Hypnotherapy
Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (Hypno-CBT®).
Hypnotherapy is a type of talking therapy that uses hypnosis amongst other methods to facilitate focus and relaxation, allowing for greater clarity and understanding.
It is not mind control, magic, or a state in which you become absent. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You remain aware, and no one can make you do anything you do not want to do.
Instead, a person willingly follows suggestions that feel right for them. That is why safety, rapport, and the therapist’s presence matter so much. Hypnosis can support therapeutic work, but it is the quality of the relationship and the clarity of the process that allow deeper questions to be approached well.
Hypno-CBT®
Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (Hypno-CBT) brings hypnosis together with cognitive and behavioural techniques: exploring how thoughts, feelings, physical responses and actions influence one another.
We begin with what you would like to change and what happens in the situations you find difficult. For example, anticipating a presentation might bring the thought “I’ll get everything wrong”, tension in your body and an urge to avoid speaking. Together, we explore that pattern and practise a response you would like to use instead.
Hypnosis gives us a way to work with attention, imagery and suggestion within that process. It is more than repeating positive statements: we can rehearse a situation, notice what comes up and adjust the approach together. You do not need to empty your mind or achieve a particular depth of relaxation.
Examples of interventions we might use
These are options we choose collaboratively, rather than a checklist for every session.
- Imaginal rehearsal and exposure: gradually imagining a situation, such as a driving test or speaking in a meeting, while practising how you would like to respond. We agree a manageable pace together.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: gently tensing and releasing muscle groups to explore the difference between holding tension and letting it ease.
- Coping statements and self-instruction: developing words you can use in a difficult moment, such as “I can take this one step at a time”, then practising using them in context.
- Cognitive distancing and defusion: noticing “I’m having the thought that I will fail”, rather than treating the thought as a prediction you must obey.
- Mindful self-awareness: noticing thoughts, sensations and habits with curiosity, so there is more room to choose what to do next.
- Cue-controlled relaxation: practising a relaxation response and linking it with a simple cue, such as a word, for use between sessions.
How this becomes useful outside the session
We review what you noticed and decide what, if anything, you would like to practise between appointments. This might be a brief relaxation exercise or trying a small change in an everyday situation. Your experience helps guide the next session; there is no fixed script or promised number of sessions.
Explore support for anxiety, stress and weight-related habits, or read how online sessions work. Current fees are on the prices page.
What hypnosis feels like, in practical terms
To me, professional hypnosis actually feels really nice. There is something about having someone suggest that my muscles relax to which my muscles respond.
The main use of hypnosis therapeutically is to induce relaxation, which, in turn, calms the mind. From there, so much more is possible.
When the brain is not under a threat response, curiosity and creativity can flow, and seemingly unsolvable problems become manageable.
Additionally, many suggestions can be used to help us imagine solutions or rehearse scenarios such as public speaking.
Think of hypnosis as a sandbox for the mind to play with possibilities before bringing change to the real world.
Why you do not “go under” or lose control
In stage hypnosis, practitioners run a series of "tests" for compliance. What that means is that some people are more suggestible than others. However, once you are on stage, the initial suggestibility becomes something else: compliance.
Compliance is simply doing as we are told. So by the time someone is on stage being told to act like a chicken, they most likely will because they do not want to disappoint, or cause discomfort.
Such a situation can lead us to do something we may not want to, or would not do otherwise, but that is more to do with social pressure than hypnosis per se.
When used ethically and therapeutically, however, suggestions can be a powerful tool. Nevertheless, some people are more prone to feeling the effects of suggestions, and some are less.
These differences are natural and practitioners know how to approach your particular needs.
Who tends to be a good fit for hypnotherapy
I prefer to think in terms of "when" rather than "who", because it is a matter of mindset.
When we feel truly willing to try something different, feel a thirst for change, or have a desire for growth, and at the same time feel curious about what might happen, that is the ideal point from which to approach this type of intervention.
Different therapeutic approaches suit different people. In our work, we can use imagery and suggestion alongside conversation, adapting the session to what feels useful to you.
There is no requirement to arrive feeling calm or positive. Your starting point is part of what we work with.
How focused relaxation can help people observe thoughts and beliefs more clearly
It is very difficult to think when we are overwhelmed by sadness, fear, or rage, for example.
When an emotion feels intense, it can be difficult to see beyond the thoughts that come with it. We can practise pausing and noticing those thoughts, then explore other ways of understanding the situation.
The aim is to create more room for reflection and choice, at a pace that works for you.