Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

Regain Calm, Confidence & Control

My breath flips on its side, horizontal and too wide to go through my lungs

Catherine Lepange

Introduction
What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety occurs when our primal stress response system, designed to protect us from threats to survival are triggered in the absence of real danger, this because natural protective mechanism has become maladaptive often due to chronic stress or unresolved trauma. It often presents as , fear, worry, looping negative thoughts, rumination, OCD, hypervigilience, stress, and overwhelm.

Anxiety isn’t just a mental state, but a full body experience. Clients often describe feeling overwhelmed, unsafe, stuck, frozen, detached, blank, ashamed and out of control. . Common symptoms include not being able to breath, racing heart, sweating, dry mouth, fogginess. Panic attacks are a compounding consequence of the fear of anxiety itself and can make one feels as if they may die.

Hypnotherapy can help to uncover and address the underlying causes, restoring flexibility, responsiveness, and balance to the nervous system, while generating new, resourceful responses to previously overwhelming situations and unhelpful coping mechanisms.

What Are The Common Signs Of Anxiety?

Anxiety is often connected to other mental health conditions such as depression, OCD, PTSD, sleep disorders and phobias:

Emotional

Anxiety often brings persistent fear and excessive worry, along with feelings of insecurity, self-doubt, and a sense of unsafety. Many individuals experience catastrophic thinking, repetitive negative thoughts, and rumination, making it difficult to break free from anxious cycles. Anxiety can also manifest as emotional numbness, where feelings become muted or suppressed, leading to a sense of detachment from oneself or others - putting strain on relationships. Hypervigilance—constantly scanning for danger, even in safe environments—is another common response, as is heightened sensitivity to rejection or criticism. Feelings of shame and self-judgment frequently accompany anxiety, creating a harsh inner dialogue that reinforces distress.

Behavioural

Anxiety affects daily behavior, making it difficult to concentrate, make decisions, or complete tasks without procrastination or avoidance. Some individuals develop perfectionist tendencies or overwork themselves as a way to suppress anxious thoughts, while others withdraw socially due to fear of judgment or overstimulation. Compulsive habits such as nail-biting, hair-pulling, or skin-picking may emerge as coping mechanisms. Increased reliance on external comforts—such as food, alcohol, or excessive screen time—can also be a way to self-soothe.

Physical

Anxiety can cause muscle tension, heart palpitations, nausea, sweating, trembling, and a sense of numbness or dissociation. Many people experience shallow breathing, hyperventilation, or the sensation of being unable to take a full breath. Chronic anxiety has been linked to immune system dysregulation, increasing susceptibility to inflammation and autoimmune conditions. Sensory sensitivities, such as an increased reactivity to noise, bright lights, or crowded spaces, can also occur. Additionally, anxiety may cause cold extremities due to redirected blood flow, as well as chronic pain in areas like the jaw (TMJ), head (migraines), and muscles due to prolonged tension.

Health deterioration

Long term effects of anxiety vary from person to person but can include weight fluctuations, skin issues, chronic pain, and exhaustion. Sleep disturbances and hormonal imbalances are common, as are digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Anxiety can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to frequent illnesses. Blood sugar instability, often triggered by chronic stress responses, can contribute to energy crashes and metabolic imbalances. Some may also experience an increased tendency toward accidents due to a constant state of distraction or hyperarousal.

What Are Common Causes Of Anxiety?

Anxiety is a complex condition informed by a combination of emotional, biological, and environmental factors that influence how the brain processes and responds to perceived threats, making it difficult to shift into a balanced, responsive state. Key contributors include:

  • Unresolved Emotional Experiences: Past trauma or unresolved conflicts can condition the brain to remain hypervigilant, creating persistent fear and worry. 

  • Reinforced Behavioural patterns: Repetitive negative thought loops and internal dialogue such as catastrophic thinking, can become ingrained over time, amplifying the anxiety over time.

  • Nervous System Dysregulation: An overactive fight-or-flight system disrupts the body’s ability to achieve calm, keeping the nervous system stuck in a heightened state of reactivity.

  • Biological and Genetic Factors: Genetics and imbalances in brain chemistry can heighten susceptibility to anxiety.

  • Environmental Stressors: Ongoing pressures, such as work, relational or personal challenges, can exhaust emotional resources, exacerbating anxiety symptoms.

Benefits
Why Does Hypnotherapy Help With Anxiety?

Traditional therapies for anxiety, such as talk therapy, CBT, and mindfulness techniques, focus on managing symptoms at the cognitive or experiential level by increasing awareness and regulating responses. While effective for some, these approaches often don’t address the deeper, unconscious patterns driving anxiety. Hypnotherapy, in contrast, works directly with the unconscious mind to uncover and reprogram the root causes, endeavouring to resolve rather than simply manage to create deeper and lasting change. 

 

 Approach
How does Integrated Hypnotherapy work? 

 

Blocked by past?

Release

Stuck & looping in present?

Restore

Afraid of future?

Renew

The Process

Free Consultation

An opportunity for you to  share your challenge and desired outcome. I address your questions and explain how hypnotherapy can support you.

BESPOKE PACKAGAES

I recommend a package tailored your requirements   whilst remaining responsive to what may naturally arise throughout the process. 

HypNOTHERAPY

Appointments are one hour starting weekly, followed by longer intervals to observe progress pinpoint areas requiring further attention.

TAILORED SUPPORT 

I provide email support between appointments and a personalised hypnotherapy recording at the end to reinforce progress.

Client Testimonials

  • “It’s like therapy on speed. It has changed the way I view absolutely everything in my life.”

    —R

    Feeling Worthless

  • "Lucy managed to untangle the disoriented pangs of emotions within me. She set out to make sense of my madness and very fluidly, enabled me to start breaking down the barriers in my mind that had accumulated through years of unconscious conditioning.”

    —M

    Anxiety

  • "It feels like a deep cleanse - like dirt washing off in the shower.An un-numbing, a softening."

    —F

    Complex Trauma

  • “You made me realise some things that have blocked me for my entire existence.”

    —Caterina Occhio

    Founder of SeeMe, Sustainability Advisor, Board Member WFTO organisation

  • “A unique mix of professionalism and gentleness. Lucy helped me overcome a major trauma in finding a friend who had hung himself. She somehow helped me confront the experience and distance me from it going into the future. I am so grateful.”

    —M

    Trauma

  • “A beautiful way. Immediate results without a shred of judgement.”

    —A

    Unable to Express Creativity

  • "The whole subconsciousness exploration has done for more for me than talk therapy ever could."

    —T

    Depression

  • “It was so beautiful to journey through my subconscious. The work has brought me back home to me.”

    —Jeanne De Kroon

    Founder of Zazi Vintage

  • “Lucy’'s listening skills, flexibility and presence means that each session has felt tailored to exactly what I needed at the time. She has supported me in rebuilding my sense of self."

    —N

    Self Hatred

 FAQs

  • Deep, therapeutic transformation
    Hypnotherapy is therapy conducted in a hypnotic state, a natural and heightened form of relaxed, focused attention. This state allows the mind to bypass the critical, analytical filter of the conscious brain, accessing deeper emotional and sensory experiences stored in the unconscious. In this state, cognitive flexibility is enhanced, making it possible to explore, reframe, and resolve issues without judgment or resistance. Hypnotherapy creates a safe environment to unlock patterns and beliefs that may have been formed as protective responses to past experiences.

  • A natural state of focused awareness
    Hypnosis is a state of relaxed yet focused absorption, where the mind becomes more receptive to changes it might normally resist. It occurs naturally in everyday life, such as when you’re absorbed in a book, daydreaming, or lost in thought. Hypnosis works by shifting the brain from its usual conscious, analytical processing into a state of focused receptivity.

    “Hypnosis is roused, attentive, focal concentration with a relative restriction of conscious awareness. It’s like looking through a telephoto lens—you see in great detail but are less aware of your surroundings.”
    – Dr. David Spiegel, MD

  • A wide range of challenges and goals 

    Hypnotherapy can address mental, emotional, and physical challenges, as well as enhance performance. Common issues include:

    Addiction, abuse, anger, anxiety, burnout, creative blocks, lack of confidence, depression, fear, grief, heartbreak, insomnia, low self-esteem, OCD, pain, performance enhancement, phobias, PTSD, self-sabotage, self-doubt, shame, stress, and trauma.

  • Proven to be more effective than talk therapy
    “    Trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens inside us as a result of what happened to us.” – Gabor Maté

    Trauma imprints itself on the mind and body, fragmenting memories and disrupting emotional regulation. These unprocessed imprints often manifest as hypervigilance, anxiety, depression, insomnia, anger, despair, shame, and a profound sense of loss or lack of control.

    Hypnotherapy bypasses the analytical mind to engage the unconscious, where these fragmented memories are stored. In a relaxed, focused state, clients can safely process their trauma, so that the system can recognise that  danger has passed and regain a sense of control and agency.

    As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains, “Hypnosis can induce a state of relative calm from which patients can observe their traumatic experiences without being overwhelmed by them.” This approach enables deep emotional healing and the release of long-held pain.

  • Relaxed and absorbed
    You may wonder, “What if I don’t go deep enough?” or worry, “What if I get stuck?” Hypnosis doesn’t require a deep trance for change—your unconscious mind is engaged even in lighter states, where transformation naturally occurs. Some people go so deep they lose track of time, while others remain lightly aware. You cannot get stuck in hypnosis—you are always in control. 

    As Dr. David Spiegel explains, “Hypnosis is roused, attentive, focal concentration with a relative restriction of conscious awareness. It’s like looking through a telephoto lens—you see in great detail but are less aware of your surroundings.” This focused state enables effective change at any depth.

  • Brainwave shifts and heightened receptivity
    During hypnosis, brainwaves shift from Beta frequency (normal waking consciousness) to Alpha or Theta states, resembling deep relaxation or a daydream. Three key changes occur:

    1. Reduced Salience Network activity: Decreases distractions and intensifies focus.

    2. Increased connectivity between the Executive Control and Salience Networks: Enhances attention and mind-body regulation.

    3. Increased connectivity to the Default Mode Network: Enables freedom to explore new perspectives and self-perceptions.

  • Equal results, wherever you are
    Hypnotherapy works by engaging the unconscious mind, which is not dependent on physical proximity. Once connected to the unconscious, the environment becomes peripheral, making online sessions as effective as in-person ones.  Hypnosis can be induced through conversation alone, and results rely on the mind’s receptivity, not the setting.

  • A natural process
    When conducted by a trained and certified professional, hypnotherapy is safe and natural. You remain fully in control throughout the process and cannot get "stuck" in hypnosis.

  • The evolution of hypnotherapy
    Hypnotherapy has ancient roots but has evolved into a modern therapeutic practice supported by neuroscience and clinical research. Advances in neuroplasticity validate its role in creating lasting neural changes without medication.

    While psychedelics and plant medicines are gaining attention for their ability to induce altered states of consciousness hypnotherapy presents a compelling, drug-free, and more cost-effective alternative for achieving similar transformative mind states.

    “Hypnosis is a psychological technique used in medicine and psychology as a tool to help bring about positive changes to both the mind and the body” University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  • Deep beneath the surface
    Jung’s iceberg analogy likens the conscious mind to the small, visible tip of an iceberg above the water—representing our analytical, rational awareness and the aspects of ourselves we control. Below the surface lies the vast, submerged unconscious mind, which holds memories, experiences, dreams, and belief systems. This hidden realm influences approximately 95% of our mental processes, often without our direct awareness. It communicates through metaphor, symbolism, imagination, and emotion. Hypnotherapy works at this deeper level, addressing unconscious patterns to create lasting, automatic change.