Should You Try Hypnotherapy for Anxiety? Here's What Experts & Studies Say…

If you’ve ever wondered whether hypnotherapy is a legitimate option for anxiety, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to take my word for it. Two recent articles do a lovely job of laying out what the experts and the research actually say, and I wanted to share them with you.

What the experts say

The first thing that surprises many people: hypnotherapy has been recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) and American Medical Association (AMA) as a valid procedure since 1958. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) went on to recommend it for the treatment of chronic pain in 1995. This isn’t fringe wellness — it’s a modality with decades of clinical recognition behind it.

The articles feature perspectives from clinical psychologist Sera Lavelle, Ph.D., and hypnotherapist Cathy Higgins-Peterson, CCHt, on how and why hypnotherapy helps with anxiety. One writer also shares a first-person account of a hypnotherapy session — describing the experience as much like a guided meditation, and coming away with real tools for managing anxiety. That matches what my clients tell me all the time: hypnosis isn’t losing control; it’s a deeply relaxed, focused state where change becomes easier.

What the studies say

The research cited across these pieces includes:

• A 2016 brain-imaging study published in Cerebral Cortex, with 57 participants, examining what actually happens in the brain during hypnosis.
• A 2017 review looking at hypnotherapy’s ability to reduce cancer-related anxiety.
• A 2019 study in the Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences.
• A 2023 clinical trial in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis — 34 participants over 8 weeks.

Read the full articles

• Should You Try Hypnotherapy for Anxiety? Here’s What Experts & Studies Say — MSN
• Hypnotherapy for Anxiety — The Healthy

Curious to experience it for yourself? Your first session is just $100, held online — a gentle, low-pressure way to find out what hypnotherapy can do for your anxiety.