Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy uses a relaxed, focused state (hypnosis) alongside talking therapy to help people make the changes they want: sleeping better, feeling calmer, stopping smoking, facing a fear. You stay aware and in control throughout. Hypnotherapists in the UK belong to professional registers with training standards and a code of conduct, so choosing one with confidence is quick and easy.

What happens in a session

A first session usually starts with a conversation: what you'd like to change, what you've tried, and what a good result would look like. The hypnotherapist explains how they work and answers your questions.

Then they guide you into a relaxed, focused state, usually by talking you through slowing your breathing and relaxing your body. It feels a lot like the moment just before you fall asleep, or being absorbed in a good book. You can hear everything, you can speak, and you can open your eyes whenever you want.

While you're relaxed, they use suggestions and imagery aimed at what you came for. Many also teach you self-hypnosis or give you a recording to use at home between sessions, so the work carries on between visits.

What people use it for

People most often come to a hypnotherapist for:

• Anxiety and stress
• Sleep
• Stopping smoking or vaping
• Fears and phobias (flying, spiders, needles)
• Confidence and public speaking
• Exam and driving-test nerves
• Habits such as nail biting
• Weight and eating habits
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)

Recognised in NHS guidance. NICE, which advises the NHS, names hypnotherapy among the psychological therapies to consider for people whose IBS hasn't settled after a year of medicines. Your hypnotherapist will talk you through how they can help with what you'd like to work on.

Hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis

Hypnotherapy is nothing like a stage show. It's a calm, private session built around what you want, and you are in control from start to finish.

It also sits comfortably alongside the rest of your care. If you have symptoms that haven't been looked at yet, see your GP as well; many hypnotherapists work alongside doctors and will ask about this at your first session.

How many sessions, and what it costs

It depends on what you're working on. Stopping smoking is often offered as a single, longer session. Anxiety, sleep or confidence more often takes a few sessions, commonly somewhere between three and six. Many hypnotherapists offer a free first chat so you can get to know each other before you book.

Most charge somewhere between about £60 and £120 a session, depending on where they are and how long the session lasts. Many include recordings and support between sessions, and some offer a package price.

Professional registers

Hypnotherapy in the UK is self-regulated through professional registers and bodies. Each sets training standards, has a code of conduct and offers a complaints process, and most have a public search so you can look your hypnotherapist up in moments.

• CNHC (the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council) runs a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, the body that oversees the UK's health regulators. Hypnotherapists on it meet its hypnotherapy standards.
• The National Hypnotherapy Society also runs a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
• NCH (the National Council for Hypnotherapy) keeps a register of its members, many of whom hold its practitioner-level diploma (HPD) or trained at an NCH-accredited school.
• AfSFH (the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy) and the GHR (General Hypnotherapy Register) keep registers with their own training standards.
• BSCAH brings together registered health professionals, such as doctors, nurses and psychologists, who use hypnosis in their work.

Letters such as HPD, DSFH, MNCH (reg) or CNHC (reg) show where someone trained and which bodies they belong to. Our guide to the letters after a hypnotherapist's name explains each one.

Choosing your hypnotherapist

Hypnotherapists are happy to talk about how they work. Good things to ask at a first chat:

1. Where did you train, and which qualification do you hold?
2. Which register or professional body are you a member of?
3. Do you have professional insurance?
4. How have you helped people with what I'd like to work on?
5. How many sessions do you suggest, and what will it cost in total?
6. Do you offer a free first chat?

Want to look someone up? Check a practitioner's registration → every regulator and register in one place, with links to their public searches.

Common questions