About Hypnotherapy
What Is Hypnotherapy?
A Modern Understanding.
Hypnotherapy utilises a natural state of focused attention, often referred to as hypnosis, to help the mind become calmer, more receptive and more flexible. It’s a state most people drift into every day without realising it: when absorbed in a book, a film, a memory or a daydream. In this state, the mind becomes less distracted and more open to exploring new perspectives.
During hypnosis, people generally feel relaxed, steady and comfortable. Awareness remains intact; you hear everything, you think clearly, and you stay in control. You can open your eyes at any time. The process is simply a shift in focus, not a loss of consciousness or control.
Hypnotherapy uses this focused state to help soften unhelpful patterns of thought, behaviour and emotional response. It can support people in areas such as stress, anxiety, depression, habits, addictions, sleep, confidence, pain perception and negative thinking. By working with the mind when it is calm and receptive, change often feels more natural and less effortful.
Milton Erickson, one of the most influential figures in modern hypnotherapy, described hypnosis as “a free period in which individuality can flourish.” This captures the essence of the work: it’s not about being controlled, but about accessing your own inner resources in a clearer, more direct way.
Today, hypnotherapy is recognised internationally as a valuable approach for supporting behavioural and emotional change. It is used throughout most healthcare and mind‑body practices around the world, and continues to evolve as our understanding of the mind deepens.
Approaches Used in Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy draws on a range of approaches that help the mind shift patterns, access calmer states and respond in more flexible ways. Different methods suit different people, and many overlap naturally during a session.
Ericksonian Hypnotherapy
A gentle, indirect style developed by Milton Erickson. It uses stories, metaphors and imaginative scenarios to help the mind explore new possibilities and soften unhelpful patterns.
Traditional Hypnotherapy
A more direct approach that uses clear, focused suggestions to support behavioural or emotional change.
Parts‑Based Work
An approach that explores the different “parts” of us that can hold conflicting intentions. By understanding these internal patterns, people often find more clarity and cooperation within themselves.
Regression‑Focused Techniques
Used carefully and only when appropriate, these methods help people revisit earlier experiences or emotional patterns to gain insight, release tension or create new meaning around past events.
Self‑Hypnosis
All hypnosis is, in essence, self‑hypnosis. Learning to guide yourself into a calm, focused state at home can reinforce the work done in sessions and support ongoing change.
Mindfulness and Awareness Skills
Simple practices that help quieten mental noise, build steadiness and develop a clearer relationship with thoughts and emotions.
Language‑Based Techniques
Hypnotherapy naturally incorporates elements of NLP‑style communication — using language, phrasing and perspective shifts to help the mind respond in more helpful ways.
A brief history of hypnosis
Hypnosis has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Many early societies, including the Egyptians, Druids and ancient Celtic traditions, used forms of focused attention, suggestion and guided imagination to influence behaviour and ease discomfort.
In the 1700s, Franz Anton Mesmer brought renewed attention to these practices in Europe. Although his theories were later revised, his work highlighted the power of imagination and focused attention — ideas that underpin many modern therapeutic approaches.
During the 1800s, clinicians and researchers began exploring hypnosis more formally. Figures such as James Esdaile documented the use of hypnotic techniques in medical settings of the time, contributing to early understandings of how focused states of mind can influence perception and comfort.
Interest grew again during the World Wars, when hypnosis was used to help individuals manage the psychological effects of trauma and stress. These experiences helped shape the development of contemporary hypnotherapy.
Despite its long history, hypnosis has often been surrounded by myths and misconceptions. Today, however, it is increasingly understood as a natural state of focused attention — one that can be used in a grounded, practical way to support changes in thoughts, habits and emotional patterns.