People come to hypnotherapy for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes there is one very clear problem. Sometimes several things have become tangled together: poor sleep feeding anxiety, anxiety affecting confidence, or stress making an old habit harder to manage.
You don’t need to diagnose yourself or decide which label fits before contacting me. The pages below cover the areas I’m most often asked about and explain where hypnotherapy may have a useful role.
The sections below cover the areas I am most often asked about.
Anxiety and overthinking
Anxiety may feel intense and obvious, or it may sit quietly in the background throughout the day.
You might find yourself overthinking conversations, expecting something to go wrong or feeling unable to switch off even when everything around you is reasonably calm.
Hypnotherapy can help relieve anxiety. We can look at what happens for you and work towards a calmer response to the thoughts, sensations and situations that have been getting in the way.
Read about hypnotherapy for anxiety
Panic attacks, fears and phobias
Panic can feel frightening, particularly when it seems to appear without warning. After an attack, you may begin avoiding places or situations in case it happens again.
Other people contact me about a particular fear, such as flying, driving, vomiting or being somewhere that feels difficult to leave.
I use approaches including relaxation, imagery, mental rehearsal and the Rewind technique, depending on the person and the concern.
Read about panic attacks, fears and phobias
OCD and intrusive thoughts
An unwanted thought can feel especially upsetting when it seems completely out of character.
You may find yourself analysing why you had it, checking what it means or trying to gain complete certainty that it will not return.
Hypnotherapy is not a treatment for OCD and should not replace evidence-based care such as cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention. My sessions may have a complementary role in supporting relaxation and helping you respond more calmly to intrusive thoughts.
Read about OCD and intrusive thoughts
Stress and emotional wellbeing
Long periods of pressure can leave you feeling tense, irritable or mentally exhausted.
You may still be working, looking after other people and getting through everything expected of you while knowing that you are running on very little.
Sessions give you time to slow down, talk through what has been happening and practise responding to some of that pressure differently.
Read about stress and emotional wellbeing
Sleep
Sleep can become surprisingly complicated once you start worrying about it.
You may struggle to switch off, wake during the night or find yourself calculating how many hours remain before the alarm.
Hypnotherapy can aid sleep and support relaxation. We can also look at the thoughts, routines and pressure that have gradually gathered around bedtime.
Confidence and self-trust
Confidence is rarely the same in every part of life.
You may feel comfortable with people you know but become self-conscious during meetings, interviews, presentations or unfamiliar social situations. Perhaps you make decisions and then repeatedly question them afterwards.
Hypnotherapy can be used to help with confidence. We begin with a realistic goal connected to something you would genuinely like to feel more comfortable doing.
Read about confidence and self-trust
Habits and behaviour change
Habits often become connected to particular times, feelings and routines.
You may fully understand why you want to change and still find yourself repeating the same response when a familiar moment arrives.
I offer support with habits including:
- Smoking
- Vaping
- Drinking patterns
- Automatic or repetitive behaviours
Hypnotherapy may provide one source of support once you have made your own decision to change. Your motivation and the actions you take outside the session remain important.
Alcohol dependence and substance misuse require appropriate medical or specialist support.
Read about habits and behaviour change
Eating habits and weight management
Many people already know what they intended to do around food.
The difficulty may be eating automatically in the evening, responding to stress with food, struggling with cravings or abandoning a sensible plan after one difficult day.
Hypnotherapy may help with food-related habits and cravings when you genuinely want to make a change. It does not cause weight loss on its own, and I do not offer diets or nutritional advice.
Read about eating habits and weight-management support
IBS and emotional wellbeing
Living with IBS can affect much more than digestion. You may plan around toilets, avoid unfamiliar places or become anxious about symptoms appearing when you are away from home.
For people with a medical diagnosis of IBS, hypnotherapy may provide complementary support with relaxation, stress and some of the anxiety surrounding symptoms.
It does not replace advice from your GP, consultant or dietitian.
Read about IBS and emotional wellbeing
A sensible place to start
Some physical sensations, sleep problems, changes in mood and eating difficulties can have medical causes. Please begin with your GP or another appropriate professional when symptoms are new, severe, persistent or unexplained. Hypnotherapy does not replace medical diagnosis, prescribed treatment or specialist mental-health care.
If you are unsure where your concern fits, tell me briefly what has been happening and what you would like help with. I can explain whether I think my approach fits and will suggest another starting point when that seems more appropriate.