Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in London
Hello, I’m Susannah. I am a fully qualified clinical anxiety hypnotherapist and coach with over 22 years of experience helping people overcome anxiety and stress.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you might feel like your mind and body are working against you.
No matter how much you tell yourself to relax, your heart still races, your thoughts still spiral, and the knot in your stomach refuses to go away. It can feel exhausting, like you’re constantly on edge, waiting for the next wave of panic, overthinking every little thing, or avoiding situations because they feel overwhelming.
But this isn’t a sign that there is something wrong with you. Quite the opposite in fact. It’s a sign that your brain is working as intended. Anxiety is simply your brain trying to protect you from perceived threat or danger.
The good news is that your brain is adaptable, and with the right approach, you can train it to respond in a calmer, more balanced way.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety is a highly effective solution, used to train your brain to respond to situations in a more calm and balanced manner.
Are you experiencing symptoms of anxiety?
- Feeling tense, restless, or constantly on edge?
- Struggling with racing thoughts, overthinking, or self-doubt?
- Physical symptoms like shaking, blushing, sweating, or a tightness in your chest?
- Imposter syndrome making you feel ‘not good enough’?
- Dreading social events, meetings, or even leaving the house?
- Racing thoughts at night, making sleep difficult?
- Panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere?
Susannah Saunders
Hello, my name is Susannah. I am a clinical hypnotherapist and life coach in London with over 20 years of experience helping people to enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life. Get in touch to find out more or book an appointment in London today.
NLP, Coaching and Hypnosis Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety builds up over time. When life feels stressful, your brain starts collecting worries – big or small – until it reaches a tipping point. That’s when anxiety feels impossible to control. Small things that wouldn’t normally bother you suddenly feel overwhelming, and your mind and body go into a fight or flight mode.
Hypnosis for anxiety helps your brain reset, so it no longer holds onto stress in the same way. Through hypnotherapy, we can calm the part of your brain associated with anxiety, making it easier to feel more relaxed even in times of stress.
NLP and coaching techniques then help shift the unhelpful patterns that fuel anxiety – whether that’s overthinking, self-doubt, or physical tension – so you can navigate life feeling calmer and more in control.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the conscious mind, anxiety hypnotherapy works at a deeper level, making it easier to create long-term change. Through guided hypnosis and evidence-based techniques, we can help retrain your brain’s automatic responses, so you feel more at ease in situations that once triggered anxiety.
Anxiety hypnotherapy and coaching can help you:
- Say yes to opportunities
- Wake up in the morning feeling excited about the day ahead
- Speak with clarity, confidence and authority
- Stand up for yourself and be assertive
- Establish the perfect work-life balance
- Quieten your inner critic and feel ‘enough’
- Believe in your capabilities
- Celebrate your achievements
- Learn powerful techniques to remain in control at all times
- Live a positive, fulfilling life
How Hypnosis Therapy for Anxiety Works
People have been using hypnosis to treat anxiety for centuries, often in the form of direct suggestion and symptom suppression. Today, hypnosis for anxiety takes a more modern approach, focusing not just on easing symptoms but on rewiring the brain’s response to stress.
I use a solution-focused and evidence-based approach. By blending therapeutic hypnosis for anxiety, with NLP and coaching, we can rewire limiting thoughts and help your brain form new, healthier habits.
During our hypnotherapy sessions, I’ll guide you into a deeply relaxed state, called hypnosis, where your subconscious mind is more open to positive change. You’ll remain fully in control, but we’ll quieten the part of your mind that fuels anxious thoughts and overthinking.
My bespoke anxiety hypnotherapy is designed to help you feel calmer, clearer, and more confident in situations that once felt overwhelming. I will also help you develop healthier ways of managing stress and better coping strategies, so that the anxiety doesn’t manifest in some other form.
If you would like to find out how I can help, let's talk
The Science Behind Hypnosis for Anxiety
Anxiety is a built-in survival response controlled by the limbic system, particularly the amygdala, which acts like a smoke alarm in your brain. Its job is to detect danger and trigger a response to keep you safe.
But just like a faulty smoke alarm that goes off at the slightest hint of burnt toast, an overactive amygdala can make you feel constantly on edge, even when there’s no real threat. This is why anxiety can feel unpredictable – one moment, you’re fine, and the next, your heart is racing, your stomach is in knots, and your mind is flooded with worst-case scenarios.
Hypnosis for anxiety helps reset that alarm system, calming the brain’s automatic responses so that everyday situations no longer feel overwhelming. Instead of reacting with panic, your mind learns to process things in a calmer, more balanced way.
But why does this response feel so hard to switch off? The answer lies in your brain’s chemistry – specifically, the stress hormones that flood your system when your brain thinks you’re in danger.
The Role of Stress Chemicals in Anxiety
Anxiety isn’t just a feeling – it’s a chemical process happening in your brain and body. When your brain perceives a threat (whether real or imagined), it triggers the fight-or-flight response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline to help you react quickly. This was useful for our ancestors, who needed to escape predators, but in modern life, this response isn’t so necessary. Today, triggers can include work stress, social situations, or even our own thoughts.
When stress chemicals flood your system, they speed up your heart rate, tense your muscles, and sharpen your focus – great if you’re running from danger, but exhausting if you’re just trying to get through the day. Over time, if these chemicals stay elevated, they can keep your amygdala stuck in high alert, making it harder to switch off anxious thoughts and sensations.
This is where hypnosis therapy for anxiety can help. By guiding you into a deeply relaxed state, hypnosis signals to your brain that you are safe, encouraging the release of calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals restore balance, helping you think clearly, feel more in control, and respond to situations calmly, rather than panic.
How Anxiety Hypnotherapy Trains Your Brain for Calm
Think of me as a personal trainer for your brain but instead of working on your muscles, we’re strengthening your ability to stay focused and in control. Just like physical fitness, mental resilience isn’t something you’re simply born with; it’s something that can be trained and developed over time.
Solution focused hypnotherapy for anxiety is one way to retrain your mind’s automatic responses so that calmness and confidence become second nature. Over time, just like strengthening a muscle, your ability to handle stress improves, and positive thoughts come naturally.
Is Anxiety Hypnosis a Quick Fix?
Hypnosis has long been associated with rapid change, and in some cases, people do experience immediate relief. This is because traditional hypnosis was often used for direct suggestion, which works by suppressing symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. While this can sometimes create fast results, it doesn’t necessarily lead to lasting change.
For real, sustainable transformation, your brain needs to build new neural pathways. Just like learning a new skill or strengthening a muscle, this takes repetition and reinforcement. My solution-focused hypnosis therapy for anxiety helps your brain to develop and cement these new pathways for long term results.
While some people notice a shift quickly, the real goal isn’t just fast results, it’s long-term resilience. Everyone is unique, and so we will work together to create a personalised plan that fits your needs, builds on your strengths, and helps you move forward in a way that feels achievable.
Anxiety Hypnotherapy in London & Online
My private London hypnotherapy practice was founded in 2003. I have been awarded the Senior Qualification of Hypnotherapy Practice (SQHP) from the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC) and the HPD from the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH).
For more information on how I use hypnotherapy, NLP and coaching to help calm anxious thoughts and feelings in my London hypnotherapy clinic, get in touch. We can talk through your symptoms and I can explain how I might be able to help.
If you would like to find out how I can help, let's talk
FAQs
Can anxiety hypnotherapy help with physical symptoms like blushing, sweating, or a racing heart?
Yes. Anxiety isn’t just mental – it’s physical too. When stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood your system, they trigger symptoms like a racing heart, shaky hands, or tense muscles. Hypnotherapy for anxiety helps interrupt this cycle by lowering stress hormones and training your brain to process situations differently. Many clients find that as their anxiety reduces, their physical symptoms also improve naturally.
Will I be asleep or ‘out of it’ during hypnosis?
Not at all. Hypnosis isn’t about losing control – it’s about regaining it. You’ll be in a deeply relaxed state, but you’ll still be aware of everything happening. It’s similar to getting lost in a daydream or being so absorbed in a book that you tune out distractions. Think of hypnotherapy for anxiety as a guided mental reset – one that helps your subconscious mind process new, healthier ways of responding to stress.
What if I struggle to ‘switch off’ during hypnosis?
That’s completely normal. Many people with anxiety feel restless at first, but hypnosis is designed to work even if your mind is busy. Over time, your brain learns to relax more easily, just like strengthening a muscle.
Does hypnosis work if I’ve had anxiety for years?
Yes. The brain is always adapting, no matter how long you’ve had anxiety. Anxiety hypnotherapy helps create new, healthier neural pathways, meaning change is always possible, even if anxiety has felt ingrained for years.
I’ve tried other therapies for anxiety. How is hypnosis different?
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which mainly engages the conscious mind, hypnosis therapy for anxiety works at a subconscious level, where many anxious patterns are stored. Rather than endlessly analysing the past, we focus on training your brain to think, feel, and respond differently in the future. This means results can often feel faster and more instinctive, as your mind starts to naturally default to calmer, more confident reactions.
Can anxiety hypnosis improve my sleep?
Yes. Many people with anxiety struggle to ‘switch off’ at night. Hypnosis guides your mind into a relaxed state, helping you fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer.
Can hypnosis to treat anxiety help with public speaking fears?
Absolutely. Anxiety hypnotherapy is commonly used to help people overcome fear of public speaking and performance-related stress. Instead of dreading public speaking situations, your brain learns to associate them with confidence and ease. Through social anxiety hypnosis, NLP, and coaching, we retrain your automatic responses, so you can feel calm, clear-headed, and in control when speaking to others.
Can you use hypnotherapy for social anxiety?
Yes, social anxiety hypnotherapy can help you feel calmer and more at ease in social situations. Social anxiety often stems from deep-rooted fears of judgment or embarrassment, which can trigger an automatic stress response. Hypnosis helps retrain the brain’s response so that social situations feel less overwhelming and more natural.
Can you use hypnotherapy for panic attacks?
Yes, hypnosis for panic attacks works by calming the fight-or-flight response that triggers sudden waves of panic. By guiding your brain into a relaxed state, hypnotherapy helps you regain control over your body’s reactions and develop new, calmer ways to respond to stressful situations. Over time, this can reduce both the frequency and intensity of panic attacks.
What is panic disorder hypnotherapy?
Panic disorder hypnotherapy is designed to help people who experience recurring panic attacks. Unlike general anxiety, panic disorder can cause sudden, intense episodes of fear, often with physical symptoms like a racing heart, dizziness, or breathlessness. Hypnosis helps reset the brain’s response, teaching your mind and body that you are safe so that panic attacks become less frequent and easier to manage.
How does hypnotherapy work for different types of anxiety?
Whether you struggle with general anxiety, social anxiety, public speaking anxiety or panic attacks, social anxiety hypnotherapy London works by calming the nervous system and rewiring subconscious thought patterns. The techniques are tailored to your specific needs, whether that’s building confidence in social settings, reducing daily stress, or breaking the cycle of panic attacks.
How many sessions of hypnosis for anxiety do I need?
Every one is different, so this number often changes. Some people notice a shift within a few sessions, while others need longer to create lasting change. Taking a solution-focused approach, my sessions are designed to help you feel better as quickly as possible, but we also focus on making sure those changes stick. In your first session, we’ll create a personalised plan based on your goals and progress.
Can hypnotherapy help me stop overthinking?
Yes! Overthinking is simply a habit – one your brain has learned through repetition. The more we worry, the stronger those neural pathways become.
Hypnosis therapy for anxiety helps break this habit by calming the overactive mind and shifting focus toward more helpful thought patterns. Over time, your brain becomes better at letting go of unnecessary worry, making space for clarity and confidence.
Can I do anxiety hypnotherapy online?
You don’t need to be in London to access my hypnotherapy programme. I offer online anxiety hypnotherapy in London and worldwide via Zoom, which many clients find just as effective – if not more so – than in-person sessions. Being in a familiar and comfortable environment can help you relax more deeply, making it easier to enter hypnosis. You just need a quiet space, a comfortable chair or bed, and a good WiFi connection.
Is anxiety hypnosis a quick fix?
Hypnosis has a reputation for fast results, and some people do experience an immediate shift. However, traditional hypnosis often focused on symptom suppression rather than addressing the underlying patterns. Solution-focused hypnosis for anxiety works differently – it helps your brain form new neural pathways, so calmness and confidence become second nature. Like learning any new skill, this takes reinforcement, but the goal is lasting change, not just temporary relief.
Will I be unconscious or out of control during hypnosis?
No, hypnosis is a natural state of focused relaxation, similar to being absorbed in a book or film. You remain fully aware and in control at all times. You can talk, move, and even bring yourself out of hypnosis if needed. My role is to guide your subconscious to help you shift unhelpful patterns and create a calmer, more balanced response to anxiety.
How many sessions will I need?
Everyone is different, but most clients notice positive changes within the first few sessions. I typically recommend 5-8 weekly sessions to create lasting change, though this varies based on individual goals and experiences. The more proactive you are in making small changes between sessions, the faster progress tends to be.
Can anxiety hypnotherapy help with panic attacks?
Yes. Panic attacks are triggered by an overactive fight-or-flight response, which hypnotherapy helps to calm. By retraining your brain’s reaction to stress, we reduce the likelihood of panic attacks occurring and, if they do, help you regain control more quickly. The goal is to feel safe and in control, even in situations that once triggered fear
What if I have generalised anxiety and can’t pinpoint a specific cause?
That’s completely fine. Many people experience generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) without a clear cause. Solution-focused hypnotherapy doesn’t require you to analyse the past – it works by shifting the brain’s automatic response to stress, helping you feel calmer, more in control, and better equipped to handle whatever life throws your way.
What’s the difference between hypnosis and meditation?
Meditation and hypnosis both promote relaxation, but hypnosis is an active process that works with the subconscious to create change. Meditation helps you observe your thoughts, whereas hypnosis for anxiety helps rewire your brain’s responses, so you naturally feel calmer and more confident in everyday life. While meditation encourages mindfulness and detachment from anxious thoughts, hypnosis for anxiety actively reshapes the way your brain reacts to stress, helping you break free from old patterns rather than simply observing them. This makes hypnosis a more targeted approach for those wanting to create lasting emotional and behavioural change.
Can you cure anxiety with hypnosis?
Hypnosis isn’t a ‘cure’ for anxiety in the medical sense, but it can be a highly effective tool for reducing symptoms and changing the way your brain responds to stress. It’s a collaborative process and you need to be motivated to change.
Will I have to relive past traumas during hypnosis?
No, not with my solution-focused approach. Instead of revisiting the past, we focus on retraining your brain’s response to stress, so you feel calmer moving forward.
Can hypnosis stop intrusive thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts can feel overwhelming, but they are just signals from your brain trying (often unsuccessfully) to protect you. Hypnosis for anxiety helps reduce the emotional charge of these thoughts, making them feel less intrusive and easier to dismiss, so they don’t dominate your mind.
How do I know if anxiety hypnosis is right for me?
If you feel stuck in a cycle of anxious thoughts or reactions, hypnotherapy for anxiety can help break the pattern. You don’t need to ‘believe in’ hypnosis for it to work – just an openness to change.
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