Hypnotherapy Q&As

Hypnotherapy vs CBT: what's the difference?

CBT works mainly with your thinking; hypnotherapy works with the automatic responses underneath it. Both work, in different ways, and many people find they work best together.

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What CBT is

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy. It is built on the idea that thoughts, feelings and behaviour are linked, and that changing unhelpful thinking and habits changes how you feel. In sessions you learn to spot the thoughts that drive a problem, question them, and test new ways of behaving.

CBT is usually structured. You and your therapist agree goals, work through set steps, and you do practice between sessions, such as thought records or gradually facing situations you avoid. It is widely available in the UK, including through NHS Talking Therapies, and is offered for anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias, insomnia and more.

What hypnotherapy is

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis, a calm, absorbed state you are fully aware in, to work with the parts of a problem that run automatically. A racing heart before a meeting, the urge for a cigarette after a meal, the jolt of fear at the airport: these responses fire before you have had time to think. In hypnosis they become easier to reach and change.

A session combines conversation with time in hypnosis, where Tim uses imagery, suggestion and techniques such as regression and rehearsal, so you practise a calmer response until it starts to feel natural. You also learn self-hypnosis to use on your own. Tim's approach blends Ericksonian hypnotherapy with NLP, coaching and mindfulness, chosen for you rather than read from a script. There's more in "What is hypnotherapy?"

The main differences

Where the work happens. CBT works mainly through conscious thinking and deliberate practice. Hypnotherapy works mainly with automatic, emotional responses, in a relaxed state.
What a session feels like. CBT is an active conversation, often with worksheets and homework. Hypnotherapy combines conversation with time spent deeply relaxed, and most people find sessions restful.
The past. CBT tends to focus on the present. Hypnosis can work with the present and, where it helps, revisit the experience a reaction began with, from a calm distance.
Practice. CBT relies on structured exercises between sessions. With hypnosis you get self-hypnosis and a few simple techniques.
Length. Both are usually short courses rather than open-ended therapy. A typical course of NHS CBT is several weekly sessions; Tim's work is also a short course, and many clients notice progress after each appointment.

Which suits you?

Some people like the structure of CBT: understanding their thoughts, writing things down and working through a plan. Others have already done that and find that, although they understand the problem perfectly well, the feeling hasn't changed. That gap between knowing and feeling is where hypnotherapy often helps most: CBT gives you the understanding, and hypnotherapy works on the reaction itself.

It also suits people who find it hard to put feelings into words, or who want to work on a reaction without going over the details again and again.

Using them together

Hypnotherapy and CBT fit well together, and there is a long tradition of combining them. Hypnosis can make CBT techniques easier to use: it is much easier to face a situation you have been avoiding once you have rehearsed it calmly under hypnosis. And the thought-checking skills from CBT can help you hold onto the calm that hypnosis brings.

If you are seeing a CBT therapist now, you are welcome to have hypnotherapy alongside, and Tim is happy to work in step with your other care. If you are on a waiting list for NHS talking therapy, hypnotherapy is something you can start privately in the meantime.

Side by side

CBT focuses on: thoughts, beliefs and behaviour patterns
Hypnotherapy focuses on: automatic emotional and physical responses
A CBT session: active discussion, worksheets and set exercises
A hypnotherapy session: conversation plus time in a relaxed, focused state
Between sessions: structured homework with CBT; self-hypnosis practice with hypnotherapy
Where to find it: CBT on the NHS and privately; hypnotherapy mainly privately

Other approaches you may hear about

Some approaches sit between the two. Cognitive hypnotherapy combines hypnosis with ideas from CBT, and NLP looks at how language and imagery shape your responses. Tim uses NLP alongside hypnotherapy, so sessions often include practical, thought-focused work as well as time in hypnosis.

Getting started

The free 15–30 minute consultation is a good place to talk through what you have already tried and what you would like to change. Tim will tell you honestly whether he thinks it suits your situation. Sessions take place in person in Farringdon, central London, or online.

Common questions

Is hypnotherapy better than CBT?

They work in different ways, and one isn't simply better than the other. CBT works mainly with thinking; hypnotherapy works mainly with automatic responses. Many people find the combination works best.

I've had CBT and it didn't fully work. Will hypnotherapy help?

Many people try hypnotherapy after CBT. If you understand the problem but the feeling hasn't changed, hypnotherapy works directly on that automatic response.

Can I have hypnotherapy and CBT at the same time?

Yes. They fit well together, and Tim is happy to work alongside your therapist.

Is hypnotherapy available on the NHS like CBT?

It is mainly available privately. See NHS or private hypnotherapy.

Which is quicker, hypnotherapy or CBT?

Both are short courses, and the length depends on you and what you want to change. Tim will give you an honest estimate for hypnotherapy at the free consultation.