Hypnotherapy uses relaxation and focus to help you change a habit or a way of thinking. That is how the NHS describes it, and it sits alongside your usual care rather than in place of it. You stay aware and in control the whole time.
Hypnotherapy is not a medical treatment
Hypnotherapy uses relaxation and focused attention to help with habits, anxiety and sleep. It does not treat or cure a medical condition. It does not replace care from your GP.
It may not be safe for anyone with epilepsy, psychosis or schizophrenia. Talk to your GP before you start.
Hypnosis is not sleep. It is not a loss of control either.
Most people describe it as deep rest, while still able to hear, think and decide. You cannot be made to do anything against your will.
What happens in a session
A first session usually starts with a conversation. Your hypnotherapist asks what you want to change and how you sleep, cope and relax now.
They then guide you into a calm, focused state using their voice, often with your eyes closed. In that state they offer suggestions aimed at the change you have asked for.
Sessions last around an hour. Some hypnotherapists teach self-hypnosis so you can practise at home. You can bring yourself out of the relaxed state at any point.
- Agree the work You discuss what you want to change. The hypnotherapist explains how they work.
- Focused attention You may talk and use hypnosis in the same session. Hypnosis can feel different for each person.
- Review and practice You talk about how things are going. You may agree tasks to try at home.
These are parts of the work. Your first session may be a chance to talk, without any hypnosis.
Source: NCH: hypnotherapy sessions
The main hypnotherapy styles
The first three names describe ways of working. The other two name a specific use of hypnosis.
- Solution-focused hypnotherapy You discuss the changes you want and the strengths you can use. Hypnosis supports that focus.
- Cognitive hypnotherapy In the Quest approach, the therapist draws on several methods and adapts them to your needs.
- Ericksonian hypnotherapy The therapist may use stories and comparisons to offer suggestions indirectly. They adapt the language to you.
These describe how the work is done. They do not show that one style works better than another.
- Gut-directed hypnotherapy The therapist uses hypnosis and guided images focused on gut symptoms. This is a structured approach for IBS.
- Hypnobirthing Classes teach breathing, relaxation, mental images and self-hypnosis before birth. A birth partner can learn with you.
NICE says to consider hypnotherapy for ongoing IBS after medicines have not helped for 12 months. Its birth guidance says not to offer hypnosis during labour, but to support a woman's choice to use it.
Many hypnotherapists blend two or more of these. Ask which one they lean on, and why.
Sources: AfSFH: solution focused hypnotherapy, Quest Institute: cognitive hypnotherapy, Erickson Foundation: hypnosis, Gonsalkorale 2006, NHS: hypnobirthing classes, NICE CG61, NICE NG235
What people commonly seek hypnotherapy for
The evidence behind each use differs, and we want you to know where it is strongest before you book.
- Irritable bowel syndrome. The one use with NICE backing. Its IBS guideline says to consider a hypnotherapy referral after 12 months of medicines that have not worked (NICE CG61)
- Sleep and anxiety. The advertising regulator accepts that hypnotherapy can help relieve anxiety and aid sleep. We claim no more than that. It sits alongside, not instead of, help for an anxiety condition
- Pain. Some people use hypnotherapy for how they perceive pain. The advertising regulator expects robust clinical evidence behind any pain claim, so ask what a hypnotherapist rests theirs on. It sits within the care your GP or pain team already gives, and does not replace it
- Giving birth. NICE does not recommend hypnosis as pain relief during labour. It does ask maternity teams to support your choice if you want it (NICE NG235). Hypnobirthing is a way to prepare and feel calmer, not a promise about the birth itself
- Fertility. Some people going through IVF use hypnotherapy for the stress and anxiety around it. There is no NICE guidance on this, and any hypnotherapist offering it should say so
- Stopping smoking. Some people use hypnotherapy once they have decided to stop. Nobody can honestly quote you a success rate. Your GP or a stop smoking service can offer support with proven results
Ask any hypnotherapist which evidence they rest on for the change you want.
What hypnotherapy is not for
It is not the route for depression, an eating disorder, addiction or another serious condition. Those need a therapist, a counsellor or your GP.
The advertising rules do not allow that claim. If a habit is a symptom of something larger, the larger thing comes first.
The NHS advises that hypnotherapy may not be safe for anyone with epilepsy, psychosis or schizophrenia. Talk to your GP before you start, and tell your hypnotherapist about any condition or medicine.
If low mood or anxiety is the real problem, person-centred therapy and CBT are built for that. Our guide to therapy, coaching or hypnotherapy sets the three side by side.
What to look for in a hypnotherapist
No law in the UK controls who can call themselves a hypnotherapist. Anyone can use the title, so the register they belong to is the thing to check.
We accept three registers. They are the General Hypnotherapy Register, the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, and the National Council for Hypnotherapy.
The second of those is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, which oversees UK health registers. Each register asks for training, insurance and a code of conduct.
Ask what they will and will not work on, and how many sessions they expect. Ask what happens if it is not helping. A hypnotherapist who is honest about the limits of the evidence is the one to trust.
References
- NICE (2008). Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management (CG61). nice.org.uk
- NICE (2023). Intrapartum care (NG235). nice.org.uk
- Committee of Advertising Practice (2023). Health: Hypnotherapy (AdviceOnline). asa.org.uk
- National Council for Hypnotherapy (2020). Hypnotherapy sessions. hypnotherapists.org.uk
- Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (n.d.). What is solution focused hypnotherapy?. afsfh.com
- The Quest Institute (n.d.). Cognitive hypnotherapy. questinstitute.co.uk
- The Milton H. Erickson Foundation (n.d.). Ericksonian hypnosis and therapy techniques. catalog.erickson-foundation.org
- Gonsalkorale, W. M. (2006). Gut-directed hypnotherapy: the Manchester approach for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- NHS (n.d.). Antenatal and hypnobirthing classes. nhs.uk
