What is hypnotherapy — and does it actually work?
If you're curious about hypnotherapy but not quite sure what it involves — or whether it's "real" — this is for you.
So, what is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy that uses a natural, deeply relaxed state of focused attention — often called trance — to work with the subconscious mind. That's the part of you that runs your automatic habits, emotional responses, and long-held beliefs.
Despite what stage shows suggest, you don't lose control. You remain aware the whole time, able to hear everything and accept or reject anything suggested. Most people describe it as feeling like a guided daydream — calm, safe, and surprisingly familiar. It's the same state you drift into when you're absorbed in a book, or when you drive a familiar route and barely remember the journey.
Why work with the subconscious?
Most of the patterns people want to change — anxiety, overthinking, smoking, low confidence, phobias — aren't logical. If they were, you'd have talked yourself out of them by now. They're automatic responses learned over years, often in childhood.
Talking therapies work mainly with the conscious, analytical mind. Hypnotherapy quiets that busy, overthinking part so we can update the pattern at the level where it actually lives. That's why change can feel surprisingly natural rather than forced.
Does hypnotherapy work? What the evidence says
Hypnotherapy has a growing body of clinical evidence behind it. Research published in journals such as the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis has shown meaningful results for anxiety, IBS, pain, and habit change. Hypnosis has been recognised by the British Medical Association as a valid therapeutic approach since the 1950s, and NICE has recommended gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS.
In practice, results depend on two things: the skill of the therapist, and your willingness to engage with the process. It's not something done to you — it's created together.
What can hypnotherapy help with?
- Anxiety, panic attacks and overthinking
- Stopping smoking and vaping
- Confidence and self-belief
- Phobias — flying, spiders, public speaking
- Menopause and midlife anxiety
- Sleep problems and stress
What happens in a session?
We start by talking — understanding what's going on for you and what you want to change. Then, when you're comfortable, I guide you into that relaxed, focused state using my voice. From there we work with the subconscious directly, using techniques tailored to you. I often combine hypnotherapy with EMDR, EFT and CBT, and you'll leave with practical tools to use between sessions.
You can find out more about how hypnotherapy works on my method page.
Is hypnotherapy right for you?
If you've tried willpower, apps, or talking about the problem and nothing has quite shifted it — that's often a sign the pattern sits deeper than conscious thought. That's exactly where hypnotherapy works best. I offer a free, no-pressure discovery call so you can ask questions and decide if it feels right.