What actually happens in a hypnotherapy session — and why mine probably looks different.
If you’re considering hypnotherapy for the first time, here’s exactly what to expect — minute by minute. And here’s how my strategic, multi-modal approach differs from the version you might have seen in films.
Most people’s mental image of hypnotherapy is a pocket-watch, a deep voice, and someone slumped sideways in a chair clucking like a chicken. That isn’t what real hypnotherapy looks like — and it’s definitely not what happens in my Cabinteely practice. The actual work is far more interesting, far more practical, and far less mystical than the version in films.
I’m writing this article because most of my first-time clients arrive with quiet anxiety about what they’re walking into. Will I be unconscious? Will I do something embarrassing? Will it actually work? If those are the questions in your head right now, this article is for you. By the end you’ll know exactly what happens in a session with me — and what makes my approach different from how hypnotherapy is usually delivered.
First, the myth-busting
Let me clear up the three biggest misconceptions before we go any further, because they trip up nearly every new client:
You will not be unconscious. Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed but fully aware state — closer to the absorbed focus you feel when you’re lost in a great book or driving a familiar route on autopilot. You’ll hear everything I say. You’ll remember the session afterwards. You stay in control throughout.
You cannot be made to do anything against your will. Stage hypnosis — where people quack like ducks — is selection bias plus performance, not therapy. In a clinical hypnotherapy session, you remain you, with all your values and boundaries intact. If I suggested something that didn’t align with your beliefs, you’d simply ignore it.
You probably can be hypnotised. Most adults enter at least a light therapeutic state easily — and a light state is genuinely enough for the work to land. Even if you don’t reach a deep trance, I have five other modalities to work with. Hypnosis is one tool of six in my practice, not the only one.
“Hypnotherapy at its best isn’t a magic show. It’s a quiet, practical conversation with the part of you that runs everything underneath.”
What a first session with me actually looks like
Here’s what happens, minute by minute, in a typical first session in Cabinteely (or online). Sessions are 90 minutes — longer than most practitioners offer, because the first session does double duty as both diagnostic and treatment.
Welcome and forms
We start with a warm cup of tea and a few short intake forms. I do these with you, in person, rather than asking you to fill them in online beforehand. The way you answer — what you skip, what you elaborate on, what you struggle to put words to — tells me as much as the answers themselves.
The real conversation
This is where I do the work most hypnotherapists don’t. I ask leading questions — not to lead you anywhere in particular, but to lead the conversation toward what you can’t quite reach on your own. I’m watching your body as much as listening to your words. What softens. What tenses. What you skim over too quickly. By the end of this section, we usually both know what we’re actually working on — which is rarely what you arrived saying.
Settling in
Now I guide you into a deeply relaxed state. You’ll sit comfortably (in my reclining chair if you’re in person, or however suits you if we’re online). I’ll talk you through a relaxation that helps your body let go and your mind quiet down. Most clients describe this as the most relaxed they’ve been in months.
The work itself
This is where the modality is chosen — based on what your nervous system has shown me it responds to. It might be classical hypnotherapy. It might be EFT tapping. It might be EMDR for an unresolved memory. It might be Somatic Healing for what’s stored in the body. It might be all four, woven together. There is no fixed script. The session is built for you, on the day, based on what’s actually there.
Coming back, gently
I bring you slowly out of the relaxed state. You’ll feel calm, often a little floaty, sometimes emotional in a quiet way. We sit with that for a few minutes. No rushing.
What happens next
Before you leave, I’ll give you one or two specific things to practise between now and our next session — usually a short tapping sequence or a nervous-system tool. I’ll also tell you honestly how many more sessions I think you’ll need. For most issues, it’s two or three in total. We book session by session, never as a package.
Why my approach is different
Most hypnotherapists work from a single modality — usually hypnotherapy alone, sometimes paired with NLP. Most use a script. Most run a similar structure with every client.
I do three things differently, and they’re the reason the work tends to land more quickly:
1. I’m strategic, not scripted
Your session is built for you in the first 35 minutes of our conversation, not pulled from a folder. The leading questions, the body-language reading, the diagnostic listening — that’s the skill underneath the technique. Without it, hypnotherapy is just relaxation.
2. I work at the root cause, not the symptom
“I can’t sleep” is rarely about sleep. “I can’t quit smoking” is rarely about willpower. “I can’t switch off” is rarely about time management. We find the anxiety or unresolved trauma underneath the presenting issue — because that’s where lasting change happens.
3. I’m trained in six modalities, chosen per client
The toolkit
- Clinical HypnotherapyThe core practice — working with the subconscious in a deeply relaxed, fully aware state.
- NLPNeuro-Linguistic Programming — re-patterning the language and imagery that hold limiting beliefs in place.
- CBTCognitive Behavioural Therapy — identifying and re-wiring the thought–feeling–behaviour loops underneath anxiety.
- EMDREye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — releasing trauma the body still carries from old experiences.
- EFT TappingEmotional Freedom Technique — used with every single client, because it works at a level the conscious mind can’t always reach.
- Somatic HealingBody-based release work for what gets stored beneath words — particularly powerful for trauma and burnout.
Tapping is the one I use with every single client. The other five are chosen based on what your situation calls for — and I’ll often combine three or four of them in the same session.
What change feels like, afterwards
Most clients leave their first session feeling quietly different. Lighter. A little floaty. Like a weight has shifted that they didn’t know they were carrying. Some feel emotional — in a relieving way, not a difficult one. Some feel tired in the evening (the nervous system uses energy to release what it’s been bracing against). Most sleep better that night than they have in months.
I always text every client a week after our first session. Always, every time. Not as a sales touch — as part of the work. That check-in tells me how the change has settled, and gives you a moment to notice what’s shifted. You can reply, or not. Both are fine.
From there, we work session by session. Most issues fully resolve in two or three sessions total. Sometimes more for long-standing patterns or layered trauma. I’ll be honest with you about what your situation calls for — and you’ll never hear me try to sell you a package you don’t need.
Curious to know if this work might help you?
I offer free 20-minute phone calls so we can talk through what’s going on and you can ask anything you like. No commitment, no pressure — just a chance to find out whether working together feels right.
Book a free 20-min call →Common questions about your first session
Will I be unconscious during hypnosis?+
No. Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed but fully aware state — closer to the focused absorption you feel when you’re lost in a great book. You stay in control throughout, can hear everything, and can end the session at any moment.
What if I can’t be hypnotised?+
Most people can enter at least a light therapeutic state, and a light state is enough for the work to land. If hypnosis isn’t your best fit, I have five other modalities — NLP, CBT, EMDR, EFT tapping and Somatic Healing — and I’ll use whichever combination your nervous system responds to.
How many sessions will I need?+
Most issues take 2–3 sessions to fully resolve and root in. Sometimes more for long-standing patterns or layered trauma. I’ll be honest with you about what your situation calls for after our first session — and we book session by session, never as a package.
Do online sessions work as well as in-person?+
Yes. Many clients prefer online — you’re already in your own environment, which can help you relax more deeply. I use a secure, encrypted therapy platform. The work is just as effective; only the journey changes.
Is hypnotherapy safe?+
Yes. Clinical hypnotherapy is non-invasive, has no side effects, and has been used in therapeutic settings for over a century. You retain full control throughout. It is generally considered safe for most adults, including during pregnancy. If you have a specific medical or psychiatric condition, mention it on our 20-minute call and I’ll advise honestly on whether it’s a good fit.
Where can I find hypnotherapy in Dublin?+
My practice is in Cabinteely, Dublin 18 — easily reachable from Foxrock, Cornelscourt, Cherrywood, Killiney, Sandyford and the wider South Dublin area. Free parking on site. I also offer online sessions for clients across Ireland and beyond.
