What is Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy?
Maybe you’ve seen a stage hypnotist in person or online. Someone clucking like a chicken or forgetting their own name.
While that’s defiantly entertaining it’s not therapy. Clinical hypnotherapy is something entirely different and therapeutic with the right therapist.
The word "hypnosis" comes from the Greek word for sleep, but you're not actually asleep during hypnotherapy. Instead, you're in a calm, focused state, like when you're so absorbed in a book or movie where you lose track of time, or when you're driving home and suddenly realize you don't remember the last few minutes of the journey.
That's trance. It's natural, and we experience it every day, we just don’t call it trance.
How Therapeutic Hypnosis Works
In this relaxed, focused state, your mind becomes more open to new possibilities.
Your usual mental filters quiet down, and you become open to different ways of thinking, feeling, and responding.
It's not about someone controlling you, you’re actually still in control.it's about accessing parts of yourself that are usually just below conscious awareness.
The hypnotherapy style I use based on the work of Milton Erickson, an American psychotherapist who revolutionized the field. Unlike old-school direct suggestion ("You will stop smoking"), Ericksonian hypnotherapy focuses on building possibilities and working with your natural strengths. It's collaborative, not controlling.
At Aim, we never push past your defenses or boundaries. Instead, we create safety so you can explore what you're ready to explore, at your own pace.
Why Your thinking Mind Isn't Always Enough in therapy
Ever noticed how you can know what you need to change but still can't seem to do it?
You understand logically that you shouldn't worry so much, or that your perfectionism is exhausting you, or that you deserve better in relationships but it’s frustrating to see that knowing it doesn’t actually shift much.
That's because so much of how we think, feel, and behave is learned subconsciously. These patterns often formed when you were young, or during times of stress, and they made sense in that context.
Maybe anxiety once kept you safe. Maybe perfectionism earned you approval. Maybe people-pleasing helped you avoid conflict.
But what once helped often becomes what holds you back once the circumstances have changed. And because these patterns live in your subconscious mind, conscious effort alone often isn't enough to change them. That’s why talk therapy can sometimes leave people feeling stuck or frustrated.
This is where hypnotherapy and other similar techniques that access the subconscious come in. By working directly with your subconscious, we can help you unlearn old patterns and create new, healthier ones that actually shift your behaviour or automatic reactions.
Does Science Back This Up?
Absolutely. Hypnotherapy isn't fringe or mystical. I is evidence-based, if you’re curious there are cited papers you can look up at the bottom of this page.
Brain imaging studies using PET scans, EEGs, and fMRIs show measurable changes in brain activity during hypnosis, particularly in areas related to pain, emotion regulation, and motor control. Your brain literally works differently in this state, which is why hypnotherapy can create such profound shifts.
Research also shows hypnotherapy is effective for treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, phobias, and even smoking cessation. Major medical and mental health organizations now recognize hypnotherapy as a safe, evidence-based treatment.
Our Approach: Opening Possibilities
At Aim, we see hypnotherapy as a tool for widening what's possible for you. It helps you connect more deeply with yourself, understand why you do what you do, and build resilience against stress.
Through hypnotherapy, you can learn to regulate your emotional reactivity, respond to challenges differently, and move toward the changes you've been trying to make for years.
Hypnotherapy can be especially helpful for:
Anxiety, panic attacks, and worry
Depression and low mood
Habitual behaviors like nail biting, skin picking, or overeating
IBS and other stress-related physical symptoms
Chronic pain and migraines
Phobias and fears
Perfectionism and confidence issues
Relationship and intimacy concerns
Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
If you're curious about whether hypnotherapy might help you, or if you have questions about how it works, reach out. We're here to help you understand your options and find what works best for you.
References
Alladin A. Mindfulness-based hypnosis: blending science, beliefs, and wisdoms to catalyze healing. Am J Clin Hypn 2014;56:285–302. doi:10.1080/00029157.2013.857290
Alladin A , Alibhai A. Cognitive hypnotherapy for depression: an empirical investigation. Int J Clin Exp Hypn 2007;55:147–66. doi:10.1080/00207140601177897
De Pascalis V. EEG spectral analysis during hypnotic induction, hypnotic dream and age regression. Int J Psychophysiol 1993;15:153–66.
De Pascalis V , Cacace I, Massicolle F. Perception and modulation of pain in waking and hypnosis: functional significance of phase-ordered gamma oscillations. Pain 2004;112:27–36. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2004.07.003
De Pascalis V , Magurano MR, Bellusci A, et al. . Somatosensory event-related potential and autonomic activity to varying pain reduction cognitive strategies in hypnosis. Clin Neurophysiol 2001;112:1475–85.
Demertzi A , Vanhaudenhuyse A, Noirhomme Q, et al. . Hypnosis modulates behavioural measures and subjective ratings about external and internal awareness. J Physiol Paris 2015;109:173–9. doi:10.1016/j.jphysparis.2015.11.002
Faymonville ME , Roediger L, Del Fiore G, et al. . Increased cerebral functional connectivity underlying the antinociceptive effects of hypnosis. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 2003;17:255–62.
Halsband U , Mueller S, Hinterberger T, et al. . Plasticity changes in the brain in hypnosis and meditation. Contemp Hypn 2009;26:194–215.
Hammond DC. Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Expert Rev Neurother 2010;10:263–73. doi:10.1586/ern.09.140
Lynn SJ , Green JP, Accardi M, et al. . Hypnosis and smoking cessation: the state of the science. Am J Clin Hypn 2010;52:177–81. doi:10.1080/00029157.2010.10401717
Patterson DR , Jensen MP. Hypnosis and clinical pain. Psychol Bull 2003;129:495–521.
Rotaru TS , Rusu A. A meta-analysis for the efficacy of hypnotherapy in alleviating PTSD symptoms. Int J Clin Exp Hypn 2016;64:116–36. doi:10.1080/00207144.2015.1099406
Schaefert R , Klose P, Moser G, et al. . Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of hypnosis in adult irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychosom Med 2014;76:389–98. doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000039
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/07/study-identifies-brain-areas-altered-during-hypnotic-trances.html