Suitability

Is online hypnotherapy right for me?

For most people, the answer is yes. Here's who online sessions suit best, when to check with your GP first, and how to find the right help if hypnotherapy isn't it.

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Who online hypnotherapy suits

I've worked with people from all walks of life, from young people just starting out to well-known faces and business leaders. Online sessions have widened that further. In my experience they suit almost anyone who wants to make a change and has a quiet room and an internet connection, and they suit some people especially well:

• People who find therapy rooms, travel or meeting strangers hard. Starting from home takes away the hardest part. This is particularly true for anxiety and phobias.
• Anyone outside London, or outside the UK. You get the same practitioner wherever you live.
• Busy people. No travel means an hour is an hour, which helps with stress, shift work, caring and childcare.
• People who value privacy. Nobody sees you arrive, and with headphones on nobody at home hears the session.
• People working on sleep, habits or eating. These patterns live at home, so home is a good place to change them (see sleep, habits and weight).
• Anyone who has tried in-person therapy and found it hard to relax. Clients often tell me they go deeper at home, with my voice close in their headphones.

You don't need to be good at relaxing, and you don't need any experience of hypnosis. What helps most is wanting the change and being willing to give it a fair go. You'll find the full list of issues on what can be treated.

When to talk to your GP first

Hypnotherapy works alongside medical care, not in place of it. Please speak to your GP, or the team already looking after you, before we start if any of these apply, and mention it at the free consultation:

• Depression, whether diagnosed or suspected (see depression)
• Epilepsy
• A diagnosed mental health condition you're being treated for, such as bipolar disorder, a personality disorder, PTSD or OCD
• An eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder (the charity Beat can also help)
• Physical symptoms that haven't been checked by a doctor, including pain or sleep problems with heavy snoring or gasping at night
• Problems with alcohol, drugs or gambling

Many of these are perfectly compatible with hypnotherapy alongside your doctor's care. The point is that we make that decision together, with the right people involved.

When online hypnotherapy isn't the right choice

• If you are currently experiencing psychosis, or bipolar disorder in an acute phase
• If you need urgent or crisis care (see below)
• If you've been drinking or taken drugs before a session: we'll simply rearrange
• If you would be driving, operating anything, or anywhere you need to stay alert
• If you can't find a private space where you won't be interrupted for the hour

If online sessions aren't right for you, I'll tell you honestly at the consultation and, where I can, suggest where to turn instead.

Medication

Keep taking any prescribed medication exactly as your doctor advises. Please never stop or reduce it in order to start hypnotherapy, or because you're feeling better partway through a course. Any change is a conversation for your GP. Do tell me what you take, so I have the full picture.

If you're in crisis

Under-18s

Under-18s are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian. When I work with a young person online, a parent or guardian gives consent, joins the free consultation, and stays in the house for every session. Common reasons families get in touch include worries, exam nerves, fears, sleep and habits.

Prefer to meet in a room?

Online isn't for everyone, and that's fine. I also see clients in person at my practice in Farringdon, central London: Central London Hypnotherapy. Same practitioner, same approach.

Still not sure?

That's exactly what the free consultation is for. In 15 to 30 minutes we can talk through your situation and decide together whether online hypnotherapy is the right next step. The FAQ and how online sessions work cover the practical questions.