The Bunny Talk Process™
A gentle, playful way to support emotional release
The Bunny Talk Process™ is a gentle, trauma-informed approach that helps children, teens, and adults process emotions safely, without having to explain everything out loud. Using simple, playful interaction, it creates enough distance for feelings to be expressed and released in a way that feels softer, safer, and more manageable. Orla is qualified in the Bunny Talk Process™ as a Practitioner, and offers this work as part of her compassionate, whole-person approach to emotional wellbeing.
For many people, especially children, words can feel too big, too exposing, or simply unavailable in the moment. The Bunny Talk Process™ offers another way in. It supports emotional regulation through play, choice, safety, and connection, helping the nervous system settle before deeper change begins.
ORLA McKEOWN
Bunny Talk Practitioner & Trainer, Clinical Hynotherapist, NLP Practitioner & Wellness Coach
BUNNY TALK PROCESS TRAINING
Orla is a qualified Bunny Talk Process trainer for practitioners, hypnotherapists, teachers, psychologists etc.
Please contact Orla for information for upcoming training. Online and in person.
Orla’s approach
Orla offers a warm, confidential, and deeply supportive space where clients of all ages can feel safe, seen, and never judged. Her work is gentle, empowering, and solution-focused, with a strong emphasis on emotional safety, nervous system support, and the mind-body connection. She is especially passionate about helping children, teens, and families find practical tools that create lasting change, while honouring each person’s pace and experience.
Her wider practice includes hypnotherapy, wellness coaching, Reiki, Reflexology, EFT, and support for anxiety, fears, confidence, sleep, and emotional wellbeing. The Bunny Talk Process complements this holistic approach beautifully by offering a softer route into healing, especially when words are hard to find.
The Bunny Talk Process™
Benefits of the Bunny Talk Process™
Clients and families may experience:
- emotional relief without needing to relive difficult events
- greater calm and regulation
- reduced emotional reactivity
- improved emotional awareness
- more confidence and self-trust
- stronger parent-child connection
- a sense of safety, choice, and inner steadiness
This is a process that reminds both children and adults that healing can happen gently. It does not have to begin with pressure. It can begin with safety.
What is The Bunny Talk Process™?
The Bunny Talk Process™ began as a warm, playful ritual between a mother and daughter, using simple bunny hand puppets as a safe way to connect. Over time, it became a powerful therapeutic method that allows emotions to be expressed without direct eye contact, pressure, or the need to retell painful experiences. At the heart of the process is a simple truth: healing does not always need to be heavy, and play can be powerful.
This approach is grounded in neuroscience, hypnosis, somatic processing, and trauma-informed practice. Rather than pushing for insight before the body feels safe, it prioritises regulation first.
Learn more about The Bunny Talk Process on the website HERE.
You can purchase the ebook ‘A Parent’s Journey: The Bunny Talk Process‘ by Claudia Rickard to understand more about this process HERE.
How it works
In a Bunny Talk session, the bunny becomes a safe bridge. Instead of speaking directly about what feels difficult, the client can let the bunny “talk”. This creates healthy emotional distance and makes it easier to notice, express, and release what has been held inside.
The process gently supports:
- nervous system regulation
- somatic awareness
- safe emotional expression
- restored choice and agency
- connection without overwhelm
Rather than focusing on reliving events, the work stays centred on what is being felt in the body, in the moment. This can be especially supportive for children, sensitive clients, and anyone who finds traditional talking approaches too intense.
Who this can support
The Bunny Talk Process™ is designed to meet people where they are and can be adapted across ages and stages.
It may be especially supportive for:
- children who struggle to talk about feelings
- teens navigating big emotions, stress, or identity changes
- parents who want a gentler way to support their child
- families experiencing emotional strain or disconnection
- children needing support with regulation at home or around school
- adults who feel overwhelmed by having to “tell the whole story”
Why families are drawn to this work
Many parents are looking for support that feels safe, respectful, and gentle. They do not want their child pushed to speak before they are ready. They want an approach that helps their child feel calm, understood, and back in control.
The Bunny Talk Process™ can help support:
- emotional overwhelm
- stored emotional responses
- behavioural challenges
- family and attachment dynamics
- emotional regulation in children and teens
- confidence and self-trust
Because the process is play-based, non-verbal where needed, and choice-led, it can help children feel safer far more quickly than approaches that rely only on direct conversation.
A gentle next step
If your child is holding big feelings, if your teen has gone quiet, or if you are looking for a supportive way to help without forcing more words, the Bunny Talk Process™ may be a beautiful place to begin.
You are safe here. There is no pressure to perform, explain everything, or get it right.
This work meets you gently, and supports change from the inside out.
Important note
The Bunny Talk Process is a complementary wellbeing approach and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual results may vary. All sessions are offered with informed consent, and clients may pause or withdraw consent at any time. Where appropriate, support from a GP or other qualified healthcare professional is recommended.