People often come to hypnotherapy with a good understanding of their anxiety.
They know which situations set it off, recognise the familiar thoughts and may already have tried breathing exercises, relaxation apps or talking themselves through it.
The frustrating part is that knowing what is happening doesn’t always change how it feels when anxiety arrives.
You may understand that the situation is safe and still feel your heart racing. You can know that worrying all evening will not solve tomorrow’s problem and still be unable to leave it alone.
Hypnotherapy offers another way of working with that response, using focused attention, relaxation, imagery and therapeutic conversation.
We begin with your experience
Before using hypnosis, I want to understand what anxiety is like for you.
I’ll ask about:
- the situations you find difficult
- the thoughts or physical sensations you notice
- what you usually do when anxiety appears
- anything you have started avoiding
- what you have already tried
- what would tell you that things were becoming easier
You don’t need to give me a perfectly ordered account. We can take our time and work it out together.
I’m particularly interested in how anxiety affects everyday life. “I want to feel less anxious” is understandable, but it becomes more useful when we connect it with something you want to do.
That might be driving somewhere, sleeping more comfortably, speaking during a meeting or going out without spending the whole time thinking about how to leave.
What happens during hypnosis?
Once you are comfortable, I’ll guide your attention using my voice.
The hypnosis may include relaxation, imagery and suggestions based on the conversations we have had. I may also ask you to imagine approaching a situation and responding in the way you would prefer.
You remain aware of what is happening. You can speak, move, adjust your position or stop the session whenever you wish.
Some people feel deeply relaxed. Others feel focused and absorbed while still noticing the room around them.
There is no single feeling you have to achieve, and you don’t need to keep checking whether you are “properly hypnotised”.
You don’t have to empty your mind
A common concern is that hypnosis will only work if you can stop thinking.
That would be a rather unhelpful requirement for somebody whose difficulty is overthinking.
Thoughts may come and go during the session. You might notice sounds around you or wonder briefly what happens next. None of that means you are doing it wrong.
I will guide the session, and you can simply follow as comfortably as you can.
Relaxation is useful, but it isn’t the whole session
Having time to settle can feel valuable when you have spent much of the day tense or on alert.
However, an anxiety session with me is shaped around more than helping you feel calm in the chair.
We may use hypnosis to rehearse:
- allowing an anxious feeling to pass without immediately escaping
- keeping your attention on what you are doing
- responding more steadily to a familiar thought
- taking your time during a conversation
- continuing after an imperfect moment
- approaching something you have been avoiding
- trusting yourself to deal with uncertainty
The aim is to connect the experience in the session with the part of life you want to change.
Mental rehearsal and anxiety
People naturally rehearse things in their imagination.
Unfortunately, anxiety is often very good at rehearsing the most difficult version. You picture going blank, feeling trapped, losing control or being unable to cope.
That repeated imagining can make a future event feel familiar for all the wrong reasons.
During hypnotherapy, we can use imagination more deliberately. We might rehearse the same situation while allowing for a steadier response, including the possibility that you feel some nerves and still manage what you need to do.
This isn’t about pretending that nothing difficult could happen. It gives you an opportunity to become familiar with handling the situation differently.
What if I don’t know why I’m anxious?
You don’t always need a clear starting event.
Some people can identify exactly when anxiety began. Others only know that it gradually became part of their life.
We can work with what happens now: the situations, thoughts, sensations and habits that are keeping the difficulty going.
If an earlier experience seems important, I may suggest a different form of imagery or another therapeutic approach. I will explain what I propose before we begin and only continue with your agreement.
You won’t be pushed to relive something in detail simply because it happened in the past.
What happens outside the session?
Hypnotherapy is something we do together. Your own participation remains important.
Depending on the goal, we may discuss practical steps between appointments. These could include returning gradually to a situation, changing part of an evening routine or noticing when repeated checking is taking over.
You don’t have to make a dramatic leap before you are ready. We can agree a step that feels meaningful and realistic.
At the next appointment, we review what you noticed. There is no need to exaggerate progress or feel that you have disappointed me if something was difficult.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no single answer.
It depends on what you want help with, how long the difficulty has been present and what else is happening in your life.
A specific situational fear may need a different approach from anxiety that affects several parts of the day.
We will review the work as we go. You do not need to book a course in advance, and I won’t promise a particular result within a fixed number of sessions.
Can hypnotherapy be used alongside other support?
Yes, where that is appropriate.
Some people use hypnotherapy alongside support from their GP, counsellor, psychologist or NHS Talking Therapies.
Please tell me about relevant treatment or medication so that we can consider whether the sessions are suitable. Continue following the advice of the professionals responsible for your care.
Hypnotherapy does not replace medical assessment, prescribed treatment or specialist psychological care.
Is hypnotherapy suitable for everyone?
An initial consultation helps us decide.
If your symptoms are new, severe, persistent or unexplained, please speak to your GP rather than assuming they are caused by anxiety.
Another service may also be a better starting point when there is an immediate risk to your safety, a serious mental-health condition or a need for specialist treatment.
I’ll be straightforward with you if I believe that applies.
Would you like to ask me about it?
You don’t have to understand hypnosis before contacting me.
Tell me what anxiety has been like for you and what you would like to feel more comfortable doing. I’ll explain how I might approach it and answer your questions.
Appointments are available at my practice in Hayle, Cornwall, and online.
You can also visit my main Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in Hayle page or explore the individual pages on panic, phobias and situational anxiety.