Let’s face it—anxiety can be downright debilitating. It robs you of joy, keeps you stuck, and makes even simple things feel overwhelming. But what if I told you that anxiety doesn’t have to run the show?
As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I’m not here to talk neurology, or diagnostic codes. That’s not my lane. My job is to offer rapid, real-world solutions that actually help people feel better, often faster than they thought possible.
In this post, I’m going to give you a down-to-earth, practical understanding of anxiety, and show you how hypnosis—and some powerful self-help techniques—can help you take control and find calm again.
So, What Is Anxiety?
Let’s define it in simple terms:
Anxiety is a feeling of unease or dread about a future event or outcome—often accompanied by physical symptoms like tightness in the chest, a racing mind, or an unsettled stomach.
It’s rarely about what has happened. It’s usually about what might happen. Anxiety is the mind imagining worst-case scenarios on a loop—and your body reacting as if they’re happening now.
Some anxiety is normal. It’s part of our built-in survival system. But when anxiety becomes chronic or overwhelming, that’s when it interferes with life. And that’s the kind we’re talking about here—the kind that hypnosis can help rewire.
Can Hypnosis Really Help?
Yes. Unequivocally, yes.
Hypnosis isn’t magic. But it works like a magnifying glass for your mind. Anything you can do consciously—like calming yourself down, changing your thoughts, or reframing your perspective—can happen faster and more deeply in hypnosis.
In fact, when someone is in the middle of an anxiety episode or panic attack, they’re already in a kind of hypnotic state—a focused, heightened emotional trance. Their mind is running highly efficient internal scripts… just in the wrong direction.
Hypnosis allows us to shift that trance and use it to access calm, confidence, and clarity instead.
Two Types of Anxiety – and Why It Matters
It helps to understand the two general types of anxiety we see:
Cortex-based anxiety – This is the overthinking type. You replay conversations, imagine worst-case scenarios, catastrophize. It starts in the thinking part of the brain.
Amygdala-based anxiety – This is the fast, primal, “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I feel it in my body” type of anxiety. Think panic attacks, sudden dread, physical symptoms.
Both kinds feel awful. But knowing which one you’re dealing with can help you choose the best strategy.
Self-Hypnosis for Anxiety Relief (in 3 Steps)
Yes, you can do this yourself—and I teach many of my clients how to use these exact steps:
1. The Setup
Set a Purpose (e.g., "I want to feel calm and in control"), a Duration (e.g., 15 minutes), and define how you want to Feel afterward (e.g., relaxed, clear-headed).
2. Get Into Trance
A simple breathing technique or guided induction will do. Don’t overthink it—just let yourself relax and follow the process.
3. Use the Trance
Here’s where the real change happens. In this focused state, you can:
Use 6-8 breathing (inhale for 6, exhale for 8) to calm the nervous system—perfect for amygdala-based anxiety.
Ask your subconscious to show you calming images, memories, or feelings—great for cortex-based anxiety.
Use mental rehearsal to imagine yourself confidently navigating situations that normally trigger you.
When you’re done, simply count yourself back up or rub your face gently to "wake up" feeling grounded and refreshed.
What About Professional Hypnotherapy?
Self-hypnosis is powerful. But having someone guide you through a professional hypnotherapy session can take things even deeper.
I often work with clients one-on-one via Zoom, helping them identify and reframe the root cause of their anxiety. Sometimes it's a past experience. Sometimes it’s a limiting belief. Often, it’s simply a subconscious loop that we can update with better, calmer programming.
And unlike talk therapy, which can take months or years, hypnotherapy often brings noticeable results in just a few sessions.
Is Hypnosis Safe for Anxiety?
Yes. In fact, I believe the real risk is not using hypnosis when it could help.
When someone’s stuck in a pattern of fear and worry, their brain is already in a kind of hypnotic loop—it’s just running the wrong program. Hypnosis helps you interrupt that loop and install something better.
You're not giving up control. You're gaining tools. And if done correctly, hypnosis for anxiety leads to the exact opposite of distress—it brings calm, clarity, and self-trust.
Final Thoughts
Anxiety doesn’t have to run your life.
Whether you’re lying awake at night worrying, avoiding social situations, or just feeling constantly on edge, there is help—and it’s closer than you think.
Hypnosis offers a powerful, fast, and natural way to calm your mind and body, rewire your responses, and restore your sense of peace.
If you're ready to explore how hypnosis can help, I invite you to book a free discovery call with me, Helena Jehnichen, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist at Flourish Hypnosis. Let’s talk about what’s been going on and how we can work together to change it.
Because you deserve to feel calm. You deserve to feel in control. You deserve to feel like yourself again.