Hypnosis
Hypnotherapy is a heightened state of concentration and focused attention. Hypnosis allows you to be more open to suggestions to making healthful changes in your perceptions, sensations, emotions, memories, thoughts or behaviors.

What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis, also called hypnotherapy, is a state of deep relaxation and focused concentration. It’s a type of mind-body medicine.
A trained and certified hypnotist or hypnotherapist guides you into this deep state of focus and relaxation with verbal cues, repetition and imagery. When you’re under hypnosis, this intense level of concentration and focus allows you to ignore ordinary distractions and be more open to guided suggestions to make changes to improve your health.

How does hypnosis work?
How hypnosis works isn’t completely understood. However, it’s commonly believed that in the deep state of focus and relaxation that’s achieved with hypnosis:
- Your conscious mind is quieted
- You’re able to tap into the part of your brain where your thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, sensations, emotions, memory and behaviors originate.
- In this state, you’re more open to gentle guidance from your hypnotherapist to help you modify or replace the unconscious thoughts that are driving your current behavior.
Is hypnosis used as the sole treatment?
Hypnosis is usually used along with other therapies and treatments, as part of a complete total treatment plan. The decision to use hypnotherapy in a clinical setting as a sole treatment or as an add-on treatment in psychotherapy or traditional medicine is made in consultation.
What’s the typical length of treatment with hypnotherapy?
There’s no typical length. Treatment varies depending on what and how severe the issue is. Hypnotherapy may take many sessions.

What conditions is hypnosis helpful in treating?
Hypnotherapy may help treat any number of medical conditions in which psychological factors influence physical symptoms.
Common mental health uses include:
- Stress and anxiety; panic attacks; and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)
- Working through childhood experiences
- Working through feelings of shame and guilt
- Working through traumas
- Working through feelings of being stuck
- Assist in working through sexual concerns
- Phobias
- Behavior control issues, including giving up smoking, losing weight and enuresis (bedwetting)
Common medical uses include assist in managing:
- Insomnia
- Asthma
- Hot flashes during menopause
- Gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Pain control, including after surgery, childbirth, cancer, fibromyalgia, burns and headaches (migraine and tension)
- Skin conditions, including warts and psoriasis
- Side effects of cancer chemotherapy or radiation treatment, including nausea and vomiting