The short answer is yes! Online hypnotherapy does work! I have worked with hundreds of patients online and my experience tells me that the outcomes are pretty much the same, but this isn’t just me saying it, it’s a conclusion based on both my clinical work as a hypnotherapist and my knowledge as an academic.
What do I mean by on line hypnotherapy?
For the sake of this blog my definition of online hypnotherapy is:
- Hypnotherapy delivered by a live hypnotherapist over a video calling platform (zoom, Teams, google meets etc).
I am not including hypnotherapy delivered Via:
- A voice only platform.
- Pre-recorded hypnotherapy. Although this does appear to be effective. (Flynn 2019)
- Where a third element is used (Virtual reality or essential oils – it’s a real thing! (and quite interesting!) (Schepanski 2026)
The evidence for online hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy for IBS is by far the most well researched area of hypnotherapy so it is no surprise that the key evidence on this debate comes from this area.
The foundational piece of research for this was published in 2019, presciently just before the pandemic. This piece of research by Hasan et al delivered online hypnotherapy to 20 people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and found clinically significant improvements. When compared to a previous in-person treatment group*1 no statistically significant difference was made between the two groups, they both worked well. However, a word of caution is raised, the raw numbers (before being adjusted to account for randomness) did suggest a slight additional benefit for in-person hypnotherapy.
A more recent study of online group hypnotherapy for IBS (Lövdah et al 2026) also found no statistically significant difference between the online participants and a previous in-person treatment group, again they both worked well. However, the raw data shows a tiny difference in favour of the online group (the in-person group made an average 79 point improvement on the IBS-SSS measure, whereas the online group made an 80 point improvement.)
It can be seen that based on current evidence the difference in outcomes between online and in-person hypnotherapy is effectively non-existent.
For patients engaging with hypnotherapy online
There are a few things to consider before an online session with a hypnotherapist:
- Set up where you will have a good chance of being undisturbed and can speak freely.
- Ensure that any pets are in another room.
- Make sure you have somewhere comfortable to settle (comfy chair, sofa, bed). Preferably, this should have good neck support.
- Hypnotherapists like to be able to see how deeply in trance patients are and spot any changes to body language or face expression. As such it is useful to make sure that wherever you sit or lie down that you are able to set your device up so the hypnotherapist can still see you.
About the author
Dr Matt Krouwel PhD is a hypnotherapist and occasional academic whose work on the different between online and in-person communication in medical research interviewing has become foundational to this area of research.
*1 One of the less reliable comparators but is common in early stage research for practical reasons.
References
Flynn N. Effect of an online hypnosis intervention in reducing migraine symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 2019 Jul 3;67(3):313-35.
Hasan, S. S., Pearson, J. S., Morris, J., & Whorwell, P. J. (2019). Skype hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: effectiveness and comparison with face-to-face treatment. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67(1), 69-80.
Lövdahl J, Törnblom H, Ringström G, Palsson OS, Simrén M. Online Group Hypnotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome—a Pilot Study. Neurogastroenterology & Motility. 2026 May;38(5):e70328.
Schepanski SN, Bogdanski M, Siegfried KK, Schulz S, Czakert J, Kandil F, Teut M, Siewert J, Seifert G. Promoting relaxation through essential oil-enhanced digital hypnotherapy: A randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine. 2026 Jan;56:e80.