By Denise Mann
Medically Reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH
Last Updated: May 1, 2015

It was just after Sept. 11, 2001, and Steven Billing was coming undone from living with depression. He was severely depressed after a breakup, and one of his closest friends came "this close" to getting on a flight on that fateful day.

“I was really down,” he recalls. At the time, Billing worked for an extremely progressive company that supported the use of alternative therapies, including hypnotherapy, for depression. “I was skeptical, but at that point I would have tried anything,” says Billing, now 51.

Today, the Orlando, Florida-based playwright is happier than he's ever been.

What Is Hypnosis?

In hypnotherapy, there is no clock on a chain that waves back and forth as a person grows sleepy. It’s also different from what's seen on nightclub stages, where a hypnotist might "program" participants to cluck like a chicken when they hear a clap, much to the audience’s awe and delight. That's entertainment.

In medicine, hypnosis involves invoking a trance-like state in which the patient has a heightened focus, says William Dubin, PhD, a member of the American Psychological Association and a psychologist specializing in hypnotherapy at Psychological ARTS in Austin, Texas. A healthcare professional often guides the process, according to the American Psychological Association. 

Besides depression, hypnosis may help with issues such as hot flashes, smoking cessation, and pain management, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The number of sessions needed to see an effect varies. Some people are able to self-hypnotize by following a CD or DVD, but others may need more guidance, at least in the beginning, Dr. Dubin says.

“I started feeling better after about five sessions,” Billing says. His therapist played relaxing music and asked Billing to close his eyes. “He talked to me about being on an elevator and going down and down and down,” he says. “Eventually, you fall in, and many issues come up that you can speak about calmly.”

The overall goal is to create a relaxed but conscious state where individuals feel comfortable enough to discuss their circumstances without becoming overly anxious or emotional, explains Wendi Friesen, CHT, a certified clinical hypnotherapist in Boulder, Colorado.

The experience allowed Billing to see himself and his choices more clearly, especially in terms of how he approaches dating and relationships. Before hypnotherapy, he was jealous, clingy, and insecure. “Today I am single by choice," he says. "I am comfortable in my own skin.”

Billing’s experience also allowed him to tap into his inner creativity. In 2004, after being moved by a documentary about elephants in danger of extinction, he wrote a musical called Tusk that played off Broadway. He's now getting ready to write a book about the same issue.