Questions I'm Often Asked about Cognitive Hypnotherapy
Laurie Harvey HPD, DipCHyp, MNCH, MNLP
Questions you might have
If you've found your way to this page, you're probably curious and maybe a little cautious too. That's completely understandable. Most people who contact me have been quietly struggling for a while before they reach out, and they want to know a bit more before they take that step.
Take your time reading. And if there's something on your mind that isn't covered here, do get in touch — I'm always happy to have a conversation with you about your particular issue.
About Cognitive Hypnotherapy
What is cognitive hypnotherapy and how is it different from other therapies?
Cognitive hypnotherapy brings together the best of several approaches - hypnotherapy, NLP, neuroscience, positive psychology, evolutionary biology and mindfulness into something that's tailored entirely to you. Unlike a one-size-fits-all model, every session is built around how your mind works, not a generic script. But the most important difference from other talking therapies goes deeper than the techniques involved. Most traditional therapies - CBT, counselling, psychotherapy - work primarily with the conscious mind. They help you think differently about a problem, challenge unhelpful thoughts, or find new perspectives. And that can be genuinely useful. But here's the thing: the conscious mind isn't where most of our anxiety, self-doubt, or unwanted behaviour actually lives. Your unconscious mind holds the memories and experiences that shaped how you see yourself and the world. And crucially, it holds the emotions attached to those memories - emotions (triggers) that can feel just as raw and present today as they did when they were first formed, even if the original experience was decades ago. That's why you can know, rationally, that you're safe, capable, or good enough and still not feel it. The conscious mind understands. The unconscious mind hasn't caught up. Cognitive hypnotherapy works at that deeper level. Using a gently relaxed, focused state, we're able to access the emotional memories your unconscious mind has been using to run its patterns, and help it process and update them, often in ways that talking alone simply can't reach. It's the difference between understanding why the alarm keeps going off and actually being able to turn it off. I trained at the Quest Institute in London, which is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous and evidence-based hypnotherapy training programmes in the UK.
How does cognitive hypnotherapy work?
Your unconscious mind is extraordinarily good at learning. The problem is that it doesn't always learn the right things - or rather, it learns what kept you safe at one point in your life, and then keeps doing that long after the situation has changed. Anxiety is a good example. It isn't something going wrong - it's your mind doing exactly what it thinks it should be doing. A bit like a dog barking at the postman: it genuinely believes it's protecting you. The barking isn't the problem. The problem is that it doesn't know the postman isn't a real threat. Cognitive hypnotherapy helps your mind update that assessment. Using a gently relaxed, focused state - nothing dramatic, nothing like what you've seen on television - we work with the memories, beliefs and thought patterns that are driving the response, and help your mind find a calmer, more useful way of reacting.
What happens in a session?
Sessions feel more like a thoughtful conversation than anything clinical or formal. We begin by talking about what's going on for you - what you're feeling, when it tends to happen, and what you'd like to be different. I'll ask questions that help us both understand what's underneath the surface. The hypnotherapy element is a deeply relaxed, focused state, not unlike being completely absorbed in a good book or a film. You remain aware of everything throughout, and you're always in control. There's no swinging watch, no clucking like a chicken, and no one telling you what to think or feel. Between sessions I'll often give you something simple to practise - a short audio recording or a small exercise. That's where a lot of the real change happens, in the everyday moments between our sessions.
Is cognitive hypnotherapy safe?
Yes, when practised by a qualified and experienced therapist, hypnotherapy is considered very safe. I hold the HPD (Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma), which is regarded as the gold standard qualification in the field. I'm a registered member of the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council), the independent UK regulator set up with government support to protect the public, and I'm also a member of the National Council for Hypnotherapy and the Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy Practitioners Association. If you've had previous mental health difficulties or are currently under the care of a GP or psychiatrist, I'll ask you about this when we speak and I'll always make sure we're working safely and, where appropriate, alongside your existing support.
Will I lose control under hypnosis?
No - and this is probably the most important thing to understand about cognitive hypnotherapy. I cannot make you do or say anything you don't want to. You remain completely aware throughout, and you can open your eyes at any point. The relaxed state we use in hypnotherapy is one you enter quite naturally every day - that feeling just before sleep, or the absorbed concentration of reading a book or driving a familiar route. It's not a trance in any mysterious sense. It's simply a state where your mind becomes more open and receptive to new ways of thinking.
Can I be hypnotised?
Almost certainly yes, because what we're working with isn't the deep, dramatic state that stage hypnosis requires. We simply need you to be able to relax and focus, which I can help most people to do quite comfortably. Occasionally someone worries that their mind is "too busy" or that they'll find it hard to switch off. In my experience, those are often the people who find the relaxation element the most welcome surprise.
What can cognitive hypnotherapy help with?
What kinds of issues can cognitive hypnotherapy help with?
At its heart, cognitive hypnotherapy is helpful whenever there's a difference between what you consciously want and what you find yourself actually doing or feeling. If you want to feel calm but you're gripped by anxiety that's the difference. If you know, rationally, that you're capable, but you feel paralysed by self-doubt, that's where your conscious and unconscious are misaligned. If you find that you keep doing something you'd rather stop, or can't do something you'd really like to do - cognitive hypnotherapy can usually help. Some of the most common things I work with include anxiety and panic attacks, low confidence and self-worth, overwhelm and stress, sleep difficulties, overthinking and racing thoughts, emotional eating, and behaviour patterns that feel hard to shift. If you're not sure whether what you're experiencing falls into any of these, please just ask. I'm very happy to have a conversation before you commit to anything.
Does cognitive hypnotherapy work for anxiety?
Yes - and there's good evidence to support it. I've been a member of the Quest Institute Research Team since 2011, using outcome measures that are standard within the NHS. A pilot study published in the Mental Health Review Journal in 2015, covering 118 cases, found that Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy clients improved by 71% — higher than the 42% reported for some talking therapies in the same research. As with all therapies, individual results vary. But beyond the statistics, what I'd say is this: anxiety responds well to cognitive hypnotherapy because we work with it rather than against it. Rather than trying to push anxiety away or override it with logic, we help your mind understand that the threat it's responding to isn't as real, or as current, as it believes. Working with the unconscious mind tends to produce calmer, more lasting results than managing symptoms alone. Sessions are face to face at Lucks Yard, Godalming Surrey and I work online throughout the UK.
Can cognitive hypnotherapy help with low confidence?
Yes, and it's one of the things I find most rewarding to work with at my practice at Godalming in Surrey. Confidence, or the lack of it, almost always comes down to the story your unconscious mind is telling about who you are and what you're capable of. Those stories often started very early and have been quietly running in the background ever since. What cognitive hypnotherapy does is help you find those stories, and work at the root causes to gently rewrite them. Fake-it-till you make it and sheer willpower make change difficult because they often can't overcome powerful unconscious triggers. I also work as a confidence coach, so I combine both approaches, which can be particularly effective.
Can cognitive hypnotherapy help with emotional eating or weight?
If you've ever eaten something you didn't really want and still couldn't stop - you may believe that lack of willpower is your problem, but it's not. What cognitive hypnotherapy can do is help you understand and change the feelings that are driving your relationship with food. Often, comfort eating is a coping mechanism to relieve boredom, loneliness, and stress. By addressing the underlying emotional problems which are at the root of the problem, the powerful triggers and the old habits and patterns shift and self-sabotage can be controlled feeling natural rather than forced. If you've tried diets and found that something always seems to pull you back, that pull is coming from somewhere. That's what we'd work with.
Can cognitive hypnotherapy help with depression?
Depression can feel like being trapped behind glass - you can see your life, but you can't quite reach it. The exhaustion, the disconnection, the sense that things will never shift - these aren't signs of weakness. They're signs that your mind has learned a very particular way of protecting you from pain, and it's stuck there. Cognitive hypnotherapy works well alongside other support for depression because it addresses what's underneath the feelings, the beliefs, memories, and unconscious patterns that are keeping the low mood in place - rather than simply managing the symptoms. That said, If you're currently experiencing severe depression or are under the care of a GP or psychiatrist, please do mention this when we speak. I'll always be honest about whether I'm the right support, and if I'm not, I'll do my best to help you find someone who is.
Can cognitive hypnotherapy help with fear of public speaking?
Yes. Fear of public speaking is one of the most common issues that I work with. It responds well to cognitive hypnotherapy. We'd work on understanding what's behind the fear - often it's less about speaking itself and more about being judged, getting it wrong, or not being good enough. Together we work on releasing those triggers, building genuine confidence, and helping your mind find a calmer, more grounded relationship with those situations, so that speaking in public feels less like a threat and more like something you're simply doing
Starting Therapy
Often People Say ... "I Know this sounds Stupid But ..."
Almost everyone who gets in touch with me starts a sentence with "I know this sounds ridiculous but..." or "I know all the reasons why I should ... but I can't do it". What follows is always something that matters enormously to them. The reason it feels silly is actually quite revealing. When your unconscious mind is doing something your conscious mind doesn't want - creating anxiety, undermining your confidence, keeping you stuck - it can feel embarrassing. Irrational, even. But it's not. It's your mind doing exactly what it's learned to do. And that can be changed.
What happens on a discovery call?
A discovery call is a free, relaxed conversation - usually around 30 minutes - with absolutely no obligation to go further. It's a chance for both of us to get a sense of whether working together feels right. I'll ask you a little about what's been going on and what you'd like to be different. You can ask me anything you like about how I work. If I think I can help, I'll explain what that might look like. If I think someone else would serve you better, I'll tell you that too and do my best to point you in the right direction. Rapport matters enormously in this kind of work. I won't take you on as a client if I don't genuinely believe we're a good fit and I'd encourage you to be equally honest with me.
How many sessions will I need?
That depends on you - what's brought you here, how long it's been going on, and how your mind responds to the work. My goal is for you to notice lasting improvements as soon as possible. Most people find that real, lasting change takes somewhere between four and six sessions. Some people notice significant shifts sooner. Others need a little longer. During our discovery call, I'll be able to assess how many session are likely to be needed. Having said that, often things will come up as we go along which can change the number of sessions needed. We'll review how things are going as we work together, and you'll always have a say in when feels right to stop. With genuine engagement on both sides, change is very possible.
What does it cost?
Session fees vary depending on how many sessions we're doing together, and I'm happy to talk through costs on a discovery call. What I will say is that I'll always be upfront about what's involved before you commit to anything.
How long do sessions last?
Sessions usually last for about an hour although I always allow a little extra time so that we can finish a session rather than stop when we're in the middle of an exercise. It's important to me that you leave feeling settled and having achieved something important. The discovery call, which comes before we begin working together, is 30 minutes and completely free.
Will cognitive hypnotherapy definitely work for me?
I can't promise that. What I can tell you is that cognitive hypnotherapy works for the vast majority of people who engage with it genuinely. The research supports it, and the outcomes I see in my practice reflect that. Your part in this matters too. The sessions themselves are only part of the process. The work you do between sessions -listening to your recordings, carrying out my suggestions, practising the techniques, noticing the patterns, staying curious about your own mind - is where a great deal of the change happens. If you're willing to bring that engagement, I'll bring everything I have to help you.
I've tried other things and nothing has worked. Why would this be different?
That's such an understandable thing to feel - and I've heard this many times before. It might say quite a lot about the approach, the timing, or whether there was a good fit with whoever you were working with before. Most approaches to anxiety or low confidence focus on managing the symptoms, reframing thoughts, pushing through. All of that takes enormous effort, and none of it changes the underlying unconscious patterns. Cognitive hypnotherapy works at a different level, with the beliefs and memories that are actually generating the response. It's very difficult to overcome unconscious triggers using conscious thought. It's a bit like a smoke alarm going off. You can fan away the smoke, or you can put out the fire.
Is cognitive hypnotherapy available on the NHS?
Cognitive hypnotherapy isn't currently available on the NHS, though some GP practices do refer patients to hypnotherapy for specific conditions. As a private therapist, I offer a free discovery call so you can explore whether working together feels right before committing to anything."
Am I bad enough to need support?
You don't need to be in crisis to deserve help. If you're exhausted, quietly overwhelmed, feeling invisible, or simply not like yourself - that's enough. Many of the women I work with spent years telling themselves they were fine, or that other people had it worse. They weren't wrong about that. But they also weren't fine. And waiting until things get worse isn't the only option. If something has brought you to this page, it's worth at least having a conversation.
Practical Details
Where are you based and do you work online?
I work face to face from Luck's Yard Clinic on Portsmouth Road in Godalming, Surrey - which is convenient for Guildford, Farnham, Haslemere, Woking, Cranleigh, and Weybridge. I also work online throughout the UK via video call. Online sessions work remarkably well and many clients find it easier to relax in their own space, and the cognitive hypnotherapy is just as effective over video as it is in the room. If you're not sure which would suit you, we can talk that through on the discovery call.
How do I get started?
The easiest first step is to book a free discovery call. There's nothing to prepare - just come as you are, tell me a little about what's been going on, and we'll take it from there. You can get in touch via the contact form below, or by emailing me directly. I aim to respond within one working day.
Still not sure?
That's completely fine. Reaching out can feel like a big step, especially if you've been managing quietly on your own for a long time. There's no pressure here, and no obligation. If it would help to read a little more first, you might find my about me page or testimonials useful. Or if you have a question that isn't answered here, just drop me a message. I'm always happy to hear from you.