Hypnotherapy FAQ
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness – often referred to as a trance. While it’s gaining popularity for its effectiveness in treating a range of issues, from anxiety and phobias to smoking cessation and chronic pain, many people still have questions about how it works, what to expect, and whether it’s safe. This FAQ aims to address the most common inquiries about hypnotherapy, helping to clarify misconceptions.
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that utilizes a guided state of focused attention and relaxation, similar to a trance, to help individuals address various issues, including pain management, phobias, and anxiety. During hypnotherapy, a client is guided into hypnosis a relaxed state where they are more receptive to suggestions, allowing them to access and utilize their own resources for positive change.
Often misunderstood and occasionally met with skepticism, hypnotherapy is emerging from the shadows of stage shows and Hollywood dramatizations to claim its rightful place as a powerful tool for psychological healing and personal growth. With hypnotherapy you can reprogram, and release thought patterns to make desirable and lasting changes in your life.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis a natural state of the mind that is between the aware state and sleep. We also naturally experience hypnosis just before or exiting the sleep state, or while daydreaming, or driving a familiar route (road trance). With hypnotherapy you can reprogram, and release thought patterns to make desirable and lasting changes in your life.
Hypnosis is defined as:
- “a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion” (Elkins et al., 2015, p. 6).
- A means for reaching the subconscious mind
- An education communication process that allows a person’s conscious and subconscious mind to believe the same message (ARCH Canada, 2024).
Is clinical hypnotherapy grounded in scientific research?
There is a large growing body of scientific research due to the emergent focus on mind-body interactions among health professionals. Clinical hypnotherapy has clear benefits in areas such as anxiety, stress management, pain management, depression, sleep, hot flashes, and more. Hypnosis makes it easier to make changes making it a powerful tool for problem solving.
For more information read Barton (2017) and Weir (2024).
Will I lose control during hypnotherapy?
No, you absolutely will not lose control during hypnosis. You might enter a relaxed state, but you will always be aware of your surroundings and can accept or reject any suggestions made by the hypnotherapist. Hypnosis is a natural state of heightened focus.
Is hypnotherapy safe?
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses hypnosis to help individuals access a heightened state of awareness and focus, often referred to as a trance-like state. In this state, the conscious mind is relaxed, and the subconscious mind becomes more open to suggestion. Trained hypnotherapists use this state to help people address various psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues.
Hypnotherapy is commonly used to treat conditions such as anxiety, phobias, depression, stress, sleep disorders, chronic pain, and habit-related problems like smoking or overeating. The approach may involve guided visualization, positive suggestions, and therapeutic dialogue to reframe thoughts, change behaviors, or resolve past trauma.
Hypnotherapy is considered safe when practiced by certified professionals and is often used alongside other therapeutic methods. It is not mind control or unconsciousness, and most people remain aware and in control during the process.
How effective is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy, which uses hypnosis as a therapeutic tool, has gained acceptance in mainstream healthcare and is supported by a growing body of scientific research. While it’s not a magical cure and doesn’t work for everyone, studies have confirmed its effectiveness as a legitimate adjunct treatment for a variety of conditions. Follow my blog posts for a more detailed discussion of the evidence of hypnotherapy’s effectiveness.
The scientific basis of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to induce a state of highly focused attention and heightened suggestibility. During this trance-like state, a person is more open to suggestions that can help them modify their thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions. Brain-imaging studies have shown that hypnosis can alter activity in brain regions associated with pain perception, emotional regulation, and sensory processing. This allows a person to gain more control over their mind-body responses.
Hypnotherapy has been found to be particularly effective in the following areas:
- Pain Management: Research consistently shows that hypnotherapy can significantly reduce both acute and chronic pain, including pain from surgery, cancer, and conditions like arthritis. It can alter a person’s perception of pain and help them manage the associated anxiety and distress.
- Anxiety and Stress: Hypnotherapy can be a powerful tool for managing anxiety. It induces a state of deep relaxation, which counters the physiological symptoms of anxiety. By providing positive suggestions, it can help reframe negative thought patterns and build a greater sense of self-control. It is often most effective when combined with other therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Studies have shown that hypnotherapy can effectively reduce the symptoms of IBS, which is often linked to the mind-gut connection.
- Other Conditions: There is also evidence supporting the use of hypnotherapy for other issues, including weight loss, smoking cessation, and certain dermatological conditions.
While the scientific evidence for hypnotherapy is strong for many conditions, it’s important to note that its effectiveness can vary from person to person. Not everyone is equally responsive to hypnosis, and it should always be performed by a qualified and licensed professional as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
A few scientific papers:
Anxiety
Rosendahl, J., Alldredge, C. T., & Haddenhorst, A. (2024). Meta-analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis for mental and somatic health issues: a 20-year perspective. Frontiers in Psycholology, 14, 1330238. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1330238
Tigges-Limmer, K., Brocks, Y., Winkler, Y., Stock Gissendanner, S., & Gummert, J. (2024). Clinical experience with medical hypnosis as an adjunctive therapy in heart surgery. Frontiers in Psycholology, 15, 1356392. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356392
Valentine, K. E., Milling, L. S., Clark, L. J., & Moriarty, C. L. (2019). The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67(3), 336-363. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2019.1613863
Chronic Pain
Del Casale, A., Ferracuti, S., Rapinesi, C., De Rossi, P., Angeletti, G., Sani, G.,…Girardi, P. (2015). Hypnosis and pain perception: An Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies. Journal of Physiology – Paris, 109(4-6), 165-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.01.001
Taylor, D. A., & Genkov, K. A. (2019). Hypnotherapy for the Treatment of Persistent Pain: A Literature Review. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 26(2), 157-161. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390319835604
Pregnancy
Beevi, Z., Low, W. Y., & Hassan, J. (2016). Impact of Hypnosis Intervention in Alleviating Psychological and Physical Symptoms During Pregnancy. American Journal Clinical Hypnosis, 58(4), 368-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2015.1063476
Beevi, Z., Low, W. Y., & Hassan, J. (2019). The Effectiveness of Hypnosis Intervention in Alleviating Postpartum Psychological Symptoms. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 61(4), 409-425. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2018.1538870
Cyna, A. M., McAuliffe, G. L., & Andrew, M. I. (2004). Hypnosis for pain relief in labour and childbirth: a systematic review. British Journal Anaesthesia, 93(4), 505-511. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aeh225
Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?