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. With a free hypnosis script download to help you get started.
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, self-hypnosis, especially when combined with self-care or mindfulness, shows significant improvements in self-esteem and reduced emotional distress in cancer patients. (Grégoire et al, 2021)
- Learning a simple and effective tool to use at home emphasises clients’ need to take an active role in therapy. It 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’ (Hammond, 2010). Even if they’re not the issues our clients come to us with, they co-exist with many of them.
- The relationship between completing homework and a positive outcome in therapy is well established. (Mausbach et al., 2010). 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. It’s often best not to use it with clients. It can set off negative associations with school. Add-ons, support tasks, or similar are 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. It 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.
- Some clients 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 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. They need to 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 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 are still a few ways you can approach this.
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Post Hypnotic Suggestion
I ask them to repeat an induction I have used with them in their heads, usually a PMR. Then they drift into trance for whatever time they choose.
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, they can use it to achieve trance. 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. (Makarova, 2024)
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. 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. This avoids 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, don’t count your client out. Instead, 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.
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. This helps with brand awareness and promotes your services.
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. For example, adapt my suggestion to use a PMR and use an eye fixation induction instead.
- 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. Explain that self-hypnosis is just one step in their therapeutic journey. 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.
Overall, by teaching self-hypnosis, you empower your clients to take control of their well-being. It’s an investment that pays off far beyond the therapy room.
You can download this FREE HYPNOSIS SCRIPT to use with your clients.
References
Hammond D C. 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.
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
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.
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.
About Debbie Waller
Blog Author Debbie Waller is a hypnotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with more than twenty years of experience. As well as having a busy client practice, she runs Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training and writes books and articles for therapists who want to deepen their knowledge and develop effective practice.
Disclaimer
The information and ideas shared on this blog are based on the author’s professional experience, research, and training. They are intended for educational purposes and to support reflection and professional development. Therapists should always apply their own professional judgment and consider the needs of individual clients when using any techniques or suggestions discussed here.
While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and helpful, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss, damage, or difficulties arising from the use or misuse of material contained in these articles.
