No. Hypnosis is not sleep. In fact, it is usually better understood as a state of focused attention. You may feel deeply relaxed, inwardly absorbed or less concerned with what is happening around you, but you are not “gone”, unconscious or switched off.

Most people can still hear what is being said, think about it, respond to it and remember the important parts afterwards. That is one of the reasons hypnosis can be so useful in therapy: you are still present enough for change to be meaningful and usable.

It varies from person to person. Some people feel physically heavy and very calm. Others feel lighter, more inwardly focused, or simply more absorbed in what is happening. Some notice changes in breathing, blinking, body temperature or sense of time.

What people often find surprising is that hypnosis can feel quite ordinary. If you are expecting to be completely “out of it”, then feeling aware can make you think nothing is happening, when in fact you may be in exactly the kind of responsive, useful state we want.

Usually, yes. Most people remember all or most of the session in much the same way they would remember an important conversation, a guided meditation or a vivid daydream.

You may not recall every single word, but that does not mean the session “didn’t work”. Change does not depend on you being unconscious or amnesic. In my work, I generally want you to be present enough to take in what matters.

That does not mean the session has failed. People vary enormously in how trance feels to them. Some feel deeply still and floaty. Others feel alert, thoughtful and engaged throughout.

The real question is not “Did I feel dramatically hypnotised?” but “Did something begin to shift in the way I experience this problem?” Useful trance is not always dramatic. Very often, it is subtle and effective.

No. Hypnotherapy is not mind control. You do not lose your values, judgement or ability to decide. If a suggestion does not fit with you, your mind will reject it, ignore it, or simply not engage with it.

Therapeutic hypnosis is collaborative. My role is to guide, not to overpower. We work with your goals, your preferences and your pace.

No. People do not get stuck in hypnosis. If a session were interrupted for any reason, you would either return naturally to ordinary alertness or drift into normal rest and then come back by yourself.

Hypnosis is a natural state, not a trap. You move in and out of similar states every day when reading, watching a movie, daydreaming or becoming absorbed in thought.

Then you don’t do it. You can speak, move, open your eyes, change position, ask a question or say no at any point. You are not trapped in the process.

Good hypnotherapy depends on cooperation, not compliance. The more comfortable and respected you feel, the more useful the work tends to be.

Hypnosis can be very helpful, but it needs to be used thoughtfully. With anxiety, panic or trauma-related issues, I do not assume that “deeper is better” or that diving straight into the most charged material is wise.

Instead, we work carefully and responsively. That often means establishing safety first, helping your nervous system find steadier ground, and building change in a way that is manageable rather than overwhelming.

No. Stage hypnosis is entertainment. Therapeutic hypnosis is about helping someone make useful changes in a safe and respectful setting.

The context, the intention and the relationship are completely different. In therapy, the aim is not to make you do something ridiculous. It is to help you work with thoughts, feelings, habits, fears or patterns in a way that genuinely benefits you.

Not in the sense of sitting and reading a generic script at you. I work in a much more responsive and tailored way than that.

I may draw on structures, language patterns and approaches that I know well, but the actual work is shaped around you: how your issue shows up, the language you use, the resources you already have, and what is likely to fit you best.

It depends on what you are coming for, how long it has been there, and how layered it is. A specific fear or habit may shift relatively quickly. More complex issues, especially those tied into long-standing patterns, trauma or identity, often need a broader piece of work.

What matters is that we work with clarity rather than guesswork. We can review as we go and keep an eye on what is genuinely changing.

That does not automatically mean hypnotherapy is not for you. It may mean that the approach, relationship or method was not the right fit.

There are hypnotherapists who rely heavily on generic scripts and one-size-fits-all methods. There are also hypnotherapists who work in a more flexible, conversational and tailored way. If your previous experience felt impersonal or blame-heavy, that tells you something about the style of work you were given, not necessarily about your ability to change.

Yes. In fact, many thoughtful, analytical people do very well with hypnosis once they understand what it actually is. You do not have to “switch your brain off” for the work to be useful.

Often, the skill is not in shutting the mind down but in helping it focus differently. A mind that can concentrate, analyse and notice patterns is often very workable in therapy.

A first session is not simply “straight into trance”. We begin by understanding what brings you, how the issue works in your life, what you want to be different, and what kind of approach is likely to help most.

From there, we may begin some change work in the first session itself. Sessions are usually 90 minutes, which gives us enough time to understand the issue properly and begin doing something useful with it.

You probably do not need absolute certainty before a first session. What you are really looking for is a sense that the way I describe the work feels clear, grounded and respectful; that I am interested in understanding you rather than slotting you into a formula; and that some part of you feels relieved at the possibility that change may not need to be forced.

If that is there, it is often enough to begin.