What Hypnosis Is...And Isn't...

Hypnosis is one of the most misunderstood therapeutic tools; often being confused with sleep, mind control, or theatrical stunts. But clinical hypnotherapy is none of those things. It’s a focused, relaxed state where the unconscious becomes more receptive to change, and the client remains fully aware, in control, and actively engaged in the process.

In therapeutic settings, hypnosis is used to bypass the critical, analytical part of the mind, the part that often resists change, doubts progress, or clings to old patterns. When we access the unconscious, we can work directly with the beliefs, associations, and emotional responses that shape behaviour. This is why hypnotherapy is so effective for issues like anxiety, phobias, sexual wellbeing, and performance blocks; areas where conscious effort alone often falls short.

Prospective clients frequently have apprehensions. They fear they might 'lose control' or be made to do something embarrassing. These fears stem from stage hypnosis, which is designed for entertainment, not healing. In clinical hypnotherapy, the process is collaborative and ethical. You’re never unconscious or unaware. You’re simply in a state of heightened focus and relaxation, similar to being absorbed in a book or a daydream.

Sessions often begin with gentle induction techniques: breathwork, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation. Once the client is in a receptive state, we use therapeutic suggestions, metaphors, unconscious dialogue and hypnotherapeutic techniques to explore and reframe limiting beliefs. For example, someone struggling with confidence might carry an unconscious belief such as “I’m not good enough.” In hypnosis, we can challenge that belief, plant new affirmations, and create vivid internal experiences of success and self-worth. In addition, we can regress to past experiences that may have triggered or shaped this belief, and allow the unconscious to change the way it responds to them.

Hypnotherapy also works beautifully with the body. Because the unconscious governs automatic responses, heart rate, muscle tension, digestion, hypnosis can support sleep, pain management, and nervous system regulation. It’s especially helpful for clients experiencing fatigue, brain fog, or menopause-related symptoms, where emotional and physiological factors intertwine.

Importantly, hypnosis isn’t a magic fix. It’s a process. It works best when integrated with psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and lifestyle support. But for many clients, it’s the missing piece , the bridge between insight and embodiment – the tool that effects change. They know what they want to change, but they can’t quite make it stick. Hypnotherapy helps them do just that.

In my practice, I use hypnosis to support a wide range of goals: overcoming fears, breaking habits, enhancing performance, deepening intimacy, and restoring emotional clarity. It’s gentle, empowering, and deeply respectful of each client’s pace and story. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a loop, knowing something logically but feeling it emotionally, knowing what you consciously want to change, but being unable to do so, hypnosis might be the key to unlocking it.