Why Combine Counselling and Hypnotherapy? A Blended Approach Explained
- Jordi Mora Calzas
- Dec 13, 2025
- 4 min read
Table of Contents
Why Combine Counselling and Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy has a long history of promoting wellbeing and is widely recognised for its effectiveness. It can help with issues such as anxiety, depression, fears and phobias, and even pain management, among other applications.
In the UK, hypnotherapy is classed as a Complementary Therapy - part of what’s known as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). This means it can work alongside mainstream approaches, such as counselling, to create a more holistic and tailored path to healing.
In this brief blog post, we explore how hypnotherapy can complement counselling to address mental health challenges and support lasting change.
Understanding the Layers of Your Mind
Our mind is a dynamic system that shapes how we experience life. When everything works in harmony, we feel balanced and resilient. But when stress or difficult experiences disrupt that balance, it can affect both our thoughts and emotions.
Just like the body has interconnected systems, the mind has layers that influence how we think, feel, and respond. These layers include:
Conscious Mind: The part of us that thinks, reasons, and makes decisions. It’s where we process thoughts and feelings and interact with the world around us.
Subconscious Mind: The space where habits, learned behaviours, and emotional associations live. It influences how we react - often without us realising it.
Unconscious Mind: A deeper layer that stores memories and experiences outside of awareness, including material that may shape behaviour without conscious control.
Think of the mind as an iceberg: the conscious mind is the visible tip, while the subconscious and unconscious lie beneath the surface, quietly shaping our behaviour.
Counselling primarily works with the conscious mind, helping you reflect and make sense of your experiences. Hypnotherapy gently engages the subconscious, where patterns and emotional responses often reside. Together, they create a pathway for insight and lasting change.
How Counselling and Hypnotherapy Work Together
Each layer of the mind serves a unique purpose, and together they create a balanced system that supports our wellbeing. None is better than the other - they complement each other, just as different types of therapy engage with different aspects of the mind.
Counselling provides a safe, reflective space to explore your experiences, gain new perspectives, and develop strategies that foster positive, lasting change.
Hypnotherapy works gently and collaboratively with patterns, beliefs, and emotional associations often outside conscious awareness. By creating a respectful space, it helps you reconnect with inner resources and supports meaningful change - always guided by your values and choice.
When combined (see research below), counselling and hypnotherapy create a powerful partnership:
Counselling offers conscious insight and understanding.
Hypnotherapy helps integrate those insights at a deeper level, supporting emotional regulation and behavioural change.
What Research Says About Combining Therapies
While research in this area is still evolving, there is encouraging evidence that combining hypnotherapy with counselling or psychotherapy can enhance outcomes:
A meta-analysis of 18 controlled studies found that adding hypnosis to cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) produced about 70% greater improvement than CBT alone, with benefits lasting up to 18 months (Kirsch et al., 1995).
Clinical reviews confirm that hypnotherapy can accelerate progress and improve emotional regulation when integrated with counselling or CBT, particularly for anxiety, depression, and trauma (Alladin, 2016).
The American Psychological Association recognises hypnosis as a valid treatment technique, especially when combined with evidence-based psychotherapy (APA Division 30).
A comparative study in Turkey examined outcomes for people with depressive symptoms using CBT alone versus CBT combined with Ericksonian hypnotherapy. After 12 weeks, the group receiving the blended approach showed significantly greater improvements in mood compared to those who received CBT only. This suggests that integrating Ericksonian techniques with counselling or psychotherapy may enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Together, these findings highlight how a blended approach - combining counselling with hypnotherapy - can create deeper, longer-lasting change by working with both conscious insight and subconscious patterns.
Our Trauma-Informed Approach at Sui Cura Therapies
At Sui Cura Therapies, we focus on supporting people experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety through counselling, hypnotherapy, and a blended
approach that combines both. This gives you the flexibility to choose a gentler path or work more deeply with the patterns behind your challenges.
Every interaction is guided by our core values - Simplicity, Integrity, and Partnership - and delivered within a trauma-informed framework. Your sessions are grounded in the safety and ethical standards of counselling and psychotherapy practice, ensuring a compassionate and professional approach.
How to Access Therapy Safely and Confidently
Counselling and psychotherapy have a long-established track record for helping people, and their effectiveness is widely supported by research. While hypnotherapy is considered a complementary therapy, it is increasingly backed by evidence and it can be integrated with other forms on counselling and/or psychotherapy.
To ensure public safety, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) runs an Accredited Registers Programme, backed by the Department of Health. This programme sets clear professional standards that practitioners must meet and maintain, so you can feel confident you’re working with someone qualified and accountable.
Discover why the Accredited Registers Programme is essential for your safety in our detailed blog post.
Your Next Step Toward Calm and Clarity
Counselling and hypnotherapy each offer unique benefits—but when combined, they create Counselling and hypnotherapy each offer unique benefits—but when combined, they create a powerful way to support change. Counselling helps you explore your thoughts and feelings, while hypnotherapy works with the deeper patterns in your subconscious mind. Together, they provide insight and transformation, helping you move forward with confidence.
Ready to explore how counselling and hypnotherapy can support your journey? Book a free discovery call today and take the first step toward building the calm, clarity, and resilience you deserve.
Comments