What hypnotherapy can and cannot help with

Hypnotherapy attracts some extravagant claims, and a clinic that offers it has a duty to be straight about which of them hold up. We offer hypnotherapy at Healthflex, and this is our honest account of what it is reasonable to expect.

What it is

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and deep relaxation in which people are generally more responsive to suggestion. It is not sleep, it is not unconsciousness, and you are not under anybody's control. Most people describe it as being calm and relaxed while remaining fully aware of where they are and what is being said.

That last point is worth stating plainly, because the stage show version of hypnosis puts a lot of people off. You cannot be made to do something you do not want to do, and you can end the session at any moment.

It has a longer history in mainstream medicine than people assume. The British Medical Association looked at it formally in the mid twentieth century, and it has been used alongside conventional treatment ever since, though it has never been a mainstream first line therapy.

Where the evidence is reasonable

The strongest case is in irritable bowel syndrome. NICE guidance recommends considering referral for psychological interventions, hypnotherapy among them, for people whose symptoms have not responded to other treatment after twelve months. That is a specific recommendation from a cautious body, and gut directed hypnotherapy is a recognised protocol rather than a general relaxation session.

There is also reasonable support for hypnotherapy in pain management, including procedural pain and some persistent pain conditions, and for anxiety in particular contexts. In both cases it works best as one part of a plan rather than as the whole of it.

Where the claims outrun the research

Smoking is the clearest example. Hypnotherapy is widely advertised for stopping smoking and many people report success with it, but the trial evidence has not shown it to be more effective than other established approaches. If you want to stop smoking, the interventions with the best evidence are the ones offered through NHS stop smoking services, often combining medication with behavioural support. Hypnotherapy may still suit you, and some people much prefer it, but it should be chosen with that context rather than on a promise.

Weight is similar. Hypnotherapy is sometimes offered as a way of addressing the habits and patterns around eating rather than the eating itself, which is a more honest framing than the claim that it removes the desire for food. The evidence for lasting weight change is modest.

You will also see hypnotherapy advertised for a very long list of conditions, some of them serious. Treat a long list as a warning sign rather than a recommendation. Anybody claiming hypnotherapy can treat a medical condition in place of medical care is overstating it, and we would say the same about any therapy.

What a session is like

You sit or lie comfortably while the therapist talks you into a relaxed, focused state, then works with you on whatever you have come about. Sessions usually last around an hour. Most people need several rather than one, and many are taught self hypnosis so they can continue the work between appointments.

The first session includes a conversation about what you want to change and whether hypnotherapy is a sensible route to it. If it is not, we would rather tell you.

Who it is not suitable for

Hypnotherapy is not appropriate for people experiencing psychosis, and it needs careful handling in people with certain mental health conditions, including where there is a history of trauma. If you are under the care of a mental health team, discuss it with them first. It is not a replacement for treatment they have recommended.

At Healthflex

Richard Morley is our hypnotherapist and also practises neuro linguistic programming, and he sees patients at our Haslemere clinic. Our pages cover hypnotherapy, hypnotherapy for anxiety and stress, stop smoking hypnotherapy and neuro linguistic programming, and our fees page lists the cost of a session so you can decide before you call.