Reflections on the Status of Clinical Hypnosis in the UK
Written on May 6, 2026
Is hypnosis effective in the clinic and in the therapy room? Here is not the place to provide a review of outcome studies of hypnosis as a treatment method. However, what follows is a summary of my impressions on the current position.
In general terms, hypnosis may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of a wide (but not unlimited) range of psychological and physical difficulties and disorders. In certain cases, it may be the main component of treatment, while in others it may be applied selectively as and when deemed appropriate, or not at all. Examples of the former are helping patients cope with painful, uncomfortable or anxiety-provoking medical and dental procedures and the treatment of common conditions that are amenable to psychological interventions, such as headaches, insomnia and, most notably, irritable bowel syndrome. Consistent with the growing understanding of the biopsychosocial basis of the experience of pain, hypnotic procedures are of proven benefit in the treatment of painful medical conditions. In my opinion, there is much greater scope for the role of hypnosis in the medical context.
Although for many years it is has been common for smokers to consult private hypnotherapists to help them quit their habit, the outcomes of controlled clinical trials for long-term abstinence have not been impressive. Better results are reported when hypnosis is part of a broader, multi-factorial treatment program, rather than being just one session of suggestive techniques. A similar, but more pessimistic, verdict applies to hypnosis for weight loss.
There are practitioners who use hypnotic procedures adjunctively for a wide range of psychological problems such as depression, severe anxiety - including phobias and PTSD -and eating disorders. I'll reserve further comment on this for my next post.
When I first became professionally involved with hypnosis in the late 1970s, the message I heard and read was that hypnosis had always been regarded with suspicion and scepticism, but it was now shedding its air of mystery and receiving recognition both as a legitimate psychological phenomenon for scientific enquiry and an effective method of treatment. Indeed, reading earlier learned books and papers on the subject, it seemed to me that this had been a constant message for several previous decades. This was still the case 20 years after my own introduction to the subject, when my colleagues and I were persuading the University of Sheffield to establish the Diploma and Master's course in clinical hypnosis that ran throughout the nineties. And the same message remains alive and well to this day!
After years of academic research establishing the scientific basis of what we call 'hypnosis', and the many clinical research papers supporting its effectiveness as a treatment method in a variety of contexts, why is it not now routine practice in our health services? It seems that, like a messiah, it is always on its way but never arrives!
I leave you with this question. In my next post I'll provide some of my own reflections.
Note: At present, it's not possible for you to post your comments on my blog directly. But I welcome them via my email address, and I'll only upload them under 'Comments' if that is your wish (and with the usual stipulations about offensiveness, etc.)
