What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?
- Ali Hollands Hook
- Oct 28
- 7 min read
(and why it's not what you think)
You're curious about therapy. Maybe you've been carrying something heavy for a while now. Sleep that doesn't come. Worry that won't quit. A habit you can't seem to shake. Overwhelmed and exhausted with life.
And then someone mentions hypnotherapy.
Cue the scepticism. I know, I get it. Most people picture a swinging pocket watch, a stage performer making someone cluck like a chicken, or worse... losing control while some stranger pokes around in your brain. Worst of all, telling them your deepest, darkest secrets!
But it’s not like that at all. Let me tell you what solution focused hypnotherapy actually is. No smoke and mirrors, no magic wand nonsense. Just solid, evidence-based therapy that works with your brain's natural ability to heal and change.
So What Is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?
Think of your brain like a forest and your thoughts like well-worn paths through it. You've walked the same routes for years. Anxiety path. Insomnia path. Self-doubt path. Overwhelm path. Your feet know exactly where to go without even thinking about it.
Solution focused hypnotherapy simply helps you cut new paths. Better ones.
The approach combines two powerful things: solution focused brief therapy (a talking therapy developed in the 1980s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg) and clinical hypnosis.
The talking part comes first. We don't dig through your past looking for problems. I'm not interested in spending months analysing what went wrong, because it won’t help the process. Instead, we focus on what you want your life to look like. Where do you want to be? What would be different if things were better?
This might feel strange at first. Most therapy asks "what's wrong?" We ask "what's right?" and "what do you want more of?"
A comprehensive review of 43 controlled studies found that 74% reported significant positive outcomes from solution focused brief therapy, with the strongest evidence showing it works just as well as other established treatments but often in fewer sessions Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy - Wallace J. Gingerich, Lance T. Peterson, 2013.
Then comes the hypnosis part. And no, you won't be unconscious or under anyone's control.
What Does Hypnosis Feel Like?
Remember the last time you got completely absorbed in a good book? Or drove somewhere familiar and realised you barely remember the journey? That's trance. You do it every day without thinking about it.
Clinical hypnosis is just guided relaxation and visualisation. You're awake, aware, and in control the whole time. Your conscious mind (the chatty, critical, anxious part) gets to take a break. Meanwhile, your subconscious (the part that actually runs most of your life) becomes more open to positive suggestions and new ways of thinking.
Brain imaging studies using fMRI technology show distinct patterns during hypnosis, including increased theta wave activity linked to relaxation and creativity, plus decreased activity in areas connected to self-referential thinking.
What you feel is...calm. Really, truly calm. Some clients tell me it's the most relaxed they've felt in years.
The Science Bit
(without the Masters in Neuroscience)
Your brain has this incredible ability called neuroplasticity. It can (and does) literally rewire itself, forming new neural connections throughout your entire life.
When you're anxious, stressed, or stuck in negative patterns, you've got strong neural pathways firing away. They're like highways in your brain. Well-maintained, easy to use, hard to avoid.
During hypnosis, your brain shifts into a perfect state for creating new connections, making it easier to learn new behaviours or change old. Research indicates hypnosis creates a state of focused attention and reduced mind wandering. That’s what helps you learn and consolidate those new paths. Neuro-imaging shows state-related brain network changes.
Think about that for a second. You're not broken. You're not beyond help. Your brain is doing exactly what it's designed to do. It's learned patterns. Which means… it can learn new ones.
I was involved in a 2024 study with police personnel that found 78% of participants, who completed a course of solution focused hypnotherapy, recovered from clinically significant symptoms of anxiety or depression Understanding how online solution–focused hypnotherapy can support the wellbeing of police personnel and treat symptoms of anxiety and depression.
These weren't small improvements. These were people moving from "clinically unwell" to "well."
What Makes Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Different From Regular Therapy?
Traditional therapy often focuses on problems. What happened to you. Why you feel this way. Your childhood. Your trauma. And look, there's definitely a place for that work; it is vital and life saving therapy for many people. But it’s not the only way to heal and move on.
Solution focused hypnotherapy starts from a different place. We believe you're the expert on your own life. You have the resources and strengths you need already, even if they're buried deep down and feel inaccessible right now.
Your time with me is about building your preferred future. Noticing what's working. Amplifying the good stuff. Teaching your brain that safety and calm are possible, natural and normal for you. You learn how to take charge and cope with whatever life has in store for you.
The hypnosis part accelerates the whole process. While you're deeply relaxed, we can work directly with your subconscious mind, where lasting change happens. We're not fighting against your critical conscious mind that wants to tell you all the reasons why change is impossible; we work with the part of your brain that is creative, clever and motivated by achievement.
It's Not An Instant Fix (Sorry)
Here's where I need to be honest with you. This isn't magic. I can't wave a wand and fix everything in one session. That’s just not possible because lasting, sustainable change takes time. Your brain needs repetition to build those new neural pathways. Most clients see me for somewhere between 6 to 12 sessions, though some people need fewer and some need more.
The person matters more than the problem. Two people with anxiety might need completely different approaches, different numbers of sessions, different focuses. You're unique. Your therapy should be too.
What I can tell you is that solution focused hypnotherapy tends to work much faster than many traditional approaches. Three separate studies found that solution focused brief therapy used fewer sessions than alternative therapies while achieving comparable results Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy - Wallace J. Gingerich, Lance T. Peterson, 2013.
What Can Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Help With?
People come to me with all sorts of things. Anxiety that makes their chest tight. Depression that feels like wading through mud. Insomnia that steals their nights. Chronic pain that won't quit. Phobias that limit their lives. Habits they want to break. Overwhelm that feels like suffocation. Confidence they want to build.
But honestly? The specific problem is less relevant than the person experiencing it. You could come to me with burnout, public speaking anxiety, or a fear of flying, overwhelm, insomnia or all of that. The approach is similar because we're working with how your brain creates and maintains these patterns.
What Happens In A Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Session?
The first session is different. We talk. A lot. I want to understand what's going on for you, what you've tried before, what you want to achieve. This is your free initial consultation, about 45 minutes where we figure out if this approach feels right for you.
No pressure. No pitch. I’m not analysing you or diagnosing you. Just an honest conversation about whether I can help. What everyone who comes has most loved about that consultation is it’s where they truly understood why their brain was messing them about and more importantly, what can be done to move forward.
My real goal for that session is for you to feel less broken, more hopeful and have real clarity about your way through.
If you decide to go ahead, regular sessions follow a pattern. We start with talking therapy, focusing on what's been better since we last met. Even tiny improvements count. Your brain needs to notice the good stuff to build more of it.
At the end of each session is hypnosis. You'll sit comfortably (or lie down if you prefer) while I guide you into that relaxed, focused state. I'll use imagery, metaphor, and positive suggestion to help your brain rehearse new patterns and possibilities.
You'll probably hear everything I say. You can open your eyes anytime. You're completely safe, particularly because you’ll be in your own environment. Online hypnotherapy is just as effective as face to face hypnotherapy.
Most people leave feeling lighter. Calmer. More hopeful. And that's just the immediate effect. The real changes build over time as your brain continues the work between sessions.
The Bottom Line
Solution focused hypnotherapy isn't mystical or magical but it can feel miraculous. Its neuroscience wrapped in effective therapy techniques and nervous system soothing hypnosis.
It respects your intelligence, your autonomy, and your innate ability to heal. It doesn't pathologize you or make you relive trauma. It helps you build the future you want.
Brain imaging confirms that hypnosis produces measurable changes in brain activity and connectivity, supporting the idea that trance is a natural, adaptive state that can be harnessed for therapeutic purposes.
Your brain is already incredible. It's kept you alive through everything you've experienced. It's learned patterns to protect you, even if those patterns don't serve you anymore.
Now it's ready to learn something new.
If you're tired of just coping... if you want to feel better rather than just manage symptoms... if you're open to an approach that respects both the science and your own wisdom about your life... then maybe this is worth exploring.
Ready To Find Out More?
I offer a free initial consultation where we can talk properly about what's going on for you and whether solution focused hypnotherapy might help.
No commitment. No judgment. Just an honest conversation about possibilities.
Because here's what I know after years of doing this work: you're not broken. You're not beyond help. Your brain is capable of remarkable change. Sometimes it just needs the right conditions and a bit of guidance.
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