Anxiety can have a way of creeping into far more areas of life than we sometimes realise. It can affect the way you think, the decisions you make, how confident you feel, your relationships and even the way you respond to situations that, logically, you know shouldn’t feel threatening.
For some people, anxiety is connected to something quite specific — public speaking, driving, flying, social situations or perhaps a particular event. For others, it can feel more like a constant companion: that busy mind that doesn’t seem to switch off, the overthinking, the “what ifs”, or a feeling that something might go wrong even when everything appears to be okay.
And sometimes that can be one of the most frustrating parts of anxiety. You can know consciously that you’re safe, yet still feel anxious.
This is one of the reasons people explore hypnotherapy.
At Pemberton Therapy, we work with the understanding that many of our thoughts, beliefs, emotional responses and learned patterns can become automatic over time. Hypnotherapy gives us an opportunity to work with those patterns in a relaxed and focused state, helping you begin to create different responses where the old ones are no longer serving you.
So, does hypnotherapy work for anxiety?
For many people, hypnotherapy can be a valuable approach to working with anxiety. Research into hypnosis has also produced encouraging findings, although, as with any therapeutic approach, no responsible practitioner should promise that the outcome will be the same for everybody.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a very human response. We all experience it at different times in our lives.
It can include worry, fear, apprehension, nervousness or that uncomfortable sense that something might go wrong. Sometimes there is an obvious reason for it. At other times, you may find yourself wondering, Why am I feeling like this?
And anxiety doesn’t look the same for everybody.
One person may feel anxious in social situations. Someone else may experience it before speaking in public, travelling or attending an important meeting. Another person might find themselves continually thinking ahead, imagining everything that could possibly go wrong.
When anxiety becomes persistent, starts influencing your choices, or prevents you from doing things you would otherwise like to do, it can begin to have a much greater impact on everyday life.
When You Know You’re Okay — But Don’t Feel Okay
This is something we often hear from clients.
You may completely understand, logically, that there is nothing to be frightened of. You may even tell yourself repeatedly that you’re being irrational or that you “shouldn’t” feel anxious.
And yet the feeling still arrives.
That’s because not every emotional response begins with a conscious decision.
Over time, our minds can create associations between situations and particular emotional responses. Eventually, that response can become automatic. Something happens, something is said, you enter a particular situation — and the familiar feeling appears before you’ve really had time to think about it.
Hypnotherapy can provide an opportunity to work with these more automatic or subconscious patterns, rather than relying only on conscious reasoning to change them.
Anxiety Doesn’t Always Come From Trauma
There’s a common misconception that if you experience anxiety, there must be some hidden trauma buried somewhere in your past.
That simply isn’t always the case.
Our responses can develop for many different reasons. Stressful periods in life, repeated experiences, learned associations, uncertainty, particular fears, beliefs about ourselves or others, and patterns of thinking can all play a part.
For some people, earlier experiences are relevant. For others, they aren’t.
At Pemberton Therapy, we don’t begin with an assumption about why you feel the way you do. We begin with you — what you’re experiencing now, how it affects your life and what you would like to experience differently.
How Can Hypnotherapy Help With Anxiety?
Hypnotherapy combines hypnosis with therapeutic techniques designed to help you explore and change patterns of thinking, feeling and responding.
During hypnosis, you enter a state of relaxation and focused awareness. You’re not unconscious, asleep or out of control. In fact, most people remain aware of what is happening throughout the session.
Think about those moments when you’ve been completely absorbed in a book, a movie, music or even your own thoughts. The rest of the world hasn’t disappeared, but your attention has become much more focused.
Hypnosis can create a similar focused state.
Within that state, therapeutic work can be directed towards the thoughts, beliefs, emotional responses and subconscious patterns that may be contributing to what you’re experiencing.
And importantly, hypnotherapy is something we do together — not something I do to you.
You remain involved and in control throughout the process.
Working With Subconscious Patterns
Our subconscious mind learns from experience.
Some of those learnings are incredibly useful. Others may have made sense once but continue operating long after they have stopped being helpful.
Imagine, for example, someone who experiences anxiety whenever they have to speak in front of a group.
Consciously, they may know their subject extremely well. They may have prepared carefully and know there is no genuine danger.
But somewhere along the way, speaking in front of others may have become associated with being judged, making a mistake, embarrassment or not being good enough.
So the conscious mind says, I’m prepared. I can do this.
And another part responds, But what if something goes wrong?
Hypnotherapy allows us to work with those deeper associations and help the mind discover that another response is possible.
Working With Limiting Beliefs
Anxiety is often accompanied by predictions about what might happen.
What if I make a fool of myself?
What if they judge me?
What if I fail?
What if I can’t cope?
What if I lose control?
When thoughts like these have been repeated often enough, they can begin to feel like facts rather than possibilities.
Part of the therapeutic process may involve exploring those beliefs, where appropriate, and helping you develop responses that better reflect who you are and what is actually happening in your life today.
It isn’t simply about telling yourself to “think positively.”
It’s about helping change the patterns underneath the response.
What Types of Anxiety Can People Bring to Hypnotherapy?
People come to Pemberton Therapy with many different experiences of anxiety.
Some struggle in social situations or find themselves worrying about what other people think of them. Others are confident in most areas of life but experience anxiety around public speaking, meetings, presentations, interviews or performance.
Some people experience a busy, overactive mind and find themselves continually replaying conversations or imagining future problems.
Others have specific fears or situations that trigger an immediate emotional response.
The label isn’t the most important thing to us.
Your experience is.
Two people can both tell me they have anxiety and yet have completely different experiences, histories, triggers and goals. That’s why the therapy should fit the person rather than expecting the person to fit the therapy.
Will I Have to Relive Difficult Experiences?
No.
Coming to hypnotherapy for anxiety does not automatically mean going back into your past or reliving painful or traumatic experiences.
Sometimes earlier experiences may be relevant to what is happening today. Sometimes they aren’t.
If something from the past is relevant, it can be approached carefully and respectfully. You should never feel that you have to uncover a traumatic event simply because you’re experiencing anxiety.
Our focus is always on helping you move towards what you want to experience differently.
What Happens During Hypnotherapy for Anxiety?
Before we begin any hypnosis, we talk.
I want to understand what’s happening for you. When do you notice the anxiety? What tends to trigger it? How does it affect your life? And, importantly, if this changed, what would you like to experience instead?
That conversation helps us decide how best to approach the therapy.
When you’re ready, I’ll guide you into hypnosis using relaxation and focused attention. There’s nothing you need to “get right.” You don’t have to force yourself to relax or wonder whether you’re hypnotised enough.
You simply allow yourself to follow the process.
From there, the therapeutic work is tailored around you. Depending on what you’ve come to see me about, we might work with beliefs, emotional responses, associations, subconscious patterns or other areas that have become connected with your anxiety.
No two clients are exactly the same, and neither are my sessions.
How Many Hypnotherapy Sessions Are Needed for Anxiety?
This is understandably one of the most common questions people ask.
At Pemberton Therapy, the average is around three to four sessions, but that is an average — not a program and certainly not a promise.
Some people notice meaningful changes sooner. Others may have several different areas they want to work through and choose to continue for longer.
One-session “fixes” can happen, but they aren’t something I promise because therapy simply doesn’t work according to a predetermined timetable.
I’d much rather understand what is happening for you and allow the number of sessions to be guided by what you actually need.
Will Hypnotherapy Make My Anxiety Disappear?
No ethical therapist can promise that.
People are different, anxiety is different and responses to therapy are different.
Research into hypnosis and anxiety is encouraging in a number of areas. A 2019 meta-analysis examining 17 hypnosis trials reported an overall reduction in anxiety compared with control conditions, with stronger effects when hypnosis was combined with other psychological approaches.
Research has also shown encouraging results for hypnosis used to reduce anxiety associated with medical procedures, although findings from those situations shouldn’t automatically be applied to every form of anxiety.
Other reviews have been more cautious about the evidence for chronic anxiety disorders.
So rather than promising a “cure”, I think there is a much more useful question:
Could hypnotherapy help you change the patterns that are keeping your anxiety going?
For some people, the answer may be yes.
And that’s something we can explore together.
Will I Still Be in Control?
Absolutely.
This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about hypnosis.
You don’t surrender control of your mind. You don’t become unconscious. And I can’t make you do something that goes against your values or wishes.
You remain aware and involved.
My role is to guide you through the process and create the environment in which therapeutic change can take place. Your mind remains your mind throughout.
For many first-time clients, understanding this removes a lot of the uncertainty they had about hypnosis before they arrived.
Is Hypnotherapy Right for Everyone?
Hypnotherapy can be a valuable therapeutic approach, but that doesn’t mean it is automatically the right approach for every person or every situation.
Anxiety can range from relatively specific situational concerns through to much more complex experiences. Sometimes other healthcare or psychological support may also be appropriate.
If anxiety is severe, worsening, or significantly affecting your ability to function or your safety, appropriate healthcare support is important.
Part of working professionally is recognising when hypnotherapy may be useful — and when another form of support may be needed as well.
Choosing the Right Hypnotherapist
Qualifications and experience matter, but so does something that can be harder to put on a certificate:
Do you feel comfortable with the person?
Therapy involves trust.
You should feel listened to rather than judged. You should be able to ask questions. You should understand what is happening and why. And you should never feel as though you’re simply being put through a standard process because that’s what everybody receives.
At Pemberton Therapy, we care and understand.
Those aren’t just words we put on our website. They describe the way I believe therapy should feel.
You’re not a diagnosis or a problem that needs fixing. You’re a person who has developed certain responses for reasons that may make complete sense once we understand them.
My role is to help you discover what can change.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy for Anxiety
Am I conscious during hypnotherapy?
Yes. Most people remain aware throughout hypnosis. You may feel deeply relaxed and absorbed in the experience, but you don’t need to become unconscious for hypnosis to be effective.
Can a hypnotherapist control my mind?
No. Hypnosis is collaborative. You remain in control and continue to have your own judgement, values and choices throughout the session.
Does hypnotherapy work immediately for anxiety?
Some people notice changes quite quickly, while others require several sessions. There is no responsible way to guarantee how quickly an individual will respond.
Does anxiety always have a subconscious cause?
Not necessarily. Subconscious patterns can contribute to anxiety, but there can be many influences. We don’t go searching for a predetermined “hidden cause.”
Does anxiety always come from trauma?
No. Trauma may be relevant for some people, but certainly not everybody.
Will I have to relive difficult memories?
No. Hypnotherapy does not automatically involve reliving difficult or traumatic experiences. Any work involving previous experiences should be relevant, appropriate and approached respectfully.
Can I use hypnotherapy alongside other support?
Yes, in many circumstances. Hypnotherapy can form part of a broader approach to wellbeing and can be used alongside other appropriate professional support.
Is Hypnotherapy for Anxiety Worth Exploring?
If anxiety is beginning to influence how you live, the choices you make or the way you feel about yourself, you don’t necessarily have to simply accept that this is how things will always be.
The patterns our minds learn can become incredibly familiar. Sometimes they can feel so automatic that we begin to believe they’re simply part of who we are.
But a learned response is not necessarily a permanent response.
Hypnotherapy offers one way of exploring those patterns and beginning to create something different.
At Pemberton Therapy, we’ll take the time to understand what’s happening for you, what you’d like to change and whether hypnotherapy feels like the right approach.
If you’re curious but aren’t quite sure yet, that’s okay too.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can have a conversation about what’s happening, you can ask any questions you have, and together we can decide whether hypnotherapy might be right for you.
Sometimes that first conversation is simply the best place to begin.
