes and nurtures--there's nothing more powerful--for this, I'll be forever grateful. Thank-you! :-) read more

I am amazed at how skilled, knowledgeable effective Alexandra Bley is. She took the time to listen to my challenge and explain how she works. There weren't any surprises, just pure encouragement. Alexandra works on the stuff that you know has been keeping you stuck. She shows you how to release pent up feelings so that you can move forward again. She also blends her hypnosis work in so smoothly that it's just another reason she's so effective. If you are frustrated with talk therapy, and you would like to learn some tools that you can use whenever you need to, just give her a call. You'll be pleasantly surprised how quickly what you thought was an issue that would scar you for life is changed. No issue is too small or too large. She's been doing this long enough to confidently take you where you need to go. Who knew it could be this easy.... With appreciation, Randy read more

I have known Alexandra in a professional setting and have received her hypnotherapy treatments. I consider her to be an excellent practitioner. She is competent, ethical, caring and compassionate. I would highly recommend her for any issue requiring Hypnotherapy. Thank you and blessings, Zilla Adams (CHTP, CHYPNO) read more

This is a review long overdue. Two years back, I walked into Alexandra's office, unable to breathe and speak. I was on a heavy dose of asthma medication. My throat would tighten up at the slightest smell of smoke. Within 2-3 sessions, I was breathing and speaking normally. Working further with Alexandra, we were able to narrow down the cause of my throat tightening (which happened to be my body's response to a stressful event that happened 8 years back). I haven't used my asthma inhaler ever since, these days when I encounter smoke, my throat no longer tightens up. Working with Alexandra helped me to uncover the baggage that I have been carrying around for years - right from my childhood - has helped my body and mind heal. The techniques that Alexandra uses are very different and effective. Most psycho therapists address only the mind, ignore the body completely. However Alexandra coaches us to make use of bodily sensations to uncover what is going on in the mind. I have been using them myself on a regular basis, so that I don't have to carry around the stress (both in my body and mind). There is stress in life which is unavoidable, however with the right tools in hand, we don't have to feel lost and helpless. Very grateful to Alexandra for bringing me back to life. read more

I went to Alexandra following a particularly low series of months in which I stopped exercising and gained weight. Alexandra was able to show me the emotional roots of the overeating and malaise and taught me several handy tricks to control late-night urges. Much to my surprise, addressing the root cause of my indulgent eating also helped with a couple of other problems. 'Hypnosis' doesn't seem to me like the best way to characterize her approach, but I don't know what else to call it. She's great. read more

If you're dealing with anxiety or panic, I highly recommend Alexandra. She's so down to earth and easy to talk to. If you're nervous about making the appointment (as I was), don't be. She will make you feel at ease with her warmth and understanding. What I liked a lot about her was that I never ever felt judged in any way. She made it easy for me talk about what I wanted to work on. As a hypnotist, she's so amazingly skilled! She gets to the heart of the matter quickly and the insights kept coming one after the other. After the sessions I felt much more balanced and in control of my life. Definitely a life changer! read more

If you have never experienced a hypnotic session before then you are missing a great opportunity to easily improve your wellbeing. Alexandra has a very good way of putting people at ease and helping them achieve what they want to achieve. She is skilled at many different ways of inducing a hypnotic state in addition to other modalit read more

During a time when I faced personal challenges and stress was so intense that my body didn't function anymore the way It use to be, I made my first appointment with Alexandra. After being hospitalized, taking medications, getting accupunkture and not seeing the results I wanted to see, Alexandra was able in just one session to help me understand how I can work with the stress I was facing. She teached me how to accept thinks I can't change but also how to find back my balance. Not just her knowledge and work experience helped me getting back on my feet during those dark days. With her understanding and warm personality she made it so easy for me to open up and letting her help me. This is 4 years ago now, but I am still impressed how a simple change can make such an impact. I can't thank Alexandra enough for her support and encouragement. Therefore I like to encurrage YOU to get support from Alexandra. She will open your eyes and will show you that there is always a way. Thank you, Alexandra! You changed my life and my health and you know it. Barbara read more

I Love the work Alexandra Bley does. She has been thoughtful, kind, heart centered and highly effective in my life. I took about a year before I reached out to her. I was unsure at first how hypnotherapy could help me. I knew I didn't want to be put to sleep or in a trance and then have things suggested to my subconcious mind. I had heard countless stories of how hypnosis was a temporary fix. I researched an approach that was body based. Because I perform bodywork for a living I knew for sure this technique was for me. I have done two rounds of sessions with Alexandra. I have watched my life shift in ways that are similar to moving mountains. I have such a gratitude for the way she is able to integrate all the parts into a complete picture. Her insight is intuitively impeccable. She has been a joy to work with. I highly recommend her. I'd also like to suggest an openess of mind and trusting one's own body to know what it needs to heal. read more

I've been working with Alexandra on and off for over 2 years now. I still seek her help on occasion, even though she has taught me the techniques she uses over time. I had all kinds of problems I needed help with - including some surprising issues that came up in the therapy sessions. Without going into details, suffice it to say that she has helped me tremendously. I highly recommend her services. Thanks, Alexandra! read more

I came to see Alexandra when I was struggling with anxiety and panic relating to a pulmonary condition. Her calm, thoughtful and compassionate approach got me through that crisis and helped me get started on a much better emotional and mental path, and for that I will always be grateful to her. Alexandra helped me to learn to listen to my body and to forgive and feel compassion for myself. It sounds so simple yet it's amazing how much better I felt once I learned how to really do that. I've worked with subsequent therapists since my time with Alexandra and I find her advice and guidance dovetails with the guidance I've gotten from them. I will always be grateful to her for getting me started on this path. She really made a difference for me! read more