Online hypnosis
Online hypnosis - does it work at all?
One of the first questions I hear before an online session is: "But can you really go into hypnosis over Zoom?"
I understand the doubt. When we think about hypnotherapy, it is easy to picture a consulting room, an armchair, dimmed light and a therapist sitting a few metres away.
Except that hypnosis does not happen in the room. It happens on your side of the screen.
I do not need to sit next to you
During a session we work above all with voice, with attention and with what appears in your experience. I do not touch you. I do not perform any procedures. I do not need to be physically beside you.
What we do need is a good-quality connection, a quiet place where nobody will disturb you, and the ability to talk freely.
There is already research on interventions using hypnosis delivered remotely. The results are promising, although the evidence base for telehypnosis is still much smaller than the literature on hypnosis as a whole. For example, a 2025 pilot study of hypnotic-cognitive therapy delivered over Zoom showed results comparable with historical in-person groups, but the authors themselves stressed the need for further randomised trials.
So: there are grounds to take online work seriously, but I am not going to tell you that "online always works exactly the same".
Your own home can have one very practical advantage
Familiar surroundings. You do not travel across town. You do not wonder where to park. You do not sit in a waiting room. You do not have to get used to a new space.
You can prepare your armchair or your bed, a blanket, water and headphones. When we finish you do not step straight out into the street. You can stay in silence for a few minutes. For some people that is simply more comfortable.
For others it is not. Some people find it much easier to concentrate away from home. If children are running around behind the wall, someone keeps opening the door and the phone rings every five minutes, the advantages of an online session disappear quickly. So the quality of the conditions you can create matters more than the address.
And what if the connection drops?
We agree on that before we start. You have my phone number, I have a way of getting back in touch, and hypnosis itself does not leave you "trapped in a trance" if the connection is lost.
If the internet stops working for a moment, you simply notice that you can no longer hear me. This is not a film.
What do you need?
Headphones work best, along with a stable internet connection and a device positioned so that I can see you without you having to hold a phone in your hand. During the session it helps to know that for the next 90-120 minutes nobody will come into the room.
And one more thing, mentioned less often: leave yourself a moment after the session. Do not schedule an important call five minutes later, or picking children up from three places, or a presentation to the board. Not because "you will be in a trance". Simply give yourself a little space before you return to full speed.
Online or in person?
I do not think one form is better by definition. What counts is whether you can focus, whether you feel at ease enough, and whether the conditions let us work without constant interruptions.
If you have all of that at home, the screen between us is not the centre of the session. After a few minutes it usually stops mattering.
If you want to check whether online work will suit you, we can discuss it during an intake call. Book an intake call - 30 minutes, online, free of charge.