Hypno-psychotherapy

What it is

Hypno-psychotherapy uses hypnosis to work with the subconscious mind, most often with unwanted habits and behaviours, limiting beliefs, anxiety, and physical difficulties such as pain, skin conditions and insomnia.

Have you caught yourself thinking "I can't do that", or expecting the worst before anything has happened? Hypnotherapy works by identifying those unhelpful thoughts and challenging them, gradually replacing them with healthier and more useful beliefs. In doing so it supports better choices and lasting change — an effective way to reset a mindset.

Contrary to the popular myths, hypnotherapy is a scientifically recognised tool used in clinical settings for a range of mental, emotional and physical conditions. It works with neural pathways: the thought patterns laid down by repetition, which can be changed.

Hypnosis itself is a state of focused attention, in which the conscious mind becomes less critical and the therapist can communicate more directly with the subconscious. It is brought about in what are known as the alpha and theta frequencies — it is easier for the brain to take in information when it drops below its usual analytical, logical register.

Hypnosis is not mind control, and it is not unconsciousness. It is a state of heightened suggestibility much like daydreaming, or the deep concentration of being absorbed in a film or a match — the body relaxed while the mind stays awake. In that state the mind is more receptive to positive suggestion, which is what helps people move away from a limiting belief or a harmful habit. A person under hypnosis retains control throughout and can reject any suggestion; a hypnotherapist cannot make anyone do something they do not wish to.

There are several kinds of hypnotherapy, including traditional suggestion therapy, regression therapy, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH), and more recent approaches such as Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). Each uses different techniques, focusing on the symptom or the root cause depending on what is being addressed. Regression work revisits the moments when a self-limiting belief or pattern first formed, so that it can be understood and reframed; a personalised self-hypnosis recording is often made to reinforce the new pattern between sessions.

The effectiveness of hypnotherapy has been explored in numerous studies, with positive outcomes for anxiety, PTSD, sleep disorders, recovery after surgery, and giving up unwanted habits. Change is sometimes achieved in a single session, though this varies from person to person: for some the effects are immediate, for others they accumulate gradually. Many people find it useful alongside other therapies rather than instead of them.

Practitioners working this way are registered with a professional body such as the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), and work to its code of conduct and continuing professional development requirements. Sessions are offered one to one, in person and online.