What To Expect When You're Scheduled for Hypnosis
Hypnotherapy & Psychiatric Services

What To Expect When You're Scheduled for Hypnosis

December 2024
7 min read
Dr. Geoff Nugent

Discover what therapeutic hypnosis really involves, how it differs from entertainment hypnosis, and how this evidence-based treatment can help with anxiety, depression, addiction, PTSD, and more.

Not Like the Movies!

In a psychiatric services context, hypnosis is a little different from what you might have seen in the movies!

Mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may respond favorably to therapeutic hypnosis.

Dr. Geoff Nugent and his team of mental health counseling and psychiatry experts at Nugent Family Counseling Center provide hypnosis and other psychiatric services.

Available from our locations in:

San Jose, CA

Los Gatos, CA

Reno, NV

Hypnosis and Psychiatric Services

Your provider at Nugent Family Counseling Center may recommend therapies and treatments including:

Medications management

Pharmacogenetic testing

Psychotherapy

Aromatherapy

Neurofeedback

Hypnosis

Psychiatric services aim to address your mental health symptoms, as well as the underlying causes of your mental health concerns.

What Is Therapeutic Hypnosis?

Successfully treating your mental health disorder means using all the evidence-based treatments and modalities available.

Therapeutic hypnosis, also known as hypnotherapy, is:

A form of complementary or alternative medicine that uses guided meditation and concentration to help you focus your attention and temporarily block out intrusive thoughts.

Benefits of the Hypnotic State

Explore Difficult Thoughts

Helpful for exploring painful thoughts or memories

Crystallize Essential Insights

Gain clarity and understanding

Block Pain Awareness

Temporarily block awareness of pain

How We Use Hypnosis

• As part of suggestion therapy

• As part of therapeutic analysis

• To accompany another form of psychotherapy like counseling

What to Expect During Therapeutic Hypnosis

When you work with our providers at Nugent Family Counseling Center using hypnotherapy, here's what you can expect:

1

Understanding the Process

We start by ensuring that you fully understand the hypnosis process, and how hypnotherapy fits into your treatment goals.

2

Guided Relaxation

Once you're ready, your provider uses a calm, gentle voice to guide you through a relaxing meditation that enhances your sense of security.

Purpose: This meditation helps to bring you into a receptive trance state.

3

Working in Trance State

From the hypnotic trance state, you may be able to more clearly visualize ways to achieve your goals.

Your provider can offer suggestions to help you:

  • • Reduce anxious feelings
  • • Reduce cravings
  • • Explore challenging feelings or memories
4

Returning to Normal State

At the end of your session, your provider may help you exit your relaxed state, or you may be able to bring yourself out of your trance on your own.

Important Reassurance

Either way, you don't need to worry about post-hypnosis suggestions to do silly or self-destructive things.

Hypnosis doesn't control you, but gives you access to a different type of thinking and perceiving so you can take control of your own mental health and wellness.

Conditions Hypnosis Can Help With

Pain management

Anxiety

Stress

Sleep disorders

Depression

Addiction

Discover How Hypnosis Can Help

To learn more about how hypnosis can help you cope with pain, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, depression, addiction, and more...

Get in touch with the team of experts at Nugent Family Counseling Center today.

Schedule Your Hypnotherapy Consultation

Explore this evidence-based treatment option for your mental health and wellness

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Experience Evidence-Based Hypnotherapy

Therapeutic hypnosis isn't like the movies—it's a legitimate, evidence-based treatment that helps with anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, pain management, and sleep disorders. In a safe, guided session, you'll enter a receptive trance state that allows you to explore difficult thoughts, gain insights, and work toward your goals. You remain in control throughout—hypnosis doesn't control you, it empowers you to take control of your mental health and wellness.