"Perfect. Will be back for more!"
Anna S.
Hypnotherapy in Holborn, Central London
Clinical hypnotherapy in Holborn with experienced practitioners, used for anxiety, stopping smoking, weight management, phobias, sleep and confidence.
Hypnotherapy uses a state of focused, relaxed attention to help you respond differently to a habit, fear or pattern that talking alone has not shifted. It is not stage hypnosis and you remain aware and in control throughout. Our Holborn clinic has practitioners trained in clinical hypnotherapy, some combining it with coaching, yoga or energy work.
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a talking therapy that uses a state of focused, relaxed attention, sometimes called trance, to help address a specific difficulty such as anxiety, a phobia, smoking, sleep problems or low confidence. You remain conscious and aware throughout, able to hear and respond, and cannot be made to do anything against your wishes. Sessions usually involve a conversation about the goal, followed by guided relaxation and suggestion aimed at that specific target, often over a course of several sessions.
What Hypnotherapy Helps With
Anxiety
Hypnotherapy is often used to reduce general anxiety and panic, alongside other support such as counselling where that is also useful.
Stopping smoking
A common reason people book, usually addressed in a small number of sessions focused specifically on the habit and triggers around it.
Weight management
Used to work on the habits and thinking patterns around eating, rather than as a treatment for an underlying medical condition.
Phobias and fears
Specific fears, such as of flying, needles or public speaking, are a frequent focus, usually needing only a handful of sessions.
Sleep
Hypnotherapy can help with settling the mind at night, often combined with basic sleep habit advice.
Confidence and performance
Used ahead of exams, public speaking or performance situations to reduce nerves and support a calmer, more focused state.
How a Session Works
1
Consultation20-30 min
A conversation about what you want to change, your history and any medical considerations, and what a realistic number of sessions looks like.
2
Explaining the process10 min
Your practitioner explains what hypnotherapy actually involves, so you know what to expect and can ask questions before starting.
3
Induction and suggestion20-30 min
A guided relaxation brings you into a focused, receptive state, during which your practitioner works on the specific goal you agreed.
4
Debrief and plan10 min
Coming back to full alertness, talking about what came up, and agreeing whether further sessions or anything to practise at home would help.
Who Provides It Here
Deborah Humpage
Clinical hypnotherapist and hypno-analyst trained at the Essex Institute of Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy, also a yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner. Works with anxiety, trauma, depression, confidence, stress, weight management and stopping smoking.
View full profileJohn Christian Florescu
Certified hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, also trained in electro-crystal therapy and breathing coaching. Works with adults, young people and athletes on focus and calm under pressure.
View full profileSpencer Joseph
Qualified clinical hypnotherapist and accredited counsellor, also trained in acupuncture and sports massage, with more than twenty years across Central London clinics.
View full profileWhat Trance Actually Feels Like
Most people describe hypnotherapy as feeling like a deeply relaxed, focused state, similar to the drifting feeling just before sleep or during absorbed daydreaming. You hear your practitioner's voice throughout and remain able to move, speak or stop the session at any point. You are not asleep, and you are not unconscious.
You cannot be made to say or do anything against your values or wishes while in this state. If something suggested does not sit right with you, your mind will simply not follow it. Some people find they respond to hypnotherapy easily, others find it takes a session or two to settle into, and a small number find it does not suit them at all, which your practitioner will be honest about.
Different Styles of Hypnotherapy
Solution-focused hypnotherapy concentrates mainly on the change you want to make, using suggestion and relaxation aimed directly at the goal, such as stopping smoking or reducing a specific fear. This tends to be brief and structured.
Hypno-analysis, offered by Deborah, looks further into where a pattern may have come from, sometimes over a longer course of sessions, and suits people whose difficulty feels tied to earlier experience rather than a single isolated habit.
What the Evidence Says
Hypnotherapy has a reasonable evidence base for irritable bowel syndrome, where gut-directed hypnotherapy is recognised as an option, and for supporting smoking cessation and reducing procedural anxiety, though results vary between studies and individuals. For many other uses, such as weight management or general confidence, evidence is more limited and outcomes depend a great deal on individual response and motivation.
We will be straightforward with you about where the evidence is strong and where it is thinner, and we would rather agree a short, defined course and review it than have you book indefinitely without a clear sense of progress.
Safety and Regulation
Hypnotherapy from a trained practitioner is generally considered low risk. It is not usually suitable during acute psychosis, some forms of epilepsy, or certain other conditions, so tell your practitioner about your full medical and mental health history at the consultation.
Hypnotherapy is not statutorily regulated in the United Kingdom. Look for registration with a recognised professional body, and our practitioners hold relevant clinical hypnotherapy qualifications and, where applicable, registration with bodies covering their wider practice. Anything that may need medical assessment should be seen by a GP first.
What People Bring to Hypnotherapy
- Stopping smoking or vaping, usually as a short, defined course.
- Specific fears, including flying, dental treatment, needles, lifts and public speaking.
- Sleep difficulties, particularly where a racing mind makes it hard to settle.
- Gut-directed work for irritable bowel symptoms, alongside care from a GP.
- Exam, audition and interview nerves, often booked with a date in mind.
- Habits such as nail biting, teeth grinding and comfort eating.
How a Course Is Usually Structured
Most work begins with a consultation in which you set out what you want to change and your practitioner takes a full history, including medical and mental health background. This matters, because it determines whether hypnotherapy is appropriate at all and which approach is likely to suit.
From there, a short course is agreed rather than an open-ended commitment. Many people book three to six sessions and review. Sessions often include a recording or a simple self-hypnosis technique to use between appointments, which tends to make the change hold better than relying on the session alone.
Hypnotherapy, Counselling or Coaching?
- Choose hypnotherapy if you have a specific, defined target such as a habit, phobia or sleep problem.
- Choose counselling if you want to talk through a broader emotional difficulty in an ongoing, exploratory way.
- Choose coaching if your goal is forward-looking and practical, such as performance, confidence or a decision, without a clinical focus.
- Ask about combining approaches if your situation involves both an emotional difficulty and a specific habit you want to change.
What People Come With
- General anxiety and panic
- Stopping smoking
- Weight management and eating habits
- Specific phobias, such as flying or needles
- Sleep difficulties
- Exam and performance nerves
- Low confidence and self-esteem
- Habits people want to change
Explore Related Therapies
Hypnotherapy FAQs
What Our Clients Say
"Great location in the heart of the city! I would say it's a quiet oasis in a very busy area, a place to relax after a hard day at work."
Robert D.
Book Hypnotherapy in Holborn
Sessions are held at 46 Theobalds Road, a few minutes from Holborn station. Get in touch to arrange a time.
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