Frequently Asked Questions

Hypnosis is not magic or pseudoscience. It is a recognised and extensively researched form of psychological care, with evidence from clinical trials, systematic reviews and neuroscience.

It is already used in medical settings to help manage pain, reduce anxiety before and during procedures, support dental treatment, prepare people for childbirth and improve symptoms associated with conditions such as IBS. It can influence how the brain processes sensations, thoughts and emotional responses, which is why it may change someone’s experience of pain or distress.

Researchers have also studied hypnosis using brain imaging and EEGs. Brain imaging shows measurable changes in the activity and communication of regions involved in attention, self-awareness, emotional regulation and the processing of sensations. EEGs allow researchers to observe patterns in the brain’s electrical activity during hypnosis.

A major scientific review published in 2024 examined 49 meta analyses covering 261 separate studies. The strongest evidence was found for pain and medical procedures, with research also supporting applications such as gut directed hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy works with your brain’s natural capacity for focused attention and responsiveness to suggestion. The experience may feel powerful, but there is nothing supernatural happening.

No. Stage hypnosis is real, but it is designed for entertainment. Performers usually select highly responsive volunteers who are willing to participate. The atmosphere matters too: people know they are on stage, understand what is expected of them and may be influenced by excitement, social conformity and having an audience watching.

Hypnotherapy has a completely different purpose. It is private, collaborative and focused on helping you create change for your highest good. You remain aware and able to respond, and hypnosis does not remove your agency or give somebody else control over your mind.

Side effects? Yes, potentially quite a few.

You stop smoking, develop a more positive relationship with your body and health, understand yourself more deeply or begin relating differently to the people around you.

More seriously, hypnosis does not cause adverse damage and is generally considered a safe, low risk form of psychological care when practised responsibly. Occasionally, someone may experience temporary tiredness, light headedness, a headache or emotional discomfort, particularly after exploring sensitive material.

I will explain what we are doing, work at a pace that feels safe and check in with you throughout. You can pause or stop at any time.

The good news is that you do not need to be “good” at relaxing. You can arrive with a busy mind, notice sounds, move around or have thoughts popping up throughout the session. Hypnosis is about focused attention, not achieving perfect stillness.

Hypnosis is not the same as sleep. But if you become comfortable enough to drift off, there is no need to worry. I can gently bring your attention back or adapt to what we are doing.

You have not done hypnosis incorrectly. You may simply have become a little too comfortable, which can never be a bad thing!

Hypnotherapy can support a wide range of emotional, behavioural and physical concerns. You can read more about the areas I work with on my Services page.

If you are unsure whether hypnotherapy could support you, you are welcome to book a free consultation. We can explore what you would like help with, answer any questions and decide whether I am the right person for you.

That’s completely understandable, and I would begin by exploring what you have already tried and why those approaches may not have lasted.

Many approaches to weight loss or smoking cessation rely heavily on willpower , which is part of the conscious mind. Willpower can help in the short term, but it often becomes exhausting and does not create lasting, sustainable change on its own.

During hypnosis, we bypass the conscious, analytical part of the mind and work with the subconscious, where longer term habits, beliefs and emotional associations are held. Rather than asking you to keep trying harder, we work with the deeper patterns driving your behaviour so that change can begin to feel more natural and sustainable.

Fantastic! I’m genuinely glad you have tried it before, because now we have useful information about what did not help you.

Perhaps the approach felt too generic, the suggestions did not resonate, you did not feel comfortable with the practitioner, or the work never reached what was really driving the issue. Hypnotherapy is not one script that works identically for everyone.

As the saying goes, you never step into the same river twice. You have changed, the practitioner is different and so is the approach. We can learn from your previous experience, explore what may work better for you and shape the work around what supports your highest good.

No. Sometimes, “it’s all in your head” becomes the filler between “I don’t know” and “I don’t want to admit that I don’t know.”

When medicine cannot yet explain a symptom, it can be easier to locate the problem in the patient than to acknowledge the limits of current knowledge. But uncertainty and limitations do not make your suffering imaginary.

Is your mind involved? Of course. Your mind is involved in everything you experience. It does live in your body, after all. But involvement is not invention.

The mind and body are not separate systems. Every physical sensation involves communication between the body, brain and nervous system. Working with that connection does not deny the physical reality of your symptoms. It gives us another possible route through which we may be able to ease your experience.

And honestly, how cool is that? If you can use your own mind to access even a little more comfort, reduce distress or feel more in control of your symptoms, that is something worth exploring.

Hypnotherapy does not replace necessary medical investigation or treatment, and I will never tell you to ignore medical advice. My role is to believe your experience and help you explore what might make living in your body feel a little easier.

Some advertising, sales techniques and scams use psychological principles that overlap with hypnosis. These include directing attention, building trust, creating emotional associations, repeating suggestions and using language designed to influence a decision. This is sometimes referred to as covert or conversational hypnosis.

However, it is not mind control. These techniques are usually combined with ordinary forms of persuasion, social pressure, urgency or deception. They may influence someone, but they do not give another person complete control over their mind.

Therapeutic hypnosis is different because it is transparent, consensual and collaborative. You know hypnosis is being used, you choose what you want to work on, and the process is designed to support changes that are right for you. I am also bound by a professional code of ethics that protects your safety and autonomy.

That is a fair question. I am a trained hypnotherapist and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists. My work is also informed by other therapeutic modalities, including DBT, Gestalt therapy, Internal Family Systems, parts work and somatic techniques.

Hypnotherapy is one of many ways of reaching the heart of what may be keeping someone stuck. I draw on the techniques that feel most appropriate for you rather than using exactly the same approach with everyone.

The method matters, but so does the therapeutic relationship. You need to feel safe, understood and comfortable being honest with me. I bring my training and experience, while you bring the deepest knowledge of your own life. We work collaboratively to find what helps you.

Trust should not be assumed because of a title. It is something we build together. That is why I offer a free consultation, where you can ask questions, understand how I work and decide whether I am the right person for you.