Cite this Response
Alice! Health Promotion. "Is hypnosis an effective form of therapy?." Go Ask Alice!, Columbia University, 18 Feb. 2026, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/hypnosis-effective-form-therapy. Accessed 20, Feb. 2026.
Alice! Health Promotion. (2026, February 18). Is hypnosis an effective form of therapy?. Go Ask Alice!, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/hypnosis-effective-form-therapy.
Dear Alice,
What is your opinion about hypnosis? Is it dangerous? Does it really work? I have a few issues about my personality that I would like to work on and the more I read about hypnosis, the more I think this is what I need. It almost sounds like magic to me. Would this kind of therapy help me with my many problems such as: self-confidence, communication problems, control of my emotions, sexual intercourse pain, etc.? As you see, I have quite a few things to work on and I really hope that hypnosis will help me. However, I wanted to get your opinion about it before I go ahead and do it. Thank you very much for your wise advice.
Desperately wanting to improve my life.
Dear desperately trying to improve my life,
Making positive changes isn’t easy, so it’s great that you’re taking the initiative to do the work. Hypnosis can be an effective form of therapy, especially when used with other physical or mental health treatments. Even on its own, hypnotherapy done by a trained professional can help manage concerns like improving confidence and managing pain.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis describes a mental state of focused attention and reduced awareness of your surroundings. What you might experience is similar to that of being engrossed in a good book.
Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in health care treatments. Medical professionals also use the term clinical hypnosis. This helps separate evidence-based interventions from the spinning watches depicted in cartoons.
There are five stages of clinical hypnosis:
- Prehypnotic information: Inquire about beliefs and set a positive mindset
- Hypnotic induction: Breathing and focus
- Deepening: Intensify relaxation and calm
- Hypnotic suggestions: Aim to evoke a positive experience related to the treatment goal
- Post-hypnotic suggestions: Elicit behavior after hypnosis before returning to baseline
Is hypnosis an effective treatment for mental and physical health concerns?
Hypnosis is a low-risk treatment option for mental and physical health concerns. In fact, the American Psychological Association and American Medical Association has recommended clinical hypnosis since the 1950s. It has also been recommended for treating chronic pain by the National Institutes of Health since the 1990s.
How is hypnosis used as a treatment?
For mental health concerns, hypnosis is most effective when used alongside traditional talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). For physical health concerns, hypnosis has been used with other medical treatments to help treat issues like chronic pain. The effectiveness of hypnosis, like any other treatment, may depend on the patient, the skill of the provider, and the time dedicated to doing it.
Hypnosis can also work well on its own. It’s been shown to be most effective for:
- Stress reduction
- Enhancing confidence and well-being
- Preparing for surgery
- Childbirth
Hypnosis is less effective for concerns such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, and weight loss.
Desperately wanting to improve my life, you also mention pain with sex. This can potentially be caused by emotional or mental health concerns, which hypnosis may be able to help with.
What are the risks of hypnosis?
While considered a low-risk treatment, there are some uncommon side effects of hypnosis. These include:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
In very rare cases, hypnosis can lead to false memories.
Researchers once thought hypnosis could worsen symptoms associated with mental health concerns like dissociative disorders, but now that is less clear. For PTSD, hypnosis may actually help people manage their symptoms. Ultimately, there’s still more research to be done on how hypnosis can be used as an effective treatment for more serious health concerns.
Who can benefit from hypnosis?
Hypnosis works best on people who are open to the experience of being hypnotized. This trait is called hypnotizability. Hypnotizability is a valuable trait in hypnotherapy treatment and isn’t a sign of mental weakness. In fact, even people with high hypnotizability may need a few sessions of hypnosis before seeing progress.
It’s worth noting that not everyone can be hypnotized. This is due to differences in brain activity between hypnotizable and non-hypnotizable people. Also, high skepticism of hypnosis will make it challenging for someone to benefit from hypnosis.
If you’ve decided that hypnosis seems right for you, consider finding a qualified practitioner through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Hypnotherapists are typically trained health care professionals who have added hypnosis training to their existing practice. You can also reach out to your health care provider, who can help refer you to a hypnotherapist.