A structured, clinically delivered use of focused attention and therapeutic suggestion — offered here as a complementary therapy alongside your wider psychiatric and psychological care.
Hypnotherapy is the clinical use of hypnosis — a state of focused attention and heightened responsiveness to suggestion, guided by a trained practitioner — within a therapeutic relationship to support specific psychological goals.
The American Psychological Association’s Division of Psychological Hypnosis describes hypnosis as a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterised by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion. In a clinical setting, this state is used deliberately, with a specific therapeutic purpose, rather than for entertainment or demonstration.
Worth knowing upfront: Being hypnotised is not the same as being asleep, unconscious, or “under someone’s control.” You remain aware throughout, and a trained practitioner works within your own goals and consent, not against them.
Hypnotherapy draws on a small set of core techniques, combined based on the person’s presenting concern and goals.
Guided physical and mental relaxation, used to lower arousal and prepare for the focused, receptive state hypnotherapy works within.
Direct or indirect therapeutic suggestions offered during the receptive state, aimed at shifting a specific thought, behaviour, or symptom pattern.
Self-hypnosis and related skills taught for independent use, extending the benefit of sessions into daily life.
Techniques that explore earlier life experiences for insight, used with particular caution — see the note below.
An important caution: Well-documented research shows that memories retrieved or revisited under hypnosis are not more reliable than ordinary recall, and hypnosis can increase confidence in inaccurate memories. Many courts exclude hypnotically-refreshed testimony for exactly this reason. Where exploration of past experience is used clinically, it is approached carefully, without leading questions, and any material that emerges is treated as a starting point for reflection rather than established fact.
A typical hypnotherapy session follows three broad stages.
A guided process, typically using relaxation and focused attention, helps you enter a receptive state — nothing sudden or dramatic, more a gradual narrowing of focus.
A state of focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness. You remain aware and able to respond throughout — this is not sleep or unconsciousness, whatever the word “trance” might suggest.
Wondering whether hypnotherapy could complement your own treatment plan?
Evidence for hypnotherapy varies considerably by condition — some applications are backed by a stronger, more consistent research base than others.
Hypnotherapy has been studied in several anxiety-related and procedural settings, although the strength and consistency of evidence varies by application.
Research has examined hypnotherapy for anxiety-related symptoms and procedural anxiety, with evidence varying by setting and condition — systematic reviews report the most consistent findings in procedural contexts such as dental and medical-procedure anxiety.
Studied as "cognitive hypnotherapy," an adjunct to CBT, based on a limited but growing body of clinical research.
A small meta-analysis found a large effect on PTSD symptoms, but it was based on only a handful of trials — the findings are promising but preliminary, and it's used cautiously as an adjunct alongside trauma-focused psychological care, with memory-related techniques approached with real caution given the risks outlined above.
An emerging area based on small pilot studies from researchers at the University of Helsinki, showing preliminary, promising results that haven't yet been established through larger trials.
Fact: You remain aware and in control throughout. A practitioner cannot make you act against your own values or will.
Fact: The hypnotic state involves focused attention, not unconsciousness. You can hear, think, and respond the whole time.
Fact: Sessions end with a straightforward return to full alertness; there's no clinical basis for someone becoming permanently stuck.
Fact: Hypnotic responsiveness is unrelated to gullibility or intelligence, and most people can experience some degree of it.
Fact: Research shows memories retrieved under hypnosis aren't more accurate than ordinary recall, and can increase false confidence in inaccurate details.
Fact: Stage hypnosis is entertainment built on participant selection and social dynamics; clinical hypnotherapy is a structured treatment with specific therapeutic goals.
It may be worth discussing hypnotherapy with your clinical team when:
A confidential conversation can help clarify whether this is the right fit.
An example course structure — actual pacing varies according to clinical assessment and individual response.
History, goals, and suitability for hypnotherapy are discussed and confirmed.
Early sessions establish induction and relaxation, and introduce initial suggestion work.
Sessions target the specific goal, with suggestion and coping-skills work tailored to progress.
Self-hypnosis and independent coping skills are reinforced for use beyond the therapy room.
Progress is reviewed regularly and shared, with consent, with your wider clinical team.
We assess for medical, substance-related, and psychiatric causes before finalizing a treatment plan, ensuring an accurate diagnosis rather than assumptions.
Psychiatric assessment and medication management are provided when clinically indicated, integrated closely with therapy.
Every enquiry and admission is handled with the utmost discretion, ensuring complete privacy for both the individual and their family.
Our residential setting is designed to provide the stability, routine, and support that long-term recovery depends on.
Families are guided and involved in the treatment process where appropriate, helping them understand the condition and support their loved one's recovery.
Ongoing psychiatric follow-up, treatment planning, and continued psychological support help sustain progress beyond residential treatment.