Imagine giving your clients a powerful tool they can carry with them everywhere - one that calms their nerves, refocuses their minds, and reinforces positive therapy outcomes. In fact, you can. That tool is self-hypnosis, a simple but powerful technique that empowers clients to take control of their well-being outside of your sessions. So, this month I’m offering a simple guide to teaching it to your clients.
Benefits of Self-hypnosis
- Self-hypnosis is a portable skill that helps clients reduce stress, improve focus, and reinforce therapeutic work. As it’s without the spiritual connotations often associated with meditation, it is suitable for clients of all backgrounds and beliefs.
- Self-hypnosis can be used to complement and reinforce the work you’re doing in session. For example, the use of self-hypnosis, especially when it’s combined with self-care or mindfulness, shows significant improvements in self-esteem and reduced emotional distress in cancer patients. [1]
- Learning a simple and effective tool to use at home emphasises clients’ need to take an active role in therapy and empowers clients who feel helpless or hopeless.
- It is ‘a rapid, cost-effective, nonaddictive and safe alternative to medication for the treatment of anxiety-related conditions’ [2] which, even if they’re not the issue our clients come to us with, co-exist with many of them.
- The relationship between completing homework and a positive outcome in therapy is well established. [3] Asking clients to undertake some self-hypnosis at home is a simple task to set for pretty much any client, no matter what their presenting issue. (By the way, I’m using the word ‘homework’ here to make it clear what I mean, but it’s best not to use it with clients. It can set off negative associations with school. Add-ons, support tasks or similar is better.)
- Teaching your clients self-care and self-improvement techniques shows that you care about their long-term welfare as well as solving the immediate problem, and helps to improve rapport.
How to Teach Self-hypnosis
- Ask clients if they have any worries. A common one is about being ‘stuck’ or ‘unable to wake up’ when there is no one else around. Remind them that it’s a natural state and this won’t happen.
- If they are concerned about coming out of trance when they want to, suggest they set an alarm on a clock or phone for about five minutes after their session should end. If they do lose track of time in trance, or fall asleep, the alarm will bring them back to full awareness.
- Make sure they have a comfortable place where they can close their eyes and relax to use self-hypnosis and where they will be safe and uninterrupted. Tell them to switch off their phone or leave it in another room.
What you need now is a method of teaching self-hypnosis in a way that’s easy for beginners to learn but versatile enough to support deeper therapeutic goals. I find the simplest way to teach self-hypnosis to a client is to guide them into a trance and tell them they can do it! But there a still a few ways you can approach this.
Post Hypnotic Suggestion
I ask them to repeat an induction I have used with them in their heads, usually a PMR, and then drift into trance for whatever time they choose.
You can request a free ‘Easy Self-Hypnosis’ teaching script by EMAILING ME and requesting it.
Visualisation and Imagery
In your session, create a ‘peaceful place’ where the client feels calm and safe. It could be based on a real place, from a film or documentary they’ve seen, or completely imaginary. Ask them to imagine every part of it – what they can see, hear, feel, smell and taste. Again, you can do this with them in trance to make it even more vivid. When they have it complete in their minds, suggest that in future, to achieve trance, they can simply close their eyes, take a few deep breaths and imagine themselves back there at any time they wish.
This approach is particularly useful for managing anxiety, nervous tension and depression in difficult life situations. [4]
Anchors
Whilst the client is in trance in your session, ask them to become very aware of how trance feels to them. Again, go through all the senses and allow the client a bit of time to focus on the feeling. Then set an anchor for that feeling, either a physical gesture like pressing a thumb and finger together, or a word to say inside their heads. Suggest that from now on, whenever they want to go into trance, they only need to take a few deep breaths and use their anchor.
Whatever method you use, emphasise that the client will only go into trance when they are in a safe and comfortable place, and when they wish to do so (to avoid any worries of ‘accidentally’ dropping into trance in an inappropriate situation).
Adapt the wording to be more specific if the client will be using self-hypnosis in a particular situation, such as having dental treatment. Their unconscious mind may not consider this a safe or comfortable place!
When you get to the end of the session, instead of counting your client out, suggest that they will easily and comfortably bring themselves out of trance. When they have done so they will open their eyes feeling amazing. It will help to give them (and perhaps you!) confidence that they can do this.
Troubleshooting Self-Hypnosis
- Doubts about ‘doing it right’. If your client has tried self-hypnosis and isn’t sure it’s going the way it should, or if they are so unconfident in their own abilities that they are reluctant even to try it, consider offering a relaxation audio as an alternative.
- Wandering attention. Many clients find that their minds wander during self-hypnosis. Reassure them that this is perfectly normal and can be part of the process: they will find benefits in using self-hypnosis whether or not their mind stays focused.
- Suggest they use something specific to concentrate on (e.g. adapt my first suggestion to use an eye fixation induction instead of a PMR).
- Affirmations. If your client struggles to come up with an affirmation, help them develop one in your session. Or they could look up ‘popular affirmations’ online and choose one that appeals to them.
- Aphantasia. This describes an inability to visualise or create ‘pictures’ in the mind and it can put some clients off trying. Many audios and self-hypnosis techniques talk about visualising. Reassure them that they don’t have to take words like ‘see’ literally. If they can remember, imagine or think about the situation, that’s enough We all imagine differently, and their way is as good as any.
- Unrealistic expectations. Some clients expect self-hypnosis to have an instant effect. You can explain that self-hypnosis is just one step in their therapeutic journey and that it will work to the best effect when practised regularly.
Others might expect self-hypnosis alone to fix deep-seated problems. Tell them to think of self-hypnosis as an over-the-counter remedy for headaches. It’s effective for small problems, but for something more serious, like having your appendix out, you’d see a professional. Self-hypnosis supports the therapeutic journey but isn’t a standalone solution for deep-seated issues.
Delivering Self-hypnosis Training
So far, I’ve assumed that you’ll be with your clients in a session when you teach them self-hypnosis. But if you feel you don’t have time for this, you can offer the teaching in other ways.
- Consider creating a recorded lesson. This could be an audio or a video that clients can access anytime. You can offer it as a free or paid resource: an upsell to extend your services to clients, or a stand-alone purchase for those who have not yet accessed your services.
- Offer regular self-hypnosis classes for small groups of people, in your office or on Zoom. These can be open to those who are not currently your clients as well as those who are and help to promote your services.
Overall, by teaching self-hypnosis, you empower your clients to take control of their well-being - an investment that pays off far beyond the therapy room.
References
[1] Grégoire, C., Faymonville, ME., Vanhaudenhuyse, A. et al. Randomized controlled trial of a group intervention combining self-hypnosis and self-care: secondary results on self-esteem, emotional distress and regulation, and mindfulness in post-treatment cancer patients. Qual Life Res 30, 425–436 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-020-02655-7
[2] Hammond DC. Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Expert Rev Neurother. 2010 Feb;10(2):263-73. doi: 10.1586/ern.09.140. PMID: 20136382.
[3] Mausbach BT, Moore R, Roesch S, Cardenas V, Patterson TL. The Relationship Between Homework Compliance and Therapy Outcomes: An Updated Meta-Analysis. Cognit Ther Res. 2010 Oct;34(5):429-438. doi: 10.1007/s10608-010-9297-z. Epub 2010 Feb 6. PMID: 20930925; PMCID: PMC2939342.
[4] Makarova, E., Degtyareva, E. and Kholina, O. (2024). Visualization as a method of overcoming anxiety and nervous tension, reducing symptoms of depression and stress in difficult life situation. BIO Web of Conferences, [online] 84, p.04012. doi:https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20248404012.
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Author: Debbie Waller is an experienced hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy trainer. She is the author of Anxiety to Calm: a Practical Guide to a Laid-Back Life, The Hypnotherapist's Companion, Their Worlds, Your Words, and The Metaphor Toolbox, all available from Amazon or direct from the author. Find out more about Debbie's services on
Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training - multi-accredited hypnotherapy practitioner training, taster days and foundation levels.
CPD Expert - accredited CPD and other therapy training (online and workshops options), expert and qualified hypnotherapy supervision
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