Guidelines for learning how to do self-hypnosis:

• Learn to wake up first! It might seem obvious once said but the whole thing will go a lot better if you know how to come up before you go down.
• Decide in advance which approach you are going to use (from those below) and stick with it.
• Use your inner voice to talk yourself through the exercises.
• Remember to occasionally remind yourself in hypnosis that you can only make positive and beneficial suggestions; unhelpful and negative suggestions of any kind will be rejected by your mind.
• Speak to yourself slowly and gently. Put a pause after every suggestion to allow the words to sink in. Practice usually takes 10-15 minutes.
• Find a good time/space to practice. For a lot of people, in bed at night with the lights off, works well as it is a time/ space that happens every day and if you fall asleep it is not a problem. Please note – you cannot get ‘stuck in trance’, but you can fall asleep. Should you fall asleep you will wake up naturally as you would from any other sleep.
• When you lose focus (and you will), restart where you feel you were. You are probably close enough.
• Practice daily for a minimum of two weeks to embed the skill.
• After the initial learning period you should use it at least once a week for several months to ensure that you retain the skill.
• Some of the exercises given below can be chained together for greater depth or to make them more interesting.
• Use common sense and judgement when applying these skills. Don’t do self-hypnosis whilst driving or operating machinery.
• If a part of a procedure doesn’t work for you can adjust it to suit you better.

So, the first thing to do was to learn to wake yourself up

Awakening 

There are several ways which you could use to awaken from a self-hypnotic state.

Before beginning an awakening procedure, it is helpful to tell yourself you are now going to awaken.

• Count up  – With this you count yourself up from 1-10. Counting 2-3 numbers per in-breath. You may intersperse the numbers with suggestions for feeling energised, awakening, coming up and so forth.
• Eyes open – You suggest to yourself that you are awakening, and that when you are fully wide awake your eyes will open automatically. You follow this up with suggestions of awakening, coming up, re-energising etc until you find that your eyes naturally open or you no longer keep them closed.
• Go back the way you came – With this you do the reverse of what you did to enter the hypnotic state. This fits nicely with certain approaches to self-hypnosis such as the favourite place of relaxation or journey, in which you can retrace your steps. Less obviously, with progressive relaxation you can re-energise the body in the reverse direction to that which you relaxed. Note that you are not tensing the body up but energising it, when you reenergise a relaxed body, you get a more relaxed and energetic body, a beautiful combination.

Choose one of these and practice it 2-3 times before starting to formally learn self-hypnosis. Practice can be done by closing your eyes, taking a couple of slow deep breaths and then practicing your chosen awakening technique.

How to do self-hypnosis – Self-hypnosis Techniques

Here are several potential self-hypnosis exercises which may be helpful to you. Use common sense when practicing self-hypnosis as to when and where is appropriate.

• Progressive relaxation – Physically relaxing yourself in a slow and systematic way.
• Mindful Approach – A mindful breathing focus, followed by a mindful body scan which shifts into a more traditional hypnosis upon letting these things go.
• Count down 10-1 – Count down from 10-1 silently and mentally. Count a maximum of one number per outbreath and intersperse numbers with suggestions to relax, calm, drift down, sleep, feel drowsy or whatever feels right to you.
• The favourite place of relaxation approach – Descending some pleasant steps to access a favourite place of relaxation.
• The lifting finger approach – Focusing with curiosity upon one of the fingers and asking it if it will begin to lift. As it lifts the rest of the body will relax.
• The journey – Remember a journey you are familiar with mentally walk your way through each step and subsequent landmark of the journey.

Dr Matt Krouwel PhD is one of the UK’s leading Clinical Hypnotherapists with over 25 years experience in treating patients and training hypnotherapists. He has taught Self-hypnosis to thousands of people. He is a member of both the NCH and BSCH

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It can be learnt from a book or recording but is most commonly taught by a hypnotist to someone who is in trance.

• Hypnotherapists will often teach self-hypnosis to a patient in trance to enhance the learning. They may even install a trigger to access hypnosis.

Why would a patient need self-hypnosis?

The main reason to learn self-hypnosis is to increase the amount of time that your brain is receiving the beneficial suggestion you came to therapy for. However, a voice recording on your phone could easily do that, so why go to the effort of learning self-hypnosis.

• Once learned self-hypnosis remains with you – it doesn’t get lost, wiped, dropped in the bath or become inaccessible with a software up grade.
• Once learned you can use it for other things – A recording never changes but you can adapt your self-hypnosis either to be a better fit for you or for another other topic.

Hypnotic recordings are a valid part of any intervention, but they are used when the repetition of a core suggestion is import, Self-hypnosis by contrast gives you control and speeds up your therapy.

How does it differ from meditation (Penazzi, De Pisapia 2022)

This is something of a controversial question as there are many similarities between the two:

• Both sometimes use relaxation approaches.
• Both enhance absorption on the inner experience.
• Functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI) scans of the two states show substantial overlaps in the areas of the brain active when in these states. Although, it should be noted that they are not a perfect match.

There are however several differences:

• Although it is widely considered that most people can access hypnosis the depth to which they then go is generally perceived to be a matter in innate talent, this is different to meditation in which skill growth through practice is assumed.
• Hypnosis commonly involves dissociation from the environment and self, whereas mediation frequently employs enhanced association with the self.

Want to do self-hypnosis for yourself?

See my blog – How do I do self-hypnosis?

Dr Matt Krouwel is a highly experienced hypnotherapist of 25+ years. he works in Birmingham UK.

References

Penazzi G, De Pisapia N. Direct comparisons between hypnosis and meditation: A mini-review. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022 Jul 15;13:958185.

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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.

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Hypnotherapy for IBS

Hypnotherapy has consistently demonstrated substantial benefits for people living with IBS for over decades. A particular set of techniques has developed which are collectively known as Gut-directed hypnotherapy (GDH). These techniques include:

• Direct suggestion for gut health, calm and strength.
• Imagery and sensory suggestions to encourage gut calm and regularity.
• Recorded suggestions for daily home practice.

Usually, a hypnotherapy for IBS intervention will be;

• 6-12 sessions.
• 30-60 mins long.
• Weekly or fortnightly.

This has been sufficiently reliable that it has been include in UK medical guidelines.

Further, hypnotherapy for IBS has been delivered:

• Individually and to groups – Unexpectedly, the evidence shows that group hypnotherapy for IBS is more effective than individual therapy. Theories to explain this include such things as; group bonding, mutual support and even informal exchange of information.
• In-person and online – Both of these methods worked, and no clinically significant difference was found between them.

Group Online hypnotherapy for IBS

Now a new study has added to the body of knowledge about hypnotherapy for IBS.

A team led by Jenny Lovdahl¹ of the University of Gothenburg, a prolific researcher into hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome and advocate for nurse led GDH, has carried out a small-scale research study comparing an online group to a previously treated in-person group hypnotherapy intervention group.

Key study features

• 51 participants, 42 of whom were female.
• All subtypes of IBS were present (Diarrhea predominant 48%, constipation predominant 27%, mixed presentation 25%)
• All subjects met Rome IV criteria for IBS – over half were classified as severe cases by the IBS-SSS questionnaire.
• All subjects were Refractory to previous treatments.

Over the course of treatment, the median symptom severity for the patients moved from severe to moderate, as measured by the IBS-Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS).

Limitations of the study

Like any research study we have are wise to be aware of the limitations of the study, primarily these are;

• The small size of the cohort – This is a pilot study only, and they are quite clear on that point. Pilot studies are often used as a practice run for a larger study, they help identify the problems which have yet to be foreseen which can then be addressed.
• Imperfect comparator group – By using the data from an earlier group as the comparator the study slightly undermines the value of its findings. This is because they are out of synch timewise, which may mean nothing to the outcomes, but seasonal variation in such things as diet, sunlight and allergens may impact outcomes. Equally, there are innumerable other factors which could make a difference that may change from time to time. An example of this may be what is being promoted on the internet for IBS at the time.

None of these limitations mean that the study’s findings aren’t valid, just that more work is required before the findings can be generalised. However, this study represents the best evidence to date, and the best evidence to date says that group online hypnotherapy for IBS works.

Dr Matt Krouwel PhD is a hypnotherapist with over 25 years experience and a doctorate in health science (specialising in the hypnotherapeutic treatment of IBS). He is a member of the BSCH and NCH.

References

1.Hasan SS, Vasant D. The emerging new reality of hypnosis teletherapy: a major new mode of delivery of hypnotherapy and clinical hypnosis training. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 2023 Apr 3;71(2):153-64.

2.Collinson J, Foy T, Kant P. P102 Effectiveness of online gut directed hypnotherapy for IBS. Gut. 2025 Jun 1;74(Suppl 1):A148-.

3.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.

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• Work – Hours worked, co-worker and boss attitude, type of work.
• Carer burden – Both physical effort and mental burden.
• Debt and other long-term stressors – Debt is the most common one but there are many persisitent stressors which work away at people.
• Life stage – Biological age, social status and situation as well as life experience.
• Available resources – The gap between someone’s financial need and their income is likely to affect their flexibility.
• Stage of burnout – Some people catch themselves as they are burning out, others once burnt out and some not until they have moved into a state of depression.
• Biology – Factors of biology which may be inborn or have developed over life (such as the state of the gut biome for example)

However, there are certain common elements and approaches that are likely to benefit many people recovering from burnout.

Hypnotherapy for burnout –  recovery

Resting

For those whose who can rest this can be the most immediately effective thing. Time away from work, respite care support for carers. The problem is that many people who burn out are not psychologically or socially set up to properly rest. When people have difficulty resting the therapist may help them to;

• Establish appropriate boundaries – These are rules and guidelines for living which aim to moderate the effects of work or interpersonal demands by establishing what the person will accept and what they won’t. This requires exploration of the persons life to help them decide what is, and is not, a reasonable boundary. Further hypnotherapy approaches such as systematic desensitisation, assertiveness training, mental rehearsal may be used to rehearse situations and establish new ways of being. Psychodynamic work, like part therapy or inner child work, may help adjust old patterns of behaviour and assumptions about the world.
• Learn how to rest – Some people have insufficient experience of rest or are not neurologically inclined to traditional forms of rest and as such may need to learn how to do this. There are numerous approaches which can help with this; Learning self-hypnosis can help with both physical and mental relaxation. One of the most effective things a person can do is to enter a flow state, usually by engaging in a hobby or past time activity.

Sleeping

One of the most important things for people who are burning out is to get the best sleep they can.  Hypnotherapy, when applied within the context of a wider programme of sleep hygiene can be very helpful at calming an over busy mind in preparation for sleep. Further, hypnotherapy may be helpful in getting into a deeper state of sleep.

Setting boundaries

Appropriate boundaries are vital to both recovery and burn out prevention. A hypnotherapist will coach you through identifying and setting boundaries. Further, they will support any boundary changes with hypnotic suggestion, EMDR, desensitisation and psychodynamic changes to enable these boundaries to both be set and retained.

Relighting the fire

After a suitable period of recovery and a level of energy has been returned it is often appropriate to ignite the inner fires of imagination, creativity and fun. This can be done non-hypnotically:

• By engaging in creative activities, a new activity or reactivating an old one.
• Spending more time in nature.
• Socialising with people who nourish you.
• Identifying your purpose in life, or how you derive meaning from life can be especially helpful at this stage.

Hypnotherapy can help these things to happen through visualisations and suggestion. Further, there are hypnotic exercises which can help to stimulate internal integration and nerve flow which help us feel more energetic and alive.

Hypnotherapy for burnout – Long term maintenance

Prevention is easier than cure and preventing burn out from happening again is a priority for anyone who has experienced it. To this end a hypnotherapist is likely to encourage, and support with hypnosis where appropriate, long term lifestyle changes which maintain healthy living. Further, they may help identify markers which indicate when the journey into burnout is happening and what the person needs to do at that point.

Dr Matt is a hypnotherapist from Birmingham (UK) with over 25 years experience. He is a member of two professions bodies (NCH & BSCH).

reference

Kohyama J. Which Is More Important for Health: Sleep Quantity or Sleep Quality? Children. 2021; 8(7):542. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8070542

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Currently burnout is not a formally recognised condition despite good evidence of a distinct neurobiological presentation (see Neurobiology of burnout below). There is however an ‘industry standard’ test for it, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which is used in research and sometimes by human resource (H.R.) departments to monitor and assess people.

Typical indications that you are burnt out or are burning out include:

• Tiredness – Often characterised by a lack of zest for life even when engaged in usually enjoyable activities.
• Poor sleep – Waking without feeling refreshed.
• Brain fog – Difficulty accessing and coordinating thoughts.
• Low or no productivity – An inability to complete or even start tasks that you normally would be able to do.
• Pessimism, Despondency and cynicism – A lack of hope for the future, a lack of faith in the systems and humanity. This tends to happen in more advanced cases as they move into depression.
• Physical ailments – Typically conditions with no definable cause such as frequent colds, digestive disruption and a rise in aches and pains.

Most of us will experience these symptoms from time to time. As such we tend to push through and usually we just get to recover. However, if we are in a situation that prevents us from properly recovering, we can go into cascade failure.

Cascade failure and Compensatory executive overdrive

Most of us have coped with the odd night of bad sleep or the occasional period where getting work through to completion has proven particularly difficult. As such we think little of these things, assuming they are temporary. However, sometimes they persist and result in secondary issues. Sometimes this is termed ‘cascade failure’, For example;

1. Too much work leads to a lack of sleep, simply because there are not enough hours in the day.
2. This leads to being less effective at work.
3. Which leads to work piling up.
4. Which leads to pressure from the boss, adding to stress.
5. This maintains or deepens sleep disruption.
6.  Works piles up further, as does the stress.
7. You hold on knowing that you will recover during your holiday. But the work doesn’t stop because you are off for a few days … it just piles up.
8. …and you burn out

The neurological aspect of this is called ‘Compensatory Executive Overdrive’ (CEO).  In CEO we start to recruit and push the brains executive functions hard to compensate for reduced capacity due to tiredness. By doing this we pressure this system speeding decline.

What is the difference between burnout and stress?

Stress is being in a position where life is taking more from you than it is giving, but you are able, at least for now to cope with it. Often coping with it means doing more. Stress may be characterised by:

• High levels of activity.
• Emotional variability.
• Busy mind.

Burnout is the result of prolonged stress. A person is burnt out when stress has taken so much, they can no longer operate. Thus, the characteristics of a burnt-out person are often the opposite of a stressed one:

• Sedentary and unable to get moving, sometimes being unable to get out of bed.
• Emotionally flat, feeling neither highs nor lows.
• Inability to think and imagine.

The choice to call this experience burnout was well chosen, it is like you have been burning fuel at a high rate for so long that there is none left and the spark is extinguished.

Burnout and depression

It can be difficult to distinguish between burnout and depression because they have much in common. Further, burnout can lead to depression. There are however a few differences;

• A major characteristic of depression is hopelessness. Often this hopelessness leads to suicidal thoughts. As burnout is caused by stress, which is usually specific to a particular situation, there is hope that the situation will change. Of course, if the stress is too general or no change can be foreseen then depression can  be triggered.
• Difference in cause – Burnout is the result of life taking more than it gives (long term stress). Depression by comparison can be the result of a plethora of things such as; bereavements of all kinds  (People, job, identity.), it can be purely biological, or the result of trauma (recent or childhood).
• Neurobiological difference – Depression is associated with a smaller hippocampus, but hippocampal size appears normal with burnout (Chmiel & Kurpas 2025).

Neurobiology of burnout (Chmiel & Kurpas 2025).

Because burnout is the result of long-term stressors it results in changes in the structure of the brain;

• Amygdala enlargement – More pronounced in women than men, enlargement of the amygdala is associated with a more intense response to fears stimuli. This results in a negative feedback loop where more and more fear and anxiety are experienced.
• Shrinkage of the Striatum (Caudate and Putamen) – More pronounced in men than women, this results in the effort-reward system of the brain being thrown out of balance.
• Reduction in grey matter density in the prefrontal cortex (Dorsolateral/ventromedial) – This has implications for reduced executive control and emotional regulation. The result of which is likely to be more frequent and severe reactions to situations and triggers. There is also the possibility that this can lead to feelings of depersonalisation.

We do not entirely understand if the male / female difference in neurobiological presentation is the result of biological sex difference or the result of the types of stress which men and women tend to be exposed to.

Dr Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist and health scientist from Birmingham (UK). He is a member of both the NCH and BSCH .

Reference 

Chmiel, J., & Kurpas, D. (2025). Burnout and the Brain—A Mechanistic Review of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(17), 8379. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26178379

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Hypnotherapy – The lifestyle package

The lifestyle package is a series of things which improve quality of life. These are:

• Exercise – Exercise has been repeatedly shown to improve quality of life (Conn, Hafdahl & Brown 2009), as well as mental wellbeing (Wang, Tian & Luo 2023) and decreases sensitivity to pain (Belavy, Van Oosterwijck, Clarkson, Dhondt,Mundell, & Owen 2021). Anything someone can do to safely increase their activity levels is likely to have a positive impact on their quality of life. For a lot of people this will have to be done gently and carefully.
• Good sleep – Good sleep is associated with a good feeling of quality of life (Lee, Kim & Chung 2021). Whatever you do to improve the quality of your sleep will translate directly or indirectly into quality-of-life benefits.
• Music – Music has been demonstrated to benefit both cognitive wellbeing and physical health (Viola, Martorana, Airoldi,Meini, Ceriotti, De Vito, M., … & Faggiano 2023). Ensuring that you make time each day to have some music playing for at least 20 minutes will improve your mood in all kinds of subtle ways. The type of music or the emotional feel of the music does not matter, as there is good evidence that even sad music makes us happy. (Sachs, Damasio & Habibi 2015)
• Relationships and sociability – Quality of friendships is positively associated with sense of wellbeing (Pezirkianidis, Galanaki, Raftopoulou, Moraitou & Stalikas 2023). There is a tendency for people to withdraw from social situations when they are burdened with mental and physical challenges. This is a natural response, often due to the illness burden making socialisation seem like one thing too many. In the short-term this is fine and to be respected. However, where there is a long-term illness burden the tendency needs to be challenged. Actively making plans with family and friends will usually reawaken old bonds. New friendships will grow by engaging with the world, such as going to interactive events, like board game nights, or joining activity groups, such as going to a martial arts or joining  a knitting circle.
• Connectedness to nature – People who spend time in natural environments, such by the sea or in woodland experience greater wellbeing and physical health (Antonelli, Donelli, Carlone, Maggini, Firenzuoli & Bedeschi, 2022). Making the effort to spend time in gardens, parks, woodland, at the coast or up a mountain will have a beneficial effect on mood in general.
• Flow activities – A flow activity is one in which you are sufficiently engrossed that time slips pleasantly by. Typical examples include hobby activities, sports and playing a musical instrument. People who engage in flow activities report a greater sense of wellbeing (Sweeny, Medina Huerta, Hawes & Susoeff, 2026). Taking up a new hobby or picking an old one back up again can be greatly beneficial.
• Purposeful living – People who feel they have a purpose in life tend to live longer (Cohen, Bavishi & Rozanski 2016). Further they enjoy generally better mental health (Boreham & Schutte 2023). Identifying what your personal purpose in life is can begin to make everything in life clearer. Try reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning or talking it through with a therapist.

People who have lived with chronic conditions frequently find that the burden of illness has led to them withdrawing from many of their activities. This is a natural reaction in the short term, but a trend to be countered as things go on.

What Lifestyle changes to make

Some activities are likely to have greater impacts than others. Exercise for instance, is probably the best thing a person can do for themselves, but it might not be the place a person wants to start. A therapist may prompt thoughts towards activities, looking for the things a person can do, their next natural step. The therapist will look at things like;

• What are you currently doing? – What are the limits on doing more of this?
• What have you done in the past? – This may not be practical anymore, but it may give clues as to the sort of thing that interests you?
• Who have you socialised with in the past? – Exploring this with questions like: Where are they now? Where did you meet? What did you bond over?

By exploring the limits on these we may find opportunities to enhance aspects of your life. We are looking for the elegant options which enhance a person’s wellbeing in multiple areas, for example:

• Attending a walking group can help increase exercise, sociability and outdoor time.
• Going to a dance class is music, exercise and sociable.
• Even going to the gym can be music time as well as exercise, and many people find it quite sociable after a while, especially those who take part in regular classes.
• People who volunteer for charitable work frequently find purpose in this and depending upon the activity it can be social, physical and sometimes outdoors.
• Even hobbies (Flow activities) have their social elements, Conventions and shows (literary festivals, comic cons, quilting conventions etc) where likeminded individuals can indulge their interest in an environment which shares the passion.

The therapist provides an opportunity to think about these which is likely to open out the mind to possibilities it may have shut down to. A hypnotherapist can help take these ideas further.

How does hypnotherapy help with these lifestyle changes

In addition to providing a safe space to explore possibilities the hypnotherapist has skills which may help activates to happen:

• Address limiting beliefs – We all get stuck in thought patterns and with assumptions that we are unaware of. Talking something through can highlight the limitations we put upon ourselves. Deeper change to these may require work such as Parts therapy, EMDR, systematic desensitisation or direct suggestions to challenge the “I’d be too embarrassed too…”, “I don’t have the time”, “if I’m not excellent at it what’s the point” “I’m not the sort of person who could…”, “I’m too unwell to…” and similar. All of which will be, at least in-part, true, but rarely are as absolute as they may feel.
• Goal setting – Once a direction has been agreed upon, setting a specific plan and envisioning conducting that plan can greatly increase the chances of it happening.
• Direct suggestions – Classic hypnotic suggestions to support an activity. Be that to get started, to help get into it once started or whatever is most helpful.

None of these activities or behaviours is in itself likely to make a person feel substantially better, but over time they provide a strong counter to the depression associated with living with a chronic illness.

Matt Krouwel is a clinical hypnotherapist and health researcher with over 25 years experience. He is a member of both the BSCH and NCH.

References

Antonelli, M., Donelli, D., Carlone, L., Maggini, V., Firenzuoli, F., & Bedeschi, E. (2022). Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on individual well-being: An umbrella review. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 32(8), 1842-1867.

Belavy, D. L., Van Oosterwijck, J., Clarkson, M., Dhondt, E., Mundell, N. L., Miller, C. T., & Owen, P. J. (2021). Pain sensitivity is reduced by exercise training: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 120, 100-108.

Boreham, I. D., & Schutte, N. S. (2023). The relationship between purpose in life and depression and anxiety: A meta‐analysis. Journal of clinical psychology, 79(12), 2736-2767.

Cohen, R., Bavishi, C., & Rozanski, A. (2016). Purpose in life and its relationship to all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A meta-analysis. Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine, 78(2), 122-133.

Conn, V. S., Hafdahl, A. R., & Brown, L. M. (2009). Meta-analysis of quality-of-life outcomes from physical activity interventions. Nursing research, 58(3), 175-183.

Lee, S., Kim, J. H., & Chung, J. H. (2021). The association between sleep quality and quality of life: a population-based study. Sleep Medicine, 84, 121-126.

Pezirkianidis, C., Galanaki, E., Raftopoulou, G., Moraitou, D., & Stalikas, A. (2023). Adult friendship and wellbeing: A systematic review with practical implications. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1059057.

Sachs, M. E., Damasio, A., & Habibi, A. (2015). The pleasures of sad music: a systematic review. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 9, 404.

Sweeny, K., Medina Huerta, J., Hawes, J., & Susoeff, S. (2026). Just keep flowing: A meta-analysis on the relationship between flow and well-being. Emotion.

Viola, E., Martorana, M., Airoldi, C., Meini, C., Ceriotti, D., De Vito, M., … & Faggiano, F. (2023). The role of music in promoting health and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Public Health, 33(4), 738-745.

Wang, C., Tian, Z., & Luo, Q. (2023). The impact of exercise on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1279599.

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• How much does hypnotherapy cost?
• Do I have an initial consultation?
• What happens in a hypnotherapy session?

But ultimately most people want to know; does it work?

Hypnotherapy for stress – Does it work?

Hypnotherapy is demonstrably effective for treating stress.  A 2017 review of existing studies into hypnotherapy for stress found that most people showed improvements although it concluded that more research was needed (Fisch, Brinkhaus, Teut). Since then, numerous studies have been conducted. These have covered a wide range of specific populations and types of hypnotherapy, including:

• Integrating hypnotherapy with mindfulness, which was found to be effective at reducing stress (Olendzki Elkins, Slonena, Hung & Rhodes 2020).
• Hypnotherapy was found to be helpful at reducing stress in a wide variety of clinical patient groups. This included people with; mental health disorders (Ruswadi, Wennie, Susiani & Masliha2025), HIV ( Setyadi, & Yunita 2018), pregnant women (Kundarti, Pramono and Suwondo 2021), during post operative recovery (Vahedi Ardakani, Kooshki, Oraki,& Kazemi, 2024) and people with multiple sclerosis, both individually (Namarpour Naghani, Dnesh, Asadi Khansari, Fathi, & Mohammadyfar, 2019) and when delivered to groups (Habibi, Naderi, Bakhtiarpour & Seraj 2024).
• For Academic environments. Hypnotherapy has been particularly well demonstrated to be beneficial at reducing student stress (Arfandita & Busmayaril 2025) but has also been seen to help the teachers with their stress (Wagh’s 2024).
• Rangka, Refnadi, Bariyyah, Churnia, Zola, Erwinda, et al (2018), who found hypnotherapy to have an immediate effect on stress levels in study participants.

Overall, it can bee seen that the beneficial effects of hypnotherapy in reducing stress are consistent over varied settings and for different reasons. But what would a hypnotherapist actually do?

How does a hypnotherapist treat stress?

There are many approaches that a hypnotherapist may adopt to help someone who has stress or stress related symptoms. Typically, they would choose the approaches which best suit the presentation of the problem and work for the patient’s outlook on life.

Approaches will often blend hypnotherapy with both psychotherapy and lifestyle changes. Interventions for stress are typically multifaceted with strategies and techniques being layered upon each other to build a swift change which can be maintained over time.

This is likely to include:

• Relaxation work – Both guided relaxation and meditation exercises to give the body a chance to recover.
• lifestyle changes – To give the body and mind more of what helps to counteract the effects of stress, like exercise, music and time outside.
• Reconstructing the psychological frame works which engenders stress – Through discussion the hypnotherapist will look to identify the patterns and beliefs which can cause and maintain stress. Then using hypnotic techniques to help change these.
• Addressing specific symptoms – Where specific symptoms like functional gastrointestinal disorders, flared up skin conditions, and tension headaches are present hypnotic techniques can be used to help reduce these.
• Supplying tools for the maintenance of lower stress living – This can be self-hypnosis exercises, including such things as; relaxation exercises, favourite place and mental organisation exercises.

Hypnotherapy for stress – How many sessions will I need?

This can vary enormously for stress. As a starting point I would usually advise thinking in terms of six sessions and then see where we are at.

If there is a specific symptom present this may require several sessions to manage in itself.

Taking the first step

If you want to take charge of your stress or stress related symptoms why not take the first step and get in touch to book a free consultation. Sessions can be in-person or online.

Matt is a hypnotherapist with over 25 years experience working both online and in-person at his Birmingham (UK) office. He is a doctor of health science whose Doctoral work was into IBS, a condition with a substantial stress element, which is where his deeper interest in stress began.

References 

Arfandita, C. A., & Busmayaril, B. (2025). The Effectiveness of Guidance and Counselling Services through Hypnotherapy in Overcoming Student Academic Stress: A Systematic Literature Review. Electronic Journal of Education, Social Economics and Technology, 6(1), 501-517.

Fisch S, Brinkhaus B, Teut M. Hypnosis in patients with perceived stress – a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Jun 19;17(1):323. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1806-0. PMID: 28629342; PMCID: PMC5477290.

Habibi, K. E., Naderi, F., Bakhtiarpour, S., & Seraj, K. N. (2024). Effectiveness of Group Hypnotherapy on Stress and Metacognitive Beliefs in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

Namarpour Naghani, Y., Dnesh, E., Asadi Khansari, B., Fathi, M., & Mohammadyfar, M. A. (2019). The effectiveness of cognitive hypnotherapy on reduction of perceived stress of patients with multiple sclerosis. Journal of Psychological Science, 18(80), 957-970.

Olendzki, N., Elkins, G. R., Slonena, E., Hung, J., & Rhodes, J. R. (2020). Mindful hypnotherapy to reduce stress and increase mindfulness: A randomized controlled pilot study. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 68(2), 151-166.

Rangka, I. B., Refnadi, R., Bariyyah, K., Churnia, E., Zola, N., Erwinda, L., Fadli, R. P., Ifdil, I., & Alizamar, A. (2018). The Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy in Reducing Stress Levels. Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment, 17(4), 191–195. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADT.0000000000000140

Ruswadi, I., Wennie, J., Susiani, A., & Masliha, M. (2025). The effectiveness of hypnotherapy in reducing stress among individuals with mental health disorders: A quasi-experimental study with a control group. Jurnal Berita Ilmu Keperawatan, 18(2), 161-172.

Setyadi, A. W., & Yunita, A. (2018, September). The Effect of Hypnotherapy to the Changes of Stress Level to Odha (person who has been diagnosed HIV/AIDS) in the KDS Friendship Plus Kediri. In The 2nd Joint International Conferences (Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 11-18).

Vahedi Ardakani, S. H., Kooshki, S., Oraki, M., & Kazemi, A. (2024). The Impact of Hypnotherapy on Wound Healing and Perceived Stress in Patients Suffering from Abdominal Surgery. Journal of Applied Psychological Research, 14(4), 167-184.

Wagh, P. D. (2024). Effect of Hypnotherapy on the Occupational Stress Among Teachers. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(8), 869-878.

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• Impairment to cognitive function (often experienced as ‘cloudy mind’).
• Dysregulated mood (irritable, sudden overwhelmed, low mood).
• Changes to libido.
• Becoming socially withdrawn.
• Poor sleep.
• Aches, pains and headaches.
• Digestive upset and changes to appetite.
• Flair ups of skins condition.
• Frequent illness (due to dysregulation of immune function).
• Dizziness, light-headedness.
• Many more

Ultimately, stress can lead into problems such as panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, burnout, and depression which can then be further generators of stress.

The Cause of chronic stress

Stress is usually the result of being in heightened state for a prolonged period. The classic for this is doing things which trigger the ‘fight-flight’ response too frequently for the body to recover from its effects. This can be exciting things as well as upsetting ones. Equally, chronic stress can occur by doing something for too long, such as working long hours. This pressure on the body and nervous system means that little imbalances build up.

How stress builds

The initial triggering of the flight-flight system results in;

• Raised heart rate and blood pressure as the body to moves blood and oxygen around more quickly
• Respiratory pathways widen to let in more air
• Non immediately essential functions are shut down – This means digestions functions, reproductive functions and repair functions are decreased.
• The immune system is refocused towards fighting infection through skin injury.

From these changes many of the problems we have noted above can occur; digestive issues, frequent illness.

The Neurological model

The neurological aspect of stress are particularly enlightening. When pressure is encountered the body alters the flow of neurotransmitters. Specifically, some transmitters will be inhibited from moving. This is done to reduce unnecessary stimulation so that the person can focus on getting through the situation. If this is done occasionally, for short periods there is no problem. However, over extended periods this can cause issues, the persons may;

• Build up of neurotransmitters –  At the end of neural pathways an excessive bio-electric charge may build up. This can cause numerous issues, but is most often cited as one of the causes for skin conditions worsening during periods of pressure.
• Feelings of wrongness or emptiness – Because some neurotransmitters are not travelling properly their can be the experience of wrongness, emptiness or hollowness.
• Unsettling neurological download – When a person relaxes, suppressed neurotransmitters will often begin to flow again. This is fine and rarely noticed by people who are only experiencing mild and short term stress. However, people who have long term suppressed neurotransmitters may find this experience more unsettling as it can be intense. Typical examples include the mind suddenly becoming very stimulated as someone lays down to fall asleep at night. A person may get twitches, tingles, pins and needle types experiences from the free flow neurons. This may also be one of the main reasons for post stress collapse.

When a stressor persists the body starts secreting significant amounts of cortisol.

Cortisol – The stress hormone

Cortisol is often identified as the stress hormone as it is associated with the body being in a heighted state for longer. Cortisol works to keep the body ready for a fight flight reaction by;

• Keeping the blood sugar level high by getting the liver to release sugars and suppressing their uptake in certain areas of the body.
• Heightening alertness.
• Suppressing digestion and immune function.

Prolonged periods in a high cortisol state can lead to significant disruption of all the systems of the body, resulting in cascade failure.

Cascade failure

Cascade failure is when the various changed induce by fight flight and cortisol start to cause secondary problems. Two good examples of this are;

• Digestion – The stress response decreases digestion. Often with a start-stop action which results in constipation, diarrhoea or both. These symptoms then disrupt life and cause additional anxiety resulting in further stress, and ultimately more symptoms.
• Neurological – Stress hormones create selected flow of neurotransmitters. Decreasing some and increasing others to heighten mental alertness. However, this alertness can inhibit sleep, reducing a person’s ability to think clearly. Being unable to think as clearly their existing life strategies begin to fall apart but they are too tired to effectively re-strategies. Further stress will ensue.

These are just two examples of what could be dozens of ways in which systems start to create ‘failure’ within a person. Even the sheer variety of symptoms can be perplexing, confusing and ultimately worrying.

Ultimately, stress cascade failure will lead to bigger problems unless something changes.

Presentations of stress

As a hypnotherapist I have encountered various ways in which stress presents in my patients

• The patient feels stressed – This is when a person is aware of tension building in themselves but has yet to develop much by the way of specific symptoms. From a biochemical perspective this is the best time to interrupt stress patterns to prevent them becoming embedded.
• Specific symptom – A person may have a symptom, insomnia, gastrointestinal issue, where stress is a cause or maintenance factor in that condition.
• Collapse / breakdown – When someone has been living or working at their limit for so long that their system simply cannot maintain the pace any longer. They end up off work, often burnt out, usually with symptoms such as chronic anxiety or depression.
• Post stress collapse – This is a form of collapse, but it occurs once major stressors have mostly been resolved. The stress has been kept under control whilst the stressors are dealt. One they are dealt with the person relaxes, and it all floods in.

Hypnotherapy for stress

Dr Matt Krouwel PhD is a member of the NCH and BSCH. His practice is based in Birmingham (UK)

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What is Confidence?

There are many definitions of confidence, for this blog we are going with – Confidence is the belief and feeling that you are safe to take a risk. This risk could be a:

• Social risk – such as speaking up or asking someone on a date.
• Financial risk – making a business deal, starting a company, buying property.
• Physical risk – trying out a new activity or committing to a tackle at 5-a-side.

Whatever it may be, confidence is the results for our life experience filtered through our biology.

• Life experience can teach us that taking risks is rewarding or that it hurts and isn’t worth it. This could be from direct experience or by observing or being taught by others.
• Biology can grant us physical strength, a thick skin or a lack of awareness.

Hypnotherapy for confidence

Hypnotherapy for confidence looks to reduce confidence limiters and enhance access to sources of confidence.

Reducing the impact of confidence limiting life lessons and beliefs- Hypnotherapy for confidence

These can take the form of:

• Single event learnings (traumas) – The person has experienced one or more traumatic events which taught them that life is not safe. These may be incidents of abuse, bereavement, accidents or any number of other things. When the person is aware of them. These may be treated with EMDR, dissociative approaches, in-life regressions and several other ways. Treatment will look to dispel the excessive impact a single event can have on our instinctive assessment of risk.
• Multiple events learning – This is where a person has encountered many upsetting events and challenges but may have little memory of specifics and often a poor memory of childhood in general. Various techniques such as inner child, parts therapy, timeline work and many others can help to process this without having to uncover specific events.
• Internalised beliefs and assumptions (Cognitions) – These are the learnings we took from our experience as well as observing others and being taught by them. Wherever they came from they exist within our minds as assumptions. These will usually be automatic and unconscious. The therapist will help to identify beliefs, help to challenge them and then using various techniques (for example EMDR, parts therapy, direct suggestions and hypnotic CBT) will look to alter them to more effective beliefs.

Increasing sources of confidence – Hypnotherapy for confidence

If you’ve had the chance to read my blog on sources of confidence you will know that there are at least 8 sources of confidence. In brief these are:

1. Winners’ confidence – Confidence due to a history of winning.
2. Competence confidence – Confidence because you know you are good at something.
3. Endurance and coping confidence – Confidence which arises by knowing that you will survive and cope with difficulties and thus often prevail.
4. Ego confidence – The belief, right or wrong, that you are great and what you do succeeds.
5. Habitual confidence – The persistence of confidence beliefs beyond the evidence for them out habits of belief.
6. Size confidence – Confidence due to possessing physical power.
7. Risk taker confidence – Confidence due to reduced awareness and sensitivity to risk and consequence.
8. Group confidence – confidence due to possessing the support of others who you trust.

Several of these can be enhanced by the hypnotherapist, some can provide an immediate boost and others help grow confidence over time.

Short-term confidence boosters

These are techniques which can help access confidence quickly or immediately. However, many of their benefits are short lived so it is important to translate them into real world success and long-term confidence quickly.

• Hypnotically revisiting examples of times of winning and pride can bring those feeling into the present. Imagining future successes can also do this.
• Direct suggestions that encourage a strong ego can boost confidence. If these are used to help recognise existing traits and abilities, they may become long-term sources of confidence.
• By imagining themselves as physically larger than they currently feel a client can become more confident. The use of direct suggestions can also help with this. As with all visualisations the hypnotist will not only call upon their skills to enhance this but is likely to be using knowledge of body language to encourage the client to express their size.
• Various techniques can be employed to give the idea of having a thicker skin or to gently insulate nerve sensitivity, against the buffets and blows of the world.

Long term confidence enhancers

You might call these the slow confidence builders. Less punchy than the short-term boosters but a better investment over the long term

• Suggestions which encourage recognising the presence and value of skills and abilities the client already possesses can help grow confidence. Further, helping the client to recognise the journey and effort they went through to acquire these abilities can help them to recognise deeper strengths they possess. This feeds into the basic belief that they can do what I set out to do.
• Suggestions and mental rehearsal of survival and growth beliefs can nurture long-term endurance, and ultimately confidence. An example of such a belief might be, ‘When I speak at meetings, sometimes my contribution isn’t great and that can be a bit embarrassing, and it isn’t the end of the world, I can cope with being a little embarrassed’. The key to these beliefs is that they should acknowledge the discomfort/challenge of the situation and recognise that this can be coped with or survived.
• Goal setting which includes envisaging overcoming challenges along the way as well as achieving the goal can also helpful.

Dr Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist in Birmingham (UK) with over 25 years experience of helping people. He is a member of both the BSCH and NCH.

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