Is Hypnotherapy for Anxiety Real? A Maryland Therapist Explains What It Actually Is
Ready for some real relief from anxiety?
If you've considered hypnotherapy for anxiety, you've probably also pictured someone swinging a pocket watch and putting you into a trance you can't control. That image is everywhere in movies and stage shows, and it's almost nothing like what clinical hypnotherapy actually is. As a Maryland anxiety therapist who uses hypnotherapy as part of an integrative approach, I want to clear up what this tool really does, how it works alongside therapies like CBT and somatic work, and why it can be such an effective piece of the puzzle for anxious minds and bodies.
What is clinical hypnotherapy?
Clinical hypnotherapy is a focused, relaxed state of attention that a trained therapist uses to help you access and work with patterns that are hard to reach through talk alone. It's not sleep, and it's not unconsciousness. You're fully aware the entire time, and you remain in control of what you say and do.
Think of it less like "going under" and more like the state you enter when you're absorbed in a good book or lost in a long drive — relaxed, focused, and still completely yourself.
is hypnotherapy the same as stage hypnosis?
No, clinical hypnotherapy is not the same as stage hypnosis, even though they share a name and some techniques. Stage hypnosis is entertainment, built around participants who volunteer to be part of a show in front of an audience. There’s real hypnosis happening but it’s for fun.
Clinical hypnotherapy has a completely different goal. It's a therapeutic tool used in a private, professional setting to help you reach your therapy goals. That might be to reduce anxiety, calm your nervous system, access peak performance, or shift patterns that are keeping you stuck — not to make you cluck like a chicken for a crowd.
what happens in a hypnotherapy session
A hypnotherapy session starts with a conversation about what you want to work on, including how you’ll know when you’ve reached your goal. We want to know exactly where you want to end up, in order to build the best pathway there. I also get to know more about your history with the problem, as well as your interests, preferences and strengths. Since I don’t use any premade scripts, I custom create each hypnotherapy experience to be specific to each person, and getting to know you more helps me to create the most powerful suggestions and interventions that will suit your mind.
There’s a lot of different kinds of interventions we might use, but in all cases I’ll use language and imagery tailored to your specific goals, whether that's calming a racing mind, working with a specific fear, or helping your body finally register that a threat has passed. The mind doesn’t make a lot of distinctions about something happening in the imagination or in real life (which is why we can sob at a sad movie or improve our basketball game with consistent mental rehearsal). And we update the software in our brains by new experiences, not with just new understandings. Hypnosis gives your brain a chance for a useful update in a safe, secure way.
You stay seated, comfortable, and awake throughout. Most people describe the experience as deeply relaxing, similar to a guided meditation, and many are surprised by how ordinary and un-mysterious it feels. They might even wonder, “Was I really hypnotized?” There are many external indicators of trance that I’m always watching for that let me know that trance is occurring. At the end of each session, you are fully alerted and we have a chance to debrief and integrate the experience.
can hypnotherapy help with anxiety specifically?
Yes, hypnotherapy can be an effective tool for anxiety because it works directly with the nervous system rather than relying only on logic and reasoning. Anxiety often lives in the body as much as the mind, and hypnotherapy offers a way to reach patterns that talking alone doesn't always touch.
I frequently use it with clients dealing with:
Racing or ruminating thoughts that don't respond to reasoning
Sleep difficulties tied to anxiety or an overactive mind
Anticipatory anxiety around specific events or triggers
Physical tension and a nervous system that struggles to downshift out of high alert
how does hypnotherapy fit with other kinds of anxiety therapy
No pocket watches necessary for hypnosis.
Hypnotherapy works best as one part of an integrative approach, not as a stand-alone fix. In my practice, I combine it with CBT, mindfulness-based approaches, lifestyle adjustments, and somatic work, because different people need different tools, and most people need more than one.
CBT helps you understand and shift anxious thought patterns. Somatic work helps your body learn it's safe to come out of high alert. Hypnotherapy often accelerates both, by helping new patterns take hold more easily and by calming a nervous system that's too activated to fully absorb new ways of thinking.
will i lose control during hypnotherapy?
No, you will not lose control during hypnotherapy, and this is one of the most persistent myths about the practice. You cannot be made to do or say anything against your will, and you can open your eyes and stop the process at any point.
You're not handing over control to me. You're using my guidance to access a state of focused relaxation that you're fully capable of directing yourself. You will only take in suggestions that are helpful to you. Any suggestion I offer, that your mind doesn’t feel is helpful, will just slide past, like easily skipping past items on a menu that don’t appeal to you.
who is a good fit for hypnotherapy?
Curiosity, willingness and an open mind help make hypnosis effective.
Hypnotherapy tends to work well for people who are open to trying an experiential approach and who feel ready to work with the body and nervous system, not just the thinking mind. It's not a requirement that you be especially "suggestible" or good at meditating. Most people are able to engage with it effectively.
It's generally not the right starting point for someone in acute crisis or with certain trauma presentations that need to be stabilized first, which is something we'd talk through together before deciding it's the right fit for you.
How many sessions does hypnotherapy take?
The number of sessions varies depending on what you're working on, but many clients notice some sort of shift within just a few sessions, but longer standing issues may take a while longer. Because I use hypnotherapy as part of a broader, integrative approach rather than a stand-alone treatment, it's usually woven into ongoing anxiety therapy rather than done as a short separate course but I also offer hypnotherapy as an add-on for people working with other therapists and looking for a boost to get to a breakthrough that has been hard to find from talking alone.
ready to try hypnotherapy for anxiety?
Hypnotherapy isn't stage magic, and it isn't something mysterious that happens to you while you sit passively by. It's a focused, evidence-informed tool that works with your nervous system to support the same goals as the rest of your anxiety therapy: more calm, more clarity, and more room to live your life. If you're curious whether it might be a fit for you or what it’s like to work with me, I offer anxiety therapy, including hypnotherapy, in person in College Park, Maryland, and online throughout the state. I'd love to talk it through with you in a free 15-minute consultation call.
Contact me here, or call (301) 818-3978.
About the author, An ANXIETY COUNSELOR in college park, MD:
Beth Charbonneau, LCSW-C, is a Maryland therapist, specializing in anxiety therapy and treatment. With over 20 years of experience, she brings a holistic approach to calming the mind and body, and encourages her clients to feel empowered to find more joy in life. More information about her practice can be found on her website.
