Online Hypnotherapy – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

Since the pandemic I think we’ve all got a lot more used to interacting online for a much wider range of purposes than we ever used to. Working from home, lockdowns, home schooling and so on accelerated our willingness to communicate over things like Zoom and Teams.

That said, even before the that I’d helped a lot of people across the world using Zoom and Skype. I often get enquiries from people who live abroad or too far away from Ely and Newmarket to attend in person, yet who still want to engage in hypnotherapy sessions with me for issues such as anxiety, worry and overcoming phobias. During the pandemic all of my work had to switch to online hypnotherapy due to restrictions, and even hypnotherapy sessions with people who were local to Ely and Newmarket continued online. Working in this manner has only continued where someone lives several hours away around the UK, or abroad, or where someone may struggle to travel or need to avoid being around others for various reasons (e.g. they are immuno-compromised or need to avoid any possible infection for medical reasons).

In my experience, online hypnotherapy sessions can work smoothly and successfully. Yet, when someone does contact me about working over Zoom, that question of whether online sessions are as effective as in person sessions, usually looms large in their minds.

Hypnotherapy Sessions Online

In my experience, provided there is a reasonable internet connection, Zoom online hypnotherapy sessions can work very effectively indeed. In fact, since the pandemic and getting more used to remote and virtual ways of working, online sessions perhaps work even more positively as we are all that much more used to communication in this fashion.

For online hypnotherapy sessions to be successful, both you and your therapist need to hold a positive attitude and mindset about working this way.  The attitudes and expectations toward online therapy from both you and your therapist have an important effect on the efficacy of the treatment. Research from psychotherapy suggests that most therapists have a reasonably positive attitude towards online therapy (Békés and Aafjes-van Doorn, 2020).

This is  important because if you want to increase the likelihood of obtaining positive results from your online therapy sessions, then you want to work with a hypnotherapist who is confident and positive when working with you online. With a positive mindset, working with the hypnotherapist of your choice no longer depends just on being geographically close to them.

As well as attitudes towards online hypnotherapy being an important factor in its effectiveness, it is also vital that you and your hypnotherapist can establish a good working relationship when working online. This therapeutic relationship includes factors such as the agreement between therapist and client on goals for therapy, agreement between therapist and client on specific tasks of therapy, and the therapist–client bond. These are essential factors underlying successful therapy across therapeutic models. And so it’s pretty important that you and your hypnotherapist are able to work together effectively, whether that’s face-to-face in the same room or online.

Again, the evidence here is positive. The evidence overwhelmingly supports the notion that a good quality therapeutic relationship  can be developed in psychotherapy by video-conference, with clients rating bond and presence at least equally as strongly as in-person settings (Simpson & Reid, 2014). This is further support showing that hypnotherapy can work effectively online, and that the factors that support successful therapy can be achieved and maintained.

 

Effectiveness of Online Hypnotherapy

Very often the main factor in deciding whether to go for online hypnotherapy sessions will be whether you have a positive mindset towards it, or whether you would prefer to be in the same room with someone. Naturally, I always find it lovely to meet a client face to face and to communicate in that way, yet I find it equally enjoyable getting to know my clients who may be much further away from my office.

The question arises, however, about whether online hypnotherapy or in person hypnotherapy is likely to get you the best result in terms of overcoming anxiety, building confidence, weight loss or your other therapy goals. The evidence suggests that, in fact, online hypnotherapy and face to face hypnotherapy are both pretty much equally effective.

Barak et al (2008), carried out a review and meta-analysis of research to examine the effectiveness of online therapy. The studies included in their review involved a total of 9,764 clients who were treated through various Internet-based psychological interventions for a variety of problems. Their results suggested that the effectiveness of online therapy is pretty similar to that of face-to-face therapy, and the authors noted there was strong support for the increased adoption of online psychological interventions within therapy. Online therapy was found to be especially effective for treating anxiety and stress and, on average, was as effective as face-to-face interventions.

A further review of video-conferencing psychotherapy, which these days could cover Skype, Zoom, Teams or Facetime (Backhaus et al, 2012), found that online therapy delivered by video has similar clinical outcomes to face to face therapy.

And one area that has specifically been investigated is the effectiveness of online hypnotherapy for help with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Hypnotherapy has been demonstrated to be very effective in the treatment of IBS. For example, Tan, Hammond & Gurrala (2005), found that hypnosis consistently produces significant results and improves the symptoms of IBS in the majority of patients, and that these positive effects can be sustained over a considerable period of time. The evidence also shows that similar positive results can be achieved by using hypnosis online via Skype where it isn’t possible to meet in person with a hypnotherapist, perhaps due to the severity of IBS symptoms making it difficult to travel (Hasan, Pearson, Morris & Whorwell, 2019). Online hypnotherapy was shown to be highly effective and to help you achieve similar results when compared with hypnotherapy in person.

There’s a bit more about online hypnotherapy over in this previous article (including a little video where I talk about it, thankfully recorded after I’d lost my mass of lockdown hair!): The Effectiveness of Online Hypnotherapy: Skype and Zoom Hypnotherapy Sessions

 

Hypnotherapy Sessions Online 

A more recent research paper (Hasan & Vasant, 2023), has also looked at the emergence of remote / online hypnotherapy delivery. As they note, the pandemic significantly accelerated the adoption of online hypnotherapy sessions. Whereas before, online hypnotherapy had often only been used where more convenient or where travel was difficult, the pandemic led to changes so that people were able to maintain physical distancing as required by the restrictions and regulations in place.

Whilst some of us had always used online hypnotherapy as an option, perhaps more when necessary than as a deliberate method of meeting, more and more people are now open to Zoom / online hypnotherapy sessions. Even people who may have disliked the idea before the pandemic soon got used to it as those pandemic restrictions continued for an extended period. Now, there can’t be many people who haven’t engaged in a video type meeting of some kind, whether socially, with family, for work or when having some sort of appointment such as hypnotherapy.

Online hypnotherapy sessions have several positive aspects. There is no need for travel, paying for petrol or public transport, or needing to find parking. Sessions can be time efficient as you can schedule more into your day, or fit things around work. If you live a distance away, you can still easily meet me and take action to deal with your mental health challenges and to take action towards your goals. And if your health limits what you can do, or if your symptoms are particularly debilitating at first, or if travel causes excessive anxiety and stress, you can still get access to effective treatment. Online hypnotherapy sessions are easy to set up and engage in, you can be comfortably located at home or in the office, you save on travel and you save on time.

Whilst restrictions were in place, all of my sessions were carried out online, no matter where you lived or how close you are. Now, those with busy lives may still prefer to meet online, or it may fit better with other responsibilities and commitments. And, of course, I’ve carried on working with clients across the UK and Europe because distance is not a factor. Some people prefer face to face hypnotherapy so choice and preference are important to consider and it’s great to be able to offer both options.

I think we all saw those videos during the pandemic where a child or pet would gate crash an interview or broadcast (along with a variety of reactions from those involved!). It’s therefore pretty important that, if you are choosing online hypnotherapy sessions, you can arrange things so that children, pets, family members or colleagues aren’t likely to come rushing in to interrupt your session. That said, I’ve know it to happen and you can still work around it, and I’ve also known some cats and dogs who deliberately come into the room and who seem to enjoy relaxing to my voice! As long as you can work the technology and have a reasonable internet connection, online sessions tend to run as smoothly as those held face to face.

“The journey of teletherapy so far, based on the experience of patients and hypnotherapists while at the same time backed up and endorsed by the ongoing evidence-based research, makes us feel confident in the ever-growing acceptance and utilization of video-therapy in the future. While there remains a role for face-to-face therapy for some patients, tele-therapy is not only here to stay but is certain to continue to evolve and develop into an even more effective, reliable, convenient, and efficient way of delivering hypnotherapy remotely both for the patient and the hypnotherapist. With further innovations in technology, more and more people are likely to embrace this mode of treatment in the times to come to the extent that it may permanently become the predominant method of delivery in the future” (Hasan & Vasant, 2023).

Online hypnotherapy sessions are now a positive alternative to more traditional face to face sessions. With a few minimum requirements in place they can work just as effectively and you can access help quickly and easily. So if geography, your anxiety or other symptoms, or a worry about the effectiveness of online hypnotherapy sessions have been putting you off, then they need do so no longer. Since the pandemic we are all much more used to working online. So now you have the freedom to work with me and to achieve your therapy goals in a much more flexible manner, where you can choose to work with me in person, online or as a mixture of the two. And whichever method you choose, you too can soon be achieving fantastic positive results like the ones described by many of my other clients after their sessions (you can take a look here: What They Say).

 

To your health and well-being,

Dan Regan

Online Skype and Zoom Hypnotherapy  

Face-to-face hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

 

Need some help with anxiety, stress, worry and fear? Book your Complimentary Hypnotherapy Strategy Session with Dan now: Appointments

Find out what other people have said after their hypnotherapy sessions with Dan: Hypnotherapy Testimonials

And check out these powerful hypnosis downloads that can start helping you right away with anxiety, confidence and more: Hypnosis Downloads

 

References:

Backhaus, A., Agha, Z., Maglione, M.L., Repp, A., Ross, B., Zuest, D., Rice-Thorp, N.M., Lohr, J. and Thorp, S.R., 2012. Videoconferencing psychotherapy: a systematic review. Psychological services, 9(2), p.111.

Barak, A., Hen, L., Boniel-Nissim, M. and Shapira, N.A., 2008. A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Journal of Technology in Human services, 26(2-4), pp.109-160.

Békés, V. and Aafjes-van Doorn, K., 2020. Psychotherapists’ attitudes toward online therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30(2), p.238.

Hasan, S.S., Pearson, J.S., Morris, J. and Whorwell, P.J., 2019. Skype hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: effectiveness and comparison with face-to-face treatment. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67(1), pp.69-80.

Hasan, S.S. and Vasant, D., 2023. The emerging new reality of hypnosis teletherapy: A major new mode of delivery of hypnotherapy and clinical hypnosis training. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 71(2), pp.153-164.

Simpson, S.G. and Reid, C.L., 2014. Therapeutic alliance in videoconferencing psychotherapy: A review. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 22(6), pp.280-299.

Tan, G., Hammond, D.C. and Gurrala, J., 2005. Hypnosis and irritable bowel syndrome: a review of efficacy and mechanism of action. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 47(3), pp.161-178.