Hypnosis – scientific fact or unproven mumbo jumbo?

Isn’t hypnosis just some weird kind of mumbo jumbo?” is what I sometimes hear when I tell people what I do for a living.

So what do you think when you hear someone talking about hypnosis? Do you think of a scientifically proven method of helping people to overcome issues with mental health? Or do you think of a weird and entertaining stage show with participants eating raw onions as if they were apples and clucking around the stage like chickens on command? Is hypnosis, and hypnotherapy as a result, due for an image makeover?

Hypnosis, when used in a clinical context, is a highly effective type of therapy for a range of different conditions, backed up by decades of scientific research. 

One recent piece of research looked at combining many different studies that all looked at the effect of using hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety. This type of research – called a meta-analysis – is very good at demonstrating true benefits as the larger number of people included make the statistics much less prone to random fluctuations.

This meta-analysis concluded that if 10 people suffering from anxiety were treated with hypnosis, eight of them would see an improvement in their symptoms when compared to a control group who didn’t get treatment. 

This is GREAT news! This treatment has no side-effects, is suitable for many, many people and is easy provide. Why aren’t we all learning the skills?

The study also compared hypnosis with other popular treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, relaxation and psychodynamic therapy. They found that hypnosis was as effective as relaxation, psychodynamic therapy and CBT. But most interesting of all was that hypnosis becomes even more effective when it is combined with one of these other therapies, particularly with CBT.

As a therapist who practises cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapy, this is fantastic validation. How I explain this to my clients is that the hypnosis somehow ‘turbo charges’ your brain so that it becomes much easier to make the changes in thinking and behaviour that help you to reap the rewards of CBT.

Mindfulness is very popular just now, with many people extolling its benefits. Yet hypnosis was found to be more effective at reducing symptoms of anxiety than mindfulness.

With all of these types of therapy, what is most important is that someone suffering from anxiety gets the help they need, that suits them and enables them to tackle their problems and move forward with their life. So if you are thinking of trying hypnotherapy for your anxiety, let me just say well done, great decision. It’s a good choice. But maybe make sure you choose a cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapist who also practises mindfulness and relaxation, just to be on the safe side!