If you're reading this at 3am because anxiety won't let you sleep, or you've just Googled "does hypnotherapy work for anxiety" for the third time this week, I see you.

You're exhausted. You've tried breathing exercises, meditation apps, maybe therapy or medication. Some things helped a bit. Some things did nothing. And you're still lying awake with your heart racing, your mind spinning through worst-case scenarios, your body tense and waiting for a threat that isn't coming.

So, can hypnotherapy actually help with anxiety?

The short answer: yes. But let me explain how, why, and what makes it different from what you've already tried.

Why Anxiety Is So Hard to Shift

Anxiety isn't just "worrying too much." It's not something you can simply think your way out of or logic yourself past.

Anxiety lives in your nervous system. In your subconscious mind. In the parts of your brain that operate below conscious awareness, running programmes designed to keep you safe - except they're wildly overprotective and seeing danger everywhere.

Your conscious mind knows there's nothing to fear. Your body doesn't believe it.

This is why talk therapy, whilst helpful for understanding your anxiety, often isn't enough on its own. You can understand *why* you're anxious, identify your triggers, learn coping strategies - and still lie awake at 3am with your chest tight and your thoughts spiralling.

Because you're trying to solve a subconscious problem with conscious tools.

How Anxiety Actually Works in Your Brain

Your brain has an alarm system - the amygdala. Its job is to scan for threats and trigger your fight-or-flight response when danger appears.

In someone without anxiety, this system works brilliantly. Threat detected. Alarm sounds. Body responds. Threat passes. Alarm switches off.

In someone with chronic anxiety, the alarm is faulty. It goes off constantly. False alarms. Overreactions. Seeing danger in safe situations. And once it's been triggered repeatedly, it becomes hypersensitive - going off at the slightest provocation.

Your nervous system gets stuck in a state of hypervigilance. Always scanning. Always braced. Never fully relaxing because some part of you is convinced that letting your guard down means something terrible will happen.

Talk therapy works with your conscious mind - helping you understand patterns, challenge thoughts, develop insight.

Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious mind: where the faulty alarm system lives. Where the patterns are actually running. Where real change happens.

What Hypnotherapy Does for Anxiety

Hypnotherapy allows us to speak directly to your subconscious mind - the part running the anxiety programme - and update it.

Think of it like updating software on your phone. The operating system is outdated, running slowly, flagging everything as a virus when it's not. You need to get into the backend and update the code.

That's what hypnotherapy does.

 It Calms Your Nervous System

Through guided relaxation and focused attention, hypnotherapy helps your nervous system experience what deep calm actually feels like. For many people with chronic anxiety, their body has forgotten what "safe" feels like. Hypnotherapy re-teaches it.

It Rewires the Faulty Alarm

We work with your subconscious mind to recalibrate that overactive threat detection system. Teaching it the difference between actual danger and imagined danger. Helping it understand that you're safe now, even if you weren't before.

 It Releases Old Patterns

Often, anxiety has roots in past experiences. Things that happened years ago that taught your nervous system "the world is dangerous" or "you can't trust anyone" or "you need to stay vigilant or you'll get hurt."

Hypnotherapy helps you access those old experiences - not to relive them, but to release the emotional charge attached to them. To update the beliefs they installed. To free yourself from patterns that once protected you but now just hold you back.

It Builds New Resources

We don't just remove anxiety. We build new patterns. New ways of responding. New beliefs that actually support you. Confidence. Calm. Trust in yourself and your ability to handle whatever life throws at you.

What to Expect in Anxiety-Focused Hypnotherapy Sessions

Let me walk you through what working together might actually look like.

The First Session: Understanding Your Anxiety

We don't dive straight into hypnosis. First, I need to understand your specific flavour of anxiety.

• When did it start?
• What triggers it?
• How does it show up in your body?
• What have you tried before?
• What are you hoping to achieve?

This isn't just information gathering. I'm listening for patterns, understanding how your mind works, figuring out what approach will be most effective for you.

Then we'll do some initial hypnotherapy work - often focused on calming your nervous system and giving you a tool (a hypnotic anchor) you can use between sessions when anxiety spikes.

Subsequent Sessions: The Deeper Work

Each session builds on the last. We might:

• Work with specific anxiety triggers
• Release old trauma or experiences feeding the anxiety
• Reframe limiting beliefs ("I'm not safe," "I can't cope," "Something bad will happen")
• Build confidence and resilience
• Teach your nervous system to recognise safety
• Create new automatic responses to replace the old anxious patterns

The work happens in the deeply relaxed state of hypnosis, where your subconscious mind is receptive and open to change.

Between Sessions: Integration

You'll likely notice shifts between sessions. The changes are often subtle at first:

• You sleep a bit better
• A trigger that usually sets you off... doesn't
• You catch yourself before spiralling
• The physical symptoms ease
• You feel more grounded, more present

And here's what I often tell clients: I don't know whether it'll be in a week, a month, or a year, but one day you'll suddenly realise you haven't had that panic attack. You haven't woken up at 3am catastrophising. The anxiety that used to run your life just... isn't there anymore. And you didn't even notice the exact moment it left.

How Many Sessions Will You Need?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: it depends.

Generalised anxiety: Most people need 4-8 sessions to see significant, lasting change. Some need fewer, some need more.

Specific anxiety or phobias: Often quicker - 2-4 sessions can be enough if the anxiety is focused on one thing (flying, spiders, public speaking).

Anxiety rooted in complex trauma: This takes longer. 8-12+ sessions isn't unusual. We're not just addressing the anxiety, we're working with the experiences that created it.

Everyone is different. Some people's nervous systems respond quickly. Others need more time. We'll work at the pace that's right for you.

What Makes Hypnotherapy Different from What You've Already Tried

If you've been in talk therapy, taken medication, tried CBT, done all the self-help - you might be wondering what makes hypnotherapy different.

It Works with the Subconscious

Talk therapy works with conscious thoughts and behaviours. Hypnotherapy works with the deeper patterns running beneath. Both are valuable. But if conscious work hasn't been enough, going deeper makes sense.

 It's Not About Managing - It's About Releasing

Many therapies focus on managing anxiety. Coping strategies. Tools to use when you're anxious. These are helpful, but they accept that the anxiety will always be there.

Hypnotherapy works to release the anxiety at its root. Not manage it. Not cope with it. Actually let it go.

It Accesses the Nervous System Directly

You can't think your way into a calm nervous system. But you can guide it there through hypnosis. It's a somatic experience - felt in the body, not just understood intellectually.

It Addresses Root Causes

We're not just treating symptoms. We're finding what's feeding the anxiety and addressing it there. Whether that's old trauma, learned patterns, or beliefs installed years ago.

Common Concerns About Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

What if I'm too anxious to relax?"

You don't need to achieve perfect relaxation for hypnotherapy to work. Even if your mind is chattering, even if you're not sure you're "doing it right," the subconscious is still listening and the work is still happening.

If you're very anxious, I adapt the approach. We work with the anxiety rather than fighting it.

“Will it make me more anxious by bringing things up?"

Sometimes emotions come up during sessions. That's part of the healing process. But you're always in control. We work at a pace that feels safe for you. And I'm trained in trauma-informed approaches - you don't have to relive anything painful for the work to be effective.

"What if it doesn't work for me?"

Hypnotherapy isn't a magic cure. It requires your participation, your willingness to engage with the process, and sometimes patience as patterns shift.

But for anxiety, the success rates are high. Research consistently shows hypnotherapy is effective for anxiety disorders. And in my practice, I see it work time and again - people who've struggled for years finding relief they didn't think was possible.

"Can I still take medication?"

Yes. Hypnotherapy works alongside medication. In fact, many people find that as the hypnotherapy helps their anxiety reduce, they're able to work with their doctor to lower or stop medication. But that's always a decision made with medical supervision, not something you do alone.

Real Client Experiences

"I am so thankful for Clare being such a gifted hypnotherapist! In just one session we were able to manage some serious and longterm anxiety issues. I felt an immediate relief after the session and the effect kept continuing getting better and my overall confidence keeps improving every day. Recently we had another session regarding another subject that was causing me distress and again we were able to easily and effectively make the subconscious adjustments to bring forth clarity and gain back the peace I was looking for" - Daisy, Netherlands

"Clare helped me tremendously with my anxiety! She was very insightful, calming and listened. She really found the root and it seemed like a wonderful conversation, with fantastic results! Highly recommend Clare!!" - Jenn, USA

“This year has been very difficult for me with my anxiety and panic attacks I had just finished some counselling and knew I need something else when up popped. Clare at Wellside. This has been an amazing experience for me and has given me tools to help me move on. I can't recommend her enough if you want to be in control of your life again please consider this it really is life changing." - Rachel, UK

Is Hypnotherapy Right for Your Anxiety?

Hypnotherapy can help with:

• Generalised anxiety disorder
• Panic attacks
• Social anxiety
• Health anxiety
• Anxiety after trauma or toxic relationships
• Hyper-vigilance and chronic stress
• Phobias and specific fears
• Anxiety that's resistant to other treatments

It works particularly well if:

• You've tried talk therapy but it wasn't enough
• You're tired of just "managing" and want actual relief
• Your anxiety feels physical, not just mental
• You're ready to do the deeper work
• You're willing to commit to the process

Your Next Step

If you're exhausted from anxiety running your life, if you're tired of just coping and you're ready to actually be free of it, hypnotherapy might be exactly what you need.

The first step is simple: book a free consultation. We'll talk about your specific anxiety, what you've tried before, and whether hypnotherapy is the right approach for you.

No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about whether this work could give you the relief you're looking for.

Sometimes the hardest part is reaching out. But you've already done the research. You've read this far. You're considering whether to take the next step.

That step is simpler than you think.