When most people hear the word “hypnotherapy,” they picture swinging watches, clucking like a chicken, or losing control on a stage.

In real life, it looks very different.

In this conversation, Claire Butcher from Clarify Training Ltd and Paul Hill from 1020 explain what hypnotherapy actually is, how it works with the subconscious mind, and why many of the fears and habits that hold us back are simply old programmes that need updating.

What Is Hypnotherapy

The word “hypnosis” comes from the Greek word for sleep, but hypnotherapy is not about knocking someone out.

We spend much of our day in light states of hypnosis already. Daydreaming in the car, getting lost in a TV show, or drifting off in a meeting are all examples of the mind entering a focused, inward state.

Hypnotherapy uses that natural state on purpose.

In that state, the subconscious mind is more accessible. That is the part of you that:

• Keeps your breathing and blinking going without effort
• Knows your drives, urges and emotional triggers
• Stores your learned beliefs, habits and patterns

Paul describes the subconscious like a bright nine-year-old child. It is clever and protective, but it runs programmes that were installed when you were much younger. Sometimes those programmes are outdated.

Hypnotherapy is a structured way to approach that part of the mind and invite it to update the programmes that no longer serve you.

Why People Come For Hypnotherapy

On the surface, people often book in for issues such as:

• Fear of spiders, flying or needles
• Smoking or habits they want to stop
• Weight loss or emotional eating
• Confidence and self-esteem

Underneath, there is often something deeper happening.

A comment from a parent that landed the wrong way.
A moment of embarrassment that never really got processed.
A shock or trauma that became “the rule” for how life works.

To a child’s brain, an over-critical parent can become:
“Mum doesn’t think I’m good enough.”

To an adult, that seems excessive.
To a child, it feels like truth.

Those early moments can quietly run the show for decades. Hypnotherapy goes back to the feeling and the meaning, then helps the subconscious mind see that it no longer needs to protect you in the same way.

Fear Versus Phobia: Claire’s Story

There is a difference between fear and phobia.

A fear is:
“I don’t like that.”

A phobia is:
“I cannot function if that is near me.”

Claire had always been a little scared of spiders. Over time, that mild fear became a full phobia. If there was even a money spider in the house, she could not go inside. She would sit in the car rather than walk past it. Every September became a month of hiding.

Logically, she knew it made no sense. Emotionally, her system was in survival mode.

After just one hypnotherapy session, she went from panic to choosing to hold a tarantula within a month.

That is the difference between trying to “think” your way out of fear and changing the programme that creates it.

Why Some Issues Take More Than One Session

Paul is clear that many phobias or smoking habits can often be resolved in one session when the work goes straight to the root cause.

Not every issue is a quick fix, though.

Long-term struggles with confidence, self-worth or trauma can take more time. Some clients realistically need three to five sessions. If someone keeps returning for the same issue and nothing is changing, it can mean:

• The root has not been reached
• There is a strong secondary gain
• Or the client and therapist are not a good fit

A good therapist will be honest, not drag the process out.

What Is Secondary Gain

Secondary gain is what a person gets from keeping the problem.

Paul shares a clear example. A woman with painful arthritis in her hands said she wanted to be pain-free. Every Friday, her adult child would take her shopping. They would go to Costa, have a drink, go home, unpack the shopping and watch Antiques Roadshow.

The pain “justified” the weekly ritual.

If the pain disappeared, the subconscious worried the routine might vanish too.

Consciously, she wanted help.
Subconsciously, the pain protected connection.

When the emotional benefit outweighs the physical cost, the mind resists change.

Hypnotherapists ask questions like:

• “What would you lose if this problem was gone”
• “How does this issue help you”
• “What does it allow you to receive”

Most of the time, clients have never thought about it that way.

What Hypnosis Actually Feels Like

Most people do not “go under” like they see on stage.

You are usually more aware, not less. Closing your eyes removes the main source of sensory input, so your awareness of sound, touch and internal sensation increases.

You notice the air on your skin.
The weight of your body on the chair.
Quiet background noises you normally ignore.

That focused, heightened awareness is where the therapist works with imagination, memory and sensation.

You can still move, scratch an itch, speak, or open your eyes. You do not lose control. You simply switch into a different mode of attention.

Can Anyone Be Hypnotised

People who say “I cannot be hypnotised” are often the easiest, once they relax.

To benefit from hypnosis, you need:

• A basic imagination
• The willingness to follow guidance
• The ability to sit comfortably for a few minutes

People with psychosis or certain severe mental health conditions should not be treated with hypnosis, as symptoms can increase. A responsible therapist will screen for this.

For most everyday people, hypnosis is not foreign. If you have ever:

• Driven and not remembered part of the journey
• Cried at a TV scene that isn’t real
• Jumped at something on screen you logically know is safe

You have been in hypnotic states already.

Advertisers understand this. They run adverts at emotional points in TV shows because your subconscious is wide open.

Choosing a Hypnotherapist

One of Paul’s key points is simple.

“Ask your hypnotherapist who their therapist is.”

Therapists hear heavy stories. They work with unresolved trauma. They are still human beings with their own blind spots.

Good therapists get therapy too.
Not because they are broken, but because they are professional enough to keep growing.

Final Thoughts

Hypnotherapy is not mind control and it is not magic.

It is a practical way of working with the part of your mind that already runs your habits, fears and beliefs. Many of the struggles people live with are not “who they are” — they are old programmes that have never been updated.

When you work with the subconscious in a targeted way, change does not have to take months or years. In many cases, it can happen faster than people expect.

You are not broken.
You are running outdated instructions.
Hypnotherapy helps you replace them with better ones.

💡 About 1020 Networking

1020 Networking is a curated business network for professionals who value trust, integrity, and meaningful growth.
It’s built for people who do what they say, reward introductions, and want to grow together.

All media produced by Creation DMC®