Micah Abraham, BSc, lead content writer for Calm Clinic with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, explains that hypnotherapy may help relieve some people’s anxiety, but so far, the scientific evidence around hypnotherapy and anxiety is contradictory.
Hypnosis as a Possible Treatment for Anxiety
Written by Micah Abraham, BSc
Last updated October 10, 2020
Hypnosis is not considered just a party trick. Hypnosis has been given many uses in the modern day world, and has quickly become a mainstream alternative treatment for a variety of different conditions.
Certified hypnotherapists today treat everything from cigarette addiction to skin diseases, as well as soothing patients in preparation for painful medical procedures (including dental work, surgery, and chemotherapy injections). It may also be used for anxiety.
This article will introduce both hypnosis and hypnotherapy for anxiety, discuss what "trance" is, and talk about whether or not hypnotherapy works for anxiety disorders.
Hypnosis and Relaxation: The “Trance” State
One of the challenges with mental health issues is that no single treatment works for everyone. Anxiety and depression, for example, can almost always be treated. But finding that treatment can be a lesson in frustration. The same medications and therapy that work for one person may not work for another.
When other anxiety treatments have failed, or you want to exhaust every option before you consider medications or therapy, it’s not uncommon to seek out alternative treatments. One option that many consider is hypnotherapy. But does hypnosis for anxiety really work?
About Hypnosis and Anxiety
Hypnosis (and its clinical form, hypnotherapy) is just one of many types of treatment options that are considered "alternative medicine." One of the reasons it has this label is because contrary to popular belief there are very few studies that carefully examine whether or not hypnosis works, especially for specific conditions like anxiety.
The idea behind hypnosis is that the subconscious mind can be opened if a person is able to find themselves in the right mental state. For hypnosis to work, the hypnotist must first put his or her client into what is called a “trance state.” This is a state of mental and physical relaxation in which the conscious mind is encouraged to rest, while the subconscious mind is kept alert.
The “conscious mind” is what you mainly think of as your mind: the part that thinks about what to say or do next. The “subconscious mind” is the part of the brain that you don't notice and have little cognitive control over: the part that is in charge of the beliefs and emotions connected to what you say and do.
Hypnotherapists use hypnosis to relax your conscious mind so that it can access your conscious mind. Their goal is to change your beliefs and feelings about what you do by changing the way your subconscious mind "thinks."
