Hypnosis and stress: how Ericksonian hypnosis can help

When people bring up hypnosis and stress with me, I often sense two things at once. Curiosity, because they have read that it can help. And a little wariness: "What if I lose control?", "What if it doesn't work on me?" Both reactions are healthy. They deserve clear answers.

I am a sophrologist, hypnotherapist and wellbeing coach in Bordeaux. I practise Ericksonian hypnosis at my practice on rue Ducau, alongside sophrology. Before it became my job, I went through a burnout after years in start-ups: I know what it is like when stress never comes down, not even at the weekend.

Here you will find what really happens under hypnosis, how it can help with stress, what the studies say without dressing it up, how a session with me unfolds, and a short self-hypnosis exercise to try.

Hypnosis is not sleep

Hypnosis has nothing to do with a swinging watch. It is a particular state of attention, where you are very focused on one thing (a voice, an image, a sensation) and less aware of everything else. You have almost certainly experienced it without realising: so absorbed in a book that you no longer hear what is going on around you, or arriving somewhere by car with no memory of the drive.

Vidal, the French health reference that summarised Inserm's report on hypnosis, describes this state as an altered form of awareness, with a certain indifference to the outside world and greater openness to suggestion. Brain imaging also shows changes in activity in certain areas of the brain.

Ericksonian hypnosis

There are several ways of practising hypnosis. The one I use, Ericksonian hypnosis, is gentle and conversational. I do not give orders. I offer images, metaphors and sensations, and you take from them whatever speaks to you. It is a collaboration, not a takeover.

And what about control?

You stay aware from start to finish. You hear my voice, you can move, speak and open your eyes. If a suggestion does not suit you, it simply slides away. Stage hypnosis, with volunteers doing strange things on stage, gives a misleading picture: participants are chosen because they are highly receptive and keen to play along.

How hypnosis works on stress

Stress is the body's normal reaction to a difficulty. The WHO points out that a little stress can even help us, but that too much eventually weighs on physical and mental health. The problem comes when the body stays on alert all the time and the mind keeps going round in circles.

In a session, hypnosis works on three levels, which I see every time.

The body relaxes

The hypnotic state almost always comes with physical relaxation: breathing slows, shoulders drop, the face softens. For many stressed people, it is the first time in a long while that they feel their body let go without effort.

Imagination takes over

Under hypnosis, we work with images rather than reasoning. Going back over a stressful situation in your imagination, but this time feeling calm and capable, helps your body link that situation with something other than fear. It often works better than telling yourself "there's no reason to be stressed".

You find your own resources

Ericksonian hypnosis starts from the idea that you already carry moments of calm, strength and confidence within you. My job is to help you find them again and make them available in the situations where you need them. I am not bringing anything in from outside. That is also why the effects last: what you find in a session belongs to you, and you can return to it on your own.

What the studies say, without dressing it up

Pages about hypnosis often promise a lot. I would rather tell you what is established and what is not.

Inserm's report

In France, the reference remains the report by Inserm, the national institute for health and medical research, which analysed 52 clinical trials. Its conclusions, summarised by Vidal, are nuanced: hypnosis showed benefits during anaesthesia or sedation, and for irritable bowel syndrome. For other uses, such as stopping smoking or childbirth, the data did not allow a conclusion. The report also notes that side effects seem rare, and that no serious effect appears to be attributable to hypnosis.

On stress and anxiety

A meta-analysis by Valentine and colleagues, pooling 17 trials, found that by the end of the programme, the average person who received hypnosis saw their anxiety drop more than 79% of people in the control group. The authors make a point I find important: hypnosis works better when combined with other approaches than when used on its own.

On perceived stress in healthy people, a review by Fisch and colleagues included 9 trials and 365 participants, mostly medical students. Six of the nine trials showed lower stress, but the studies were small and at high risk of bias. The authors conclude that the effectiveness remains uncertain and that better quality research is needed.

My take: the signs are encouraging, especially when hypnosis is part of a wider programme of support. But it is not a magic wand, and I am wary of anyone who presents it that way.

What a hypnosis session for stress looks like

A session lasts about an hour at my practice. This is how I usually run it.

1. We talk first

I ask you what stresses you, since when, how it shows up in your body and in your day. I also ask what you would like to feel instead. That is what lets me build a session for you rather than a generic one. If you have questions or worries about hypnosis itself, this is the moment to ask them. I would much rather spend ten minutes reassuring you than have you spend the session wondering what is going to happen.

2. Going into hypnosis

You settle comfortably into an armchair. I guide you with my voice, often starting with your breathing and the sensations in your body. There is nothing to get right: you simply let it come.

3. Working on the stress

Depending on the person, I take you to a safe place, an imaginary or real spot where you feel secure. We may also revisit a situation that makes you tense, bringing the calm you have found into it. Sometimes I suggest an anchor: a discreet gesture, like touching your thumb and index finger together, linked to that calm state, which you can use again later.

4. Coming back

I bring you back gently, and we take a few minutes to talk about what you experienced. Some people feel very relaxed, almost heavy. Others feel light and full of energy. Both are normal. I always make sure you feel fully alert before you leave, especially if you are driving home. Some people notice the effects that same evening, others over the following days, often as a sense that things get to them a little less. Prices and the exact length are all on the pricing page.

A self-hypnosis exercise to try at home

Here is a simple version of what I teach towards the end of a programme. Allow ten minutes, somewhere quiet, and never while driving.

1. Sit comfortably and fix your gaze on a point in front of you, slightly above eye level. Breathe slowly.
2. When your eyelids feel heavy, let them close. Lengthen your out-breath a little for a few breaths.
3. Picture a staircase with ten steps. Walk down it counting backwards, one step per out-breath, feeling a little more relaxed with each step.
4. At the bottom, picture your safe place. Notice what you see, hear and feel. Stay there for a few minutes.
5. Before coming back up, say a simple positive sentence to yourself, in the present tense, such as "I can stay calm".
6. Walk back up the staircase counting from one to ten, move your fingers, stretch, then open your eyes.

If breathing helps you in particular, heart coherence breathing is a good complement, and you will find other ideas in my article on managing stress and emotions.

Limits and precautions

Hypnosis does not replace medical advice. If your stress comes with badly disrupted sleep for weeks, panic attacks, dark thoughts or rising alcohol use, talk to your doctor first. The WHO advises seeing a health professional when you can no longer cope. Hypnosis can then complement medical care, never replace it. And never set aside what your doctor has recommended without discussing it with them.

Inserm's report also points to a real risk: delaying necessary medical care by putting all your hopes in a complementary practice. It adds that the title of hypnotherapist is not protected in France. Check the training of the person you see. I have covered the common misconceptions and the real precautions in my article on whether Ericksonian hypnosis is dangerous, and the situations where hypnosis can help in when to see a hypnotherapist.

Finally, I do not do any "recovering buried memories" under hypnosis. It is not what working on stress is about, and memory is far too malleable for that kind of approach.

Coming to a session in Bordeaux

If you would like to try it, I see people at my practice for Ericksonian hypnosis in Bordeaux, on rue Ducau. The first session always starts with a proper conversation: you can ask all your questions, and nothing happens without your agreement. My background and training are on the about page.

You can also find out how I support adults with hypnosis. In the meantime, try the self-hypnosis exercise tonight: ten minutes, with no particular expectations. It is often the best way to discover that there is nothing mysterious about hypnosis.