Frequently Asked Questions
Does hypnotherapy actually work?
Yes, hypnotherapy can be a very effective way to create change, especially when you are dealing with reactions, habits, fears, expectations, or coping patterns that have become automatic. A lot of my clients already understand their problem. What they are frustrated by is that understanding it has not stopped it. Hypnotherapy gives us a way to actively work with the learned response itself and begin building something different.
What is the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy?
Hypnosis is the focused state we use. Hypnotherapy is what we actually do while you are in that state. The hypnosis itself is not the treatment. It gives us a focused environment where we can use therapeutic imagery, suggestion, repetition, rehearsal, emotional processing, and other techniques based on what you came in to change.
What does hypnosis feel like?
There is no single feeling you are supposed to have. Some people become deeply relaxed. Others feel very focused and aware. Some describe it as similar to becoming completely absorbed in a movie, book, conversation, or thought. You do not need to feel strange, floaty, unconscious, or dramatically “under” for hypnosis to be working.
Can everyone be hypnotized?
Most people can experience hypnosis to some degree because the mind already moves into naturally absorbed states throughout the day. You may have driven a familiar route while thinking about something else and suddenly realized you barely remember the last few miles. You may get completely caught up in a book, a movie, a conversation, or a daydream and lose track of what is happening around you. Your attention narrows, other things become less important for a while, and your mind becomes deeply involved somewhere else.
Hypnosis works with that same natural ability to focus and become absorbed. I am not trying to knock you unconscious or make your mind disappear. I am guiding your attention in a way that gives the constantly analyzing part of your mind less to manage, so we can work more directly with imagination, expectation, emotion, and learned responses.
Some people settle into hypnosis very quickly. Others stay mentally active and want to analyze what is happening as we go, especially people who are used to thinking several steps ahead. That does not mean hypnosis will not work for them. It simply changes how I guide the process. You do not need to lose awareness, stop thinking, or “go under” for hypnotherapy to be effective.
What if I can’t be hypnotized?
This is one of the most common fears people bring into their first session. You do not have to perform hypnosis correctly. You do not have to empty your mind, stop thinking, or reach some mysterious depth. Your mind may wander. You may hear everything I say. You may occasionally wonder whether you are hypnotized at all. That is fine. My job is to guide you through the process. Your job is simply to participate.
Will I lose control during hypnosis?
No. You remain aware, capable of thinking, and able to respond throughout the session. Hypnosis does not remove your judgment, values, or ability to make choices. Stage hypnosis has given people some very strange ideas about what hypnosis actually looks like. Clinical hypnotherapy is a collaborative process. I am not taking control of your mind. We are using your mind intentionally.
Can I get stuck in hypnosis?
No. Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of focused attention, not a place you become trapped in. You can open your eyes, speak, move, adjust your position, or stop at any point.
Will I remember what happens during hypnosis?
Usually, yes. Most people remember the session much like they remember any other deeply relaxed or focused experience.
Attention can naturally drift, so you may remember certain portions more clearly than others. That does not mean you were unconscious or that something happened without your knowledge.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
I usually work with clients across three sessions. I prefer giving the work room to develop rather than trying to force everything into one dramatic appointment. You leave the first session and go back into your real life. You begin noticing what changes, what feels different, where the old pattern still catches you, and what needs more attention. Then we use that information in the next session.
Some people need additional work, and some issues are more complex than others, but three sessions gives us a meaningful period of time to begin changing and reinforcing a pattern.
What happens before my first hypnotherapy session?
Before we begin the three hypnotherapy sessions, I include a separate intake and planning appointment. This is where we take the time to really understand what is happening, what you want to change, the patterns you have noticed, your history, and anything else that may help me understand how you got where you are.
We also complete a personality assessment and an imagination assessment, which help me understand how you process information, respond to suggestion, and experience imagery. From there, I build a plan for our work together. So when you book a three-session hypnotherapy program with me, you are actually meeting with me four times. That first appointment gives me the information I need to make the next three sessions specific, intentional, and built around you.
How quickly does hypnotherapy work?
Sometimes people notice changes very quickly. Other changes develop more gradually as a new response becomes familiar.
I am less interested in creating one impressive hour than I am in what happens when you leave the session. Does something that normally sets you off feel different? Do you respond differently in a conversation? Does an old urge have less pull? Do you catch yourself before falling into the same pattern? Those changes in everyday life are what matter.
Can hypnotherapy really work online over Zoom?
Yes. In my experience, online hypnotherapy works exceptionally well, and for many clients I actually prefer it. I spent three years seeing clients in an office, so I have worked both ways. What I began to notice was how much effort it sometimes took just to get someone through the door and settled. They had driven across town, dealt with traffic, rearranged their day, found parking, walked into an unfamiliar space, and then we spent part of the session helping them settle after everything it took to get there. At home, much of that disappears.
You can be in your own chair or bed, wearing whatever makes you comfortable, in a space your mind already recognizes as familiar. For clients dealing with anxiety, trauma, overwhelm, or simply an exhausting schedule, that can make a real difference. I often find people settle into hypnosis very easily because they are already somewhere they feel comfortable.
Working online also gives us more flexibility. If we need a little extra time to finish something important, I am not watching the clock because another person is waiting outside the office door. Hypnosis does not require me to be physically next to you. It requires your attention, your participation, and a place where you can be comfortable and uninterrupted. Zoom gives us exactly that.
Can hypnotherapy help if I already know why I do something?
Absolutely. In fact, many of the people who come to me are extremely self-aware. They have already thought about the problem, talked about it, read about it, journaled about it, and figured out where it probably came from. They still keep doing it.
Knowing why something developed can be incredibly valuable, but insight does not automatically change an automatic response. Hypnotherapy gives us something actionable to do with what you already understand. We can begin working with the reaction, habit, association, expectation, or coping response itself. That is often where the work finally begins to move.
What if I am not sure whether hypnotherapy can help with what I am dealing with?
You do not have to diagnose yourself or figure out which category you belong in before contacting me. People are complicated, and the thing that brings someone in is not always the thing we eventually discover is driving the pattern.
That is what the free consultation is for. We can talk about what is happening, what you want to change, and whether the way I work makes sense for you.
