Hypnotherapy is one of those practices that tends to provoke an immediate reaction — curiosity, scepticism, or a vague image of a swinging pocket watch and a man in a cape. Before anything else, let's set the record straight.
What Is Hypnosis?
The word comes from the Greek húpnos, meaning sleep. And hypnosis does look a lot like sleep from the outside — which is probably where the confusion begins. But from the inside, it's something quite different: hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of altered awareness and perception.
That might sound mysterious, but it's actually something you already experience every day, in various forms and degrees, without thinking about it. When you're absorbed in a good book or film and lose track of time. On a long motorway drive when you arrive and barely remember the last twenty minutes. When you're exercising and enter a kind of focused flow. When you drift off into a daydream. In each of these moments, you're still aware of your surroundings — the room, the road, the gym — but the usual noise and distraction have receded into the background. Your attention has narrowed around one thing.
That's all hypnosis is: a natural human state in which the mind becomes more receptive and focused.
What makes this therapeutically useful is that, in this state, new ideas, perspectives and suggestions are received differently: with less resistance, and more openness. Just as the emotions you feel watching a fictional film are entirely real even though the story isn't, the mind in hypnosis responds to imagination and suggestion as though they carry real weight. Skilled hypnotherapists use this to work with long-standing patterns, or with how someone relates to a difficult experience.
In practice, a hypnotherapist typically induces this state through guided relaxation — bringing you to that in-between place somewhere between waking and sleep. From there, using suggestions, metaphors or imagination-based exercises, they work with you to address the specific areas you want to change: reducing anxiety, managing pain, breaking a habit, building confidence, or processing something difficult.
It's worth being clear that hypnotherapy is a collaborative process. You are conscious and responsive throughout. The therapist's role is to guide and offer — you decide, at every stage, what you take in and what you don't. You do most of the actual work, even while sitting comfortably with your eyes closed.
Because it works on a psychological level, it matters that you choose a practitioner with proper training, who works within recognised protocols and belongs to a professional body with a code of ethics. Hypnotherapy is a gentle approach — but it's not a casual one.
Myths, Misconceptions, and What's Actually True
"You're asleep during hypnosis"
Some hypnotherapists use words like "sleep" or "drift off" — partly by tradition, partly because it invites the body's natural relaxation response. But hypnosis isn't sleep. You remain aware and focused for most of the session. Most people remain aware of everything that happens throughout.
"The therapist controls your mind"
This one, we can thank stage hypnosis and Hollywood for. The reality is the opposite of what they'd have you believe. You cannot be made to do anything against your will under hypnosis. Yes, you're more open to suggestion — but you retain your free will. For a suggestion to take effect, you have to be willing to engage with it, to imagine it, to allow it to resonate. You choose to follow the therapist's voice. You choose how deeply you relax. You choose whether to respond to a suggestion or not. No one can hypnotise you against your will, and no one can make you say or do anything embarrassing or harmful — during or after a session.
"What if I get stuck in hypnosis?"
This isn’t something that happens. Hypnosis is a temporary mental state. If a session were interrupted, you would simply drift into natural sleep and wake up normally.
"Being hypnotisable means you're weak-minded"
There’s no link between suggestibility and being easily led. Responding to hypnosis involves sustaining focused attention, following instructions, and engaging the imagination, all of which take active participation rather than passivity.
What Can Hypnotherapy Help With?
Hypnotherapy is used today for a wide range of difficulties. The research is uneven — better established in some areas, such as pain management, than in others. Whether it’s a sensible route for what brings you is something we’d look at together before deciding anything.
Anxiety and anxiety-related conditions — including generalised anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, insomnia and stress
Acute and chronic pain management
Sleep difficulties
Stress-related and psychosomatic conditions
Habits and behaviours someone wants to change, including smoking
It can also work alongside other therapeutic approaches. Some people find that working in this more focused state lets them engage with something differently than they manage through talking alone.
What to Expect From a Session
If you've never had hypnotherapy before, knowing what's likely to happen can make a real difference to how comfortable you feel going in.
A first session typically begins with a conversation — about what's brought you, what you'd like to change, and any questions or concerns you might have. There's no pressure to go straight into hypnosis; that initial discussion matters, both for building trust and for tailoring the work to you specifically.
When we move into the hypnotherapy itself, you'll be invited to settle into a comfortable position — usually seated or semi-reclined — and guided into a state of relaxation through my voice. You won't be asked to do anything unusual. Most people describe the experience as deeply restful, a little like that pleasant heaviness just before you fall asleep, while remaining aware of everything around them.
From there, depending on what we're working on, I might use guided imagery, metaphor, direct suggestion or conversational hypnosis — always within a framework we've discussed together. Sessions typically last around 50 minutes.
Afterwards, experiences vary. Some people feel calm and clear-headed. Some notice a shift quite quickly; for others, changes emerge more gradually over the following days. And for some it doesn’t land the way they’d hoped, in which case we look at that together.
My Approach to Hypnotherapy
If you are specifically looking for hypnotherapy, that can be the focus of our work. We will agree together on the approach that feels right for you and what you would like to work on.
As an integrative therapist, I also use hypnotherapy as one of the tools within a broader counselling process when I feel it could be helpful and you are open to it. Hypnotherapy doesn't have to be an either/or: it can be the main focus of our work, or it can sit alongside other therapeutic approaches.
Whatever the format, I don't see hypnotherapy as a magic fix or a “one session and you're sorted” solution. Meaningful change is rarely that simple. We will take the time to understand where you are, what you would like to work on and what might be getting in the way. Any hypnotherapy we use will then be tailored to you and integrated into our work with purpose, rather than relying on a generic script or a one-size-fits-all approach.
I offer hypnotherapy in West Hampstead and Paddington/Lancaster Gate in London, as well as online. If you'd like to find out whether it might be the right fit for you, get in touch — I'm happy to answer any questions before you decide to go ahead.
