Hello, I’m Maria,
registered dietitian & Clinical Gut-Directed
Hypnotherapist
After more than 20 years as a Registered Dietitian, my work has always centred on helping people feel safer, calmer, and more confident in their bodies. I began my career in weight management at the University of Milan, and over time my focus shifted to gastroenterology — supporting individuals living with Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Coeliac disease within the NHS.
Alongside the physical aspects of digestive health, I became increasingly drawn to the emotional and behavioural patterns that shape how we eat, how we cope, and how our gut responds. This led me to specialise in Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction (DGBI), including IBS, abdominal pain, functional dyspepsia, bloating, and the many ways stress and uncertainty can influence symptoms.
I have extensive experience with the low FODMAP diet for IBS, as well as with the deeper emotional landscape that often accompanies chronic digestive conditions — the worry before meals, the hypervigilance, the exhaustion of trying to “get it right”.
To support this work, I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Hypnosis, Language and Communication Techniques in Healthcare at Birmingham City University, awarded by the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH). I now specialise in gut‑directed hypnotherapy, integrating dietetics and therapeutic communication to provide a holistic, evidence‑informed approach to digestive health.
My aim is simple: to help you feel steadier, clearer, and more at ease in your mind and gut.
This integration of dietetics, gut–brain science, and therapeutic communication naturally led me to hypnotherapy.
Why The Somnio?
Somnio means to dream,
to daydream, trance, in Latin.
It’s from this place, where physiology, emotion, and lived experience meet, that my therapeutic work begins.
There are moments in life when the mind feels scattered — pulled between worry, discomfort, and the quiet hope that things could be different. Hypnotherapy offers a pause. A softening. A way for the conscious and subconscious minds to come together in focus, creating a space where change becomes possible. This is the heart of my work.
Trance is simply a natural state of focused attention — a moment when your conscious and subconscious mind align with clarity and purpose. In this state, you can access the deeper intellectual and emotional resources within you, allowing you to get the very best from yourself.
Human beings thrive when their emotional and physical needs are met. When these needs fall out of balance, stress rises, symptoms flare, and life feels heavier than it should. My approach helps you reconnect with these needs and integrate them into everyday life, supporting both emotional and physical well-being.
