Can Hypnotherapy Help Me? What Clinical Hypnosis Can (and Can't) Do
I used to tell myself I was someone who could figure anything out. Whatever the obstacle, whatever the circumstances, I would find a way through. That belief carried me far. Until it didn't.
Somewhere in my 30s, I found myself stuck. Tired. Quietly depressed. I was achieving things on paper, but the pressure I put on myself was relentless. I couldn't recognize when I was actually succeeding because my inner critic was always one step ahead, telling me it wasn't enough. I was people-pleasing, perfectionism-spiraling, and running on a kind of exhaustion that sleep couldn't fix.
It wasn't until I sat across from a hypnotherapist for the first time that I began to understand where all of it came from. Childhood conditioning, patterns of self-criticism, perfectionism, and hyper-vigilance that my subconscious mind had been running on autopilot for decades. Through hypnotherapy I was able to work through the loss of a family member, heal the chronic psoriasis I'd been managing for years, release the shoulder pain I'd been carrying, and finally let go of the self-guilt that had followed me for as long as I could remember.
I believed in it so deeply that I became a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist myself.
If you've been wondering whether hypnotherapy could help you, this post is for you.
What Hypnotherapy Actually Is (And What It Isn't)
Let's start with what most people get wrong.
Clinical hypnotherapy has nothing to do with swinging pocket watches, losing control, or being made to cluck like a chicken. That's stage hypnosis, entertainment, not therapy. What happens in a clinical hypnotherapy session is something entirely different.
Hypnosis is a natural, focused state of consciousness characterized by deep relaxation and heightened inner awareness. During a session your brainwave activity naturally shifts from the beta waves of everyday waking consciousness into the slower alpha and theta states, the same brain states you move through when you're daydreaming, drifting off to sleep, or deeply absorbed in a creative project.
In these states, your conscious critical mind, the part that analyzes, judges, and second-guesses everything, becomes quieter. This allows the subconscious mind, where your habits, emotional patterns, beliefs, and stored experiences live, to become more accessible.
You are not asleep. You are not unconscious. You are not under anyone's control. In fact, most people describe hypnosis as one of the most alert and present states they've ever experienced, a kind of wide-awake relaxation where the noise of everyday thinking settles and something deeper becomes available.
The American Psychological Association defines hypnosis as a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, with an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion. What that means in practice is that in hypnosis, the mind becomes more open to new perspectives, new narratives, and new ways o
Why the Subconscious Mind Matters
Here's what most conventional approaches to mental health and wellness miss: the vast majority of our behavior, our emotional reactions, and our deeply held beliefs are not driven by conscious choice. They're driven by the subconscious, by patterns, beliefs, and emotional memories formed through experience, often long before we had the language to understand them.
This is why you can know, intellectually, that you are worthy, and still feel like you're not. Why you can understand logically that a past relationship is over, and still feel its emotional grip. Why you can want desperately to change a habit, and find yourself repeating it anyway.
The gap between what we know consciously and how we actually feel and behave lives in the subconscious. And that's precisely where clinical hypnotherapy works.
By engaging the subconscious directly, in a safe, guided, and deeply relaxed state, hypnotherapy helps identify the root of emotional patterns, outdated beliefs, and unresolved experiences, and creates the conditions for genuine change at the level where those patterns actually live.
What Can Hypnotherapy Help With?
The honest answer is: a great deal. Because the subconscious mind influences so much of how we think, feel, and function, hypnotherapy has remarkably broad applications.
Research and clinical practice have shown hypnotherapy to be effective for a wide range of concerns, including anxiety and stress, grief and loss, trauma and emotional healing, fears and phobias, sleep difficulties, self-esteem and confidence, perfectionism and self-criticism, weight management and emotional eating, smoking cessation, chronic pain management, burnout and nervous system dysregulation, sports and performance anxiety, public speaking, life transitions, and finding clarity and purpose.
At A Way Forward, some of the areas we most commonly support clients through include anxiety and emotional overwhelm, grief and loss, burnout recovery, life transitions, nervous system dysregulation, and subconscious blocks around relationships, career, and self-worth. These are the areas where we see the most profound and lasting shifts, not because hypnotherapy is a magic fix, but because these are issues rooted in subconscious patterns that respond beautifully to this kind of deep, direct work.
A few important notes: some applications of hypnotherapy, including support for certain medical conditions, depression, and chronic pain, work best in conjunction with care from a licensed medical or mental health provider. We always encourage clients to maintain relationships with their healthcare team, and we work collaboratively within that context.
What a Session With Shannon Is Actually Like
One of the most common things I hear from new clients is some version of: "I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't like anything I imagined."
Before we ever begin a hypnosis session, we spend time getting to know you, your history, your goals, what's been showing up in your life, and what you're ready to shift. Every session at A Way Forward is tailored specifically to you. There are no generic scripts, no one-size-fits-all approaches.
When we move into the hypnosis itself, you'll settle into a deeply relaxed state, on a comfortable couch or chair, eyes closed, breathing naturally. My voice will guide you inward. Most clients describe this as profoundly peaceful, like the best rest they've had in years. Some notice vivid imagery. Some experience emotional releases, tears, laughter, or a sense of something lifting. Some simply feel quietly different afterward, like something shifted without them being able to fully name it.
Sessions typically run two hours for a first session, allowing enough time for a thorough intake and a full hypnosis experience. Follow-up sessions are 60 to 90 minutes depending on your needs and goals.
Common Questions (And Honest Answers)
Will I remember the session? Yes, most people remember everything. Hypnosis is not unconsciousness. It's focused awareness.
Can anyone be hypnotized? Most people can experience hypnosis to some degree. Willingness, openness, and a sense of safety are the main ingredients. Highly analytical or creative people often find they're excellent hypnotic subjects.
How many sessions will I need? This varies by person and by what you're working on. Some clients experience significant shifts in just a few sessions. Others benefit from ongoing work over several months. We'll give you an honest assessment after your initial consultation.
Is it safe? Clinical hypnotherapy practiced by a trained, certified professional is considered very safe. You remain in control throughout. Nothing can be suggested to you that goes against your values or wishes.
Is this the same as meditation? They share some overlap, both involve focused attention and relaxation. But while meditation cultivates awareness and acceptance of what is, hypnotherapy is directive, it uses the receptive state to create specific changes in belief, emotion, and behavior. They complement each other beautifully but are not the same thing.
Is Hypnotherapy Right for You?
If you're feeling stuck, in a pattern, an emotion, a version of yourself you're ready to move beyond, hypnotherapy may be exactly what you've been looking for.
If you've tried other approaches and found yourself hitting a ceiling, it may be because those approaches were working at the conscious level while the root of the issue lives somewhere deeper.
If you're simply curious, if something in you is drawn to this work without being fully able to explain why, trust that. In my experience, the people who are called to hypnotherapy are almost always ready for it.
The best way to find out if it's right for you is simply to have a conversation.
Book your free 15-minute consultation with Shannon Rollins-Rodriguez →
In this complimentary call we'll talk about what you're experiencing, answer your questions, and help you determine whether clinical hypnotherapy, somatic breathwork, or HeartMath® coaching is the right fit for where you are. Sessions are available in-person in Orlando, FL and virtually worldwide.
Shannon Rollins-Rodriguez is the founder of A Way Forward Hypnotherapy & Breathwork in Orlando, FL. She is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist trained through the Institute of Interpersonal Hypnotherapy, a QHHT Level 2 practitioner, and Pause Breathwork facilitator. Her personal healing journey through hypnotherapy, including recovering from grief, anxiety, and chronic psoriasis, is the foundation of the compassionate, results-focused care she brings to every client.