Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
Trance Atelier ("we", "us", "our") is a hypnotherapy and mind arts studio founded by Livia Tiwari. We are based in Brussels, Belgium, and offer hypnotherapy services online to clients worldwide, as well as group experiences hosted in collaboration with wellness venues and cultural institutions.
This privacy policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit tranceatelier.com, book a session, attend an event, or subscribe to our newsletter — and how we use, store, and protect that information.
If you have any questions about this policy or how your information is handled, please contact us at hello@tranceatelier.com.
Data Controller
Trance Atelier · Livia Tiwari
2. The information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Trance Atelier.
When you visit the website
— Basic technical data — IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, pages viewed, time spent on the site. This is collected through Squarespace's built-in analytics.
— Cookies — see Section 8 below.
When you submit the contact form ("Begin a brief")
— Your name, email address, and the message you choose to share.
When you book a session
— Your name, email address, phone number (if provided), payment information (processed securely by Stripe — we do not store full card details), session preferences, and any information you share in preparation for your session.
When you subscribe to our newsletter ("Letters from the Atelier")
— Your email address and, optionally, your first name.
When you become a client
— Information you share during the brief and during sessions, which may include health-related information, personal history, and the goals and concerns you wish to work on. This is treated as special category data and handled with additional care (see Section 5).
— Confidential session notes used only to support your continued care.
— For clients who book BESPOKE TRANCE: a private audio recording of your bespoke session, delivered to you as part of the service.
When you attend a group experience
— Your name, email address, and (where applicable) payment information.
— Photographs taken at the event — only with your explicit prior consent.
3. How we use your information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
— To provide and deliver hypnotherapy sessions and group experiences.
— To process bookings, payments, and refunds.
— To communicate with you about appointments, sessions, and follow-ups.
— To send newsletters and studio updates (only if you have subscribed).
— To respond to enquiries and provide client support.
— To improve our services and the experience of using our website.
— To comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations.
— To protect the rights, safety, and property of Trance Atelier and our clients.
4. Legal basis for processing
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process your personal information on the following legal bases:
— Consent — when you subscribe to our newsletter, agree to be photographed at an event, or otherwise provide us with information voluntarily.
— Contract performance — when you book a session or experience, we process your information in order to deliver the service you have requested.
— Legal obligation — to comply with applicable laws, including those relating to professional practice and financial record-keeping.
— Legitimate interests — to operate, secure, and improve our services in ways that respect your rights and freedoms.
For special category data (health-related information), our processing relies on your explicit consent and on the necessity of processing for the provision of professional wellness services.
5. Special category data — health information
Information shared during sessions, including any health-related information, is considered "special category data" under GDPR and is afforded additional protections.
— Confidentiality. All session content, notes, and communications are held in strict professional confidence. Nothing you share with us in a session is disclosed to any third party without your explicit consent, except in the rare circumstances required by law (for example, where there is a serious risk to life).
— Secure storage. Session notes are stored securely and accessed only by Livia Tiwari.
— Retention. We retain client records for a period of seven years following your last session, in line with professional best practice. After this period, records are securely destroyed.
— Wellness, not clinical. Trance Atelier is a wellness studio, not a clinical service. We do not provide a substitute for medical or psychiatric care, and we will tell you openly when something falls outside what hypnotherapy can offer.
6. Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only with carefully selected service providers who help us operate Trance Atelier. These currently include:
— Squarespace — website hosting and built-in analytics.
— Stripe — secure payment processing.
— Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity) — appointment booking and calendar management.
— Zoom or Google Meet — secure video delivery of online sessions.
— Our email service provider — for newsletters and transactional communications.
Each of these providers is bound by their own privacy obligations and processes your information only as needed to support our services. We may also share information when required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of Trance Atelier and our clients.
7. International data transfers
Some of our service providers (including Squarespace, Stripe, and Zoom) are based outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where this is the case, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place — including the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission — to protect your information in accordance with GDPR.
8. Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enable essential functions, remember your preferences, and analyse how the site is used. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
The cookies we use include:
— Essential cookies — required for the website to function (for example, security and basic navigation).
— Analytics cookies — to help us understand how visitors use the site.
— Marketing cookies — only if you opt in.
By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described.
9. Data retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements:
— Contact form submissions: 12 months.
— Booking and payment records: 7 years (for tax and professional purposes).
— Session notes: 7 years following your last session.
— Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe.
— Event photographs: 24 months, unless you request earlier removal.
10. Your rights under GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
— Right to access — to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
— Right to rectification — to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
— Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — to request deletion of your information, subject to legal and professional exceptions.
— Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your information.
— Right to data portability — to receive your information in a structured, commonly used format.
— Right to object — to processing based on legitimate interests.
— Right to withdraw consent — at any time, where processing is based on consent.
— Right to lodge a complaint — with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (Autorité de Protection des Données / Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit) or your local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, please email hello@tranceatelier.com. We will respond within one month.
11. Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously and use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. All communications regarding sessions are conducted on secure platforms.
While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to ensure that your information is handled responsibly and with care.
12. Children's privacy
Trance Atelier does not provide services to anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without verified parental consent, we will delete it promptly.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. The "last updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was most recently revised. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
For substantial changes, we will notify you by email (if you are a client or subscriber) or by a prominent notice on the website.
14. Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, or about how Trance Atelier handles your personal information, please contact:
Livia Tiwari
Important notice
This privacy policy is a working draft prepared as a starting point for Trance Atelier. We strongly recommend that it is reviewed by a qualified data protection lawyer or legal professional before publication. Hypnotherapy services involve the processing of health-related (special category) personal data, which carries additional regulatory obligations under GDPR. Specific clauses — including retention periods, security measures, the applicable supervisory authority, and any cross-jurisdictional considerations relating to future relocation — should be confirmed against your final operational practices and the law applicable at the time of publication.