What Is Hypnosis Therapy, And Is It Right For Me?

Hypnosis is often seen as a "magic" trick by a magician or stage performer looking to entertain others. Although hypnosis can be used in entertainment, it is also a form of mental health treatment that can be effective for specific clients. There are many misinterpretations about and contentions with this psychological therapy, and it can differ immensely from entertainment forms of the practice. Understanding how hypnosis therapy works can help you decide whether you want to receive this form of support from a licensed mental health provider.

What is hypnosis?

For a person to benefit fully from hypnosis, several elements may need to occur, including the following: 

• Trust in the process: Since the hypnotized person may be vulnerable during the hypnosis, trust in the therapist and the process can be beneficial. 
• Complete focus: A complete focus on the hypnosis therapist's voice can allow the client to benefit most from the practice. Turning off outside distractions, including the individual's thoughts and any noises in the immediate environment can be beneficial. 
• Relaxation: Relaxation is one element of effective hypnosis. The individual's entire body, from head to toe, can be guided to a state of relaxation by the therapist. 
• Imagination: In hypnosis, the individual may be asked to imagine what the hypnosis therapist suggests and recommends and keep those concepts in their active mind. 

If the individual going into this type of therapy feels undecided or doubtful of the hypnosis process, it may not work for them. Since trust and relaxation are part of the process, a willingness can increase the effectiveness of the process. If you're unsure about hypnosis, consider talking to your therapist before starting the hypnotic sessions. 

Why do clients choose hypnosis therapy? 

Individuals in a relaxed, hypnotic state may feel more open to beneficial suggestions than in other cases. When an individual has an issue that is not improved by traditional therapy, hypnosis therapy may be a way to enhance their healing process. Suggestions that were ignored or held as skeptical in conventional therapy may be embraced with hypnosis therapy. In addition, the therapist leads the session, which may feel more comfortable to those nervous about what to discuss in the session. 

What is the success rate of hypnosis?

Credible research has shown that hypnotherapy has a higher chance of success than any other therapy type. At the dawn of the '70s, a landmark research analysis of different hypnosis cases was carried out by Alfred A. Barrios. This research was pivotal to public approval and recognition of hypnosis as a powerful form of therapy.

Alfred evaluated 1,018 articles and studies on hypnosis, 355 studies on cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 899 articles on psychoanalytic therapy. After his comparative studies, he noted the likelihood of the success of several treatments. 

He discovered that hypnosis therapy had a success rate of 93% after six sessions. In contrast, psychotherapy had a 38% success rate after 600 sessions, and a 72% success rate was recorded for cognitive-behavioral therapy after 22 sessions. 

With these results, he concluded that hypnosis wasn't the only helpful procedure for modifying behavior, thought patterns, and habits but that it could be more effective in a shorter time than other forms of treatment for specific conditions and symptoms. Hypnosis is generally considered safe when performed by a trained practitioner, but some rare side-effects, such as dizziness, headaches, or anxiety, may occur.

How does hypnosis therapy work?

The suggestions that individuals are given during hypnosis therapy are called post-hypnotic suggestions. The ideas are given to try to make changes in the point of view or outlook of the client. As the individual is in a relaxed, focused, trance-like state, anything said to them during this time is often thought to stick in the brain more profoundly to help the client meet their goals. This direct flight into their consciousness may give those ideas a place to grow and prosper.

Although it may be thought that hypnosis includes asking a person to engage in actions or fall asleep against their will, hypnosis therapy doesn't involve any non-consensual conversations or actions. Individuals are totally in control of their actions during this time. In addition, clients must be receptive to the hypnosis process for it to function well. Some people may feel skeptical or uncomfortable with the process; in this case, hypnosis therapy may not be the most effective option. 

Additionally, there may not be a guarantee that hypnosis therapy will work, even for the willing individual. It might be performed over multiple visits to strengthen the suggestions given, and the therapist might use other techniques if they believe other methods may bebetter suited to the treatment plan.

What does hypnosis therapy treat?

According to the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, therapists may use hypnosis to address various mental health conditions and symptoms, including generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, pain, stress, unwanted habits, insomnia, forgotten incidents, irritable bowel syndrome, some skin ailments, and smoking cessation. There are other areas where experimental hypnosis may be useful. For example, a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis found that hypnosis can improve sleep quality.

Anxiety 

Since the overall environment of hypnosis is relaxation, it can be a form of mindfulness and meditation for many clients experiencing an anxiety disorder. Significant physical outcomes include slower breathing patterns, decreased heart rate, relaxed muscles, calm voice, and rapid eye movement (REM). When clients focus on the hypnotic session, they can remain in control of their bodies and concentrate on their healing. Studies have found hypnotherapy highly effective in treating anxiety disorders. 

Phobias

A phobia is a severe fear of a specific situation, person, animal, object, place, or other stimuli. Hypnosis can help those experiencing phobias by retrieving the fundamental source of the phobia and removing the person's habituated reaction to it. For many, phobias may occur due to a traumatic or adverse experience. In hypnosis, they may uncover that traumatic incident and, with the post-hypnotic suggestion, alter their habituated reaction to a more positive, calm response.

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

Panic disorder

When in a relaxed state of hypnosis, the therapist can offer coping skills to use when panicked. The therapist can offer words of support such as, "you feel calm despite your uneasiness" or "you are safe despite your worry."

Pain

Hypnosis therapy for pain management may not take away physical pain but relax the individual and transmit their attention away from the pain. The post-hypnotic suggestion may be for the individual to think about a happy place, focusing on something positive and relaxing instead of harmful and painful. The therapist may suggest, "you may continue to feel some pain, but you will be much less stressed about it, much less worried about it, and will feel calmer about it."

Stress

Hypnosis often puts individuals into a calm, relaxed state. While in this state, tension may be released by the use of focused and guided imagery. Stress comes from many different places, and if it is not managed, it can affect many areas of life, including sleep, mood, and relationships, and can manifest as physical symptoms. As in the hypnosis for anxiety, phobias, and pain, the therapist gives post-hypnotic suggestions that become coping mechanisms when the individual comes out of hypnosis.

Habits

Unwanted habits can start at a young age and may have once served a purpose to safeguard an individual from or help them avoid danger. The pattern may be repeated because it is comforting or becomes familiar and comfortable. As a child grows, those habits that may have been acceptable in childhood may be considered harmful or inappropriate. The subconscious may fear what it doesn't know, so it could revert to these habits in moments of stress. Post-hypnotic suggestions can replace the harmful, inappropriate habit with a more positive and desired behavior.

Insomnia

Hypnosis can be used for insomnia, as it can involve similar brain patterns to sleep. Hypnosis lessens the activity of the central nervous system, and a heightened nervous system may be a cause of insomnia. The sensory part of the nervous system controls sensory input. In hypnosis, the activity and sensory input are lessened when the individual is relaxed and in the hypnotic state. The relaxing state can encourage sleepiness during and after sessions. 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Although not a cure-all, hypnosis has been shown to help with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. When in the relaxed hypnotized state, post-hypnotic suggestions of calm imagery and awareness are given to the individual. These suggestions may help with symptoms including abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. Some conditions, like eating disorders, have been used with mixed results. If you’re interested in trying hypnosis, it may be worthwhile to ask a licensed medical provider whether hypnosis may be appropriate.

Counseling options 

If you're interested in trying hypnotherapy, you can find certified providers through professional organization databases, like the one provided by the American Society of Clinical Hypothesis. However, as hypnotherapy is often not covered by insurance, it may be a costly option for those who aren't able to spend money on an in-person therapy session each week. In these cases, hypnotherapy can be done online for a more cost-effective price. 

One meta-analysis of 17 studies found that clients experience online therapy as effective as in-person options, with one study finding internet-based interventions more effective for clients with depression. Online treatment can be utilized with many modalities, including hypnotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and more. If you're interested in trying one of these methods from home, consider signing up for a platform like BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples.