Emotional health
Hypnotherapy for confidence
Confidence is a response you learned, not a fixed amount you were given. Hypnotherapy can help you find it, and use it, when it counts.
How hypnotherapy helps with confidence
Hypnotherapy can help with confidence, and the research on performance is encouraging. In a randomised trial, adding hypnosis to cognitive-behavioural therapy for fear of public speaking improved results compared with the therapy alone (Schoenberger et al., 1997). A 2025 systematic review of 13 studies linked hypnosis with better athletic performance and less distress (Miró et al., 2025), and an earlier review found hypnosis was among the most consistently effective relaxation techniques for performance (Pelka et al., 2016). Most of the sport studies were small, but they point the same way as Tim's work with performers and sportspeople.
Confidence is a response, not a personality
The same person can be entirely at ease with close friends and lost for words in a meeting of eight. What feels like a lack of confidence is often an old protective response, learned at school or after one embarrassing moment, still doing its job long after it stopped being needed. Hypnotherapy updates that response.
What we work on
- Public speaking, presentations and pitches
- Interviews and promotion boards
- Auditions, performance and stage nerves
- Exams and driving tests
- Sport and competition nerves
- Imposter feelings and the fear of being found out
- Social confidence, assertiveness and difficult conversations
- Self-esteem and a harsh inner critic
How sessions work
- Finding where it was learned. There is often a specific starting point, and it is not always the one you would guess.
- Updating it. Using hypnosis and reframing, so the old experience stops setting the terms for the present.
- Recalling your resources. You have felt confident somewhere in your life. NLP techniques help you reconnect with that feeling when you need it.
- Rehearsing in a relaxed state. Mental rehearsal under hypnosis is vivid, so you walk into the real event having practised it calmly.
- Keeping the tools. Self-hypnosis for the minutes before it matters.
You start with a free 15–30 minute consultation, then work in person in Farringdon, central London, or online. Sessions combine Ericksonian hypnotherapy, NLP and Tim's background as a life and executive coach. After 7 hours (usually five sessions), any further sessions for the same issue are £97.50 an hour: see the halve-fees promise. If nerves tip into wider worry, see anxiety.
Why Tim
Tim Dunton has over 20 years' experience and has been training since 2004. He is a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), an Advanced and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist, a Master Practitioner of NLP trained by its co-founders, Richard Bandler and John Grinder, and a life and executive coach. He has helped celebrities, film producers, sportspeople and business leaders, and worked with Samsung on a global TV project helping cast members see things afresh without stress and anxiety. More about Tim.
Can hypnotherapy help with confidence?
Yes. Hypnotherapy can help with confidence, and trials in public speaking and reviews in sport have found benefits.
I have a big presentation soon. Is there time?
Often, yes. Talk it through at the free consultation and Tim will give you an honest view.
Do you work with businesses?
Yes. Tim works with professionals and companies on presence, presentations and handling pressure.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical course | Usually around five sessions (7 hours) |
| Session length | 1 hour |
| Format | In person in Farringdon, London EC1, or online |
| First step | Free 15–30 minute consultation |
| Fee | £150 an hour online, £195 in person; see prices |
Hypnotherapy works alongside medical care. Please see your GP about any medical condition, and keep taking prescribed medication unless your doctor advises otherwise.
The research
- Schoenberger NE, Kirsch I, Gearan P, Montgomery G, Pastyrnak SL (1997). Hypnotic enhancement of a cognitive behavioral treatment for public speaking anxiety. Behavior Therapy 28(1):127–140. DOI
- Miró A, Mesperuza M, Jensen MP, Day MA, García F, Miró J (2025). Therapeutic hypnosis and sports performance: a systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. DOI
- Pelka M, Heidari J, Ferrauti A, Meyer T, Pfeiffer M, Kellmann M (2016). Relaxation techniques in sports: a systematic review on acute effects on performance. Performance Enhancement & Health 5(2):47–59. DOI
Individual experiences vary. See all psychological problems Tim works with.
Related treatments
A free, no-obligation 15–30 minute call by phone or video. Or call 07975 653893.