One of the most common questions people ask before booking sessions with me is:
“Should I choose counselling or hypnotherapy?”

It’s a great question — and an important one.
Both approaches can help with anxiety, confidence, stress, trauma, and emotional wellbeing. 

But they work in very different ways.

Understanding those differences can help you choose the approach that’s right for you — and save you time, frustration, and money along the way.

Counselling: Understanding through the conscious mind

Counselling focuses on helping you talk through your feelings and experiences in a safe, supportive environment.

It works mainly with the conscious mind — the part of your brain that’s logical, analytical, and aware. 

Through talking and reflection, you begin to make sense of why you feel or behave a certain way.

For many people, counselling provides a vital space to process, understand, and feel heard. That in itself can be profoundly healing.

But sometimes, insight alone isn’t enough to create change.
You might fully understand why you feel anxious, why you overthink, or why you turn to certain habits — yet still find yourself repeating the same patterns.

That’s not a failure on your part or your counsellor’s. It’s simply because your conscious understanding doesn’t always reach the unconscious programmes that are running the behaviour.

Hypnotherapy: Reaching the programmes that run the behaviour

Hypnotherapy works on a deeper level.

Instead of just talking about the problem, it helps you reach the part of your mind that’s running it.

Think of your unconscious mind as the “software” that drives 95% of what you do — your automatic responses, emotional reactions, habits, and beliefs that have been learned and stored over time.

You can’t reason with these programmes consciously — but under hypnosis, you can update them.

And here’s what surprises most people:
Hypnotherapy doesn’t need to find the exact “root cause” to bring resolution. 

The unconscious mind already knows where the pattern began. Once you reach any part of that network, it can start to release.

It’s like tipping the first domino in a long row — you don’t have to knock them all down one by one. When one falls, the rest follow.

Sometimes it feels more like a network of lights or fireworks in the sky — one spark of awareness ignites another, and another, until the whole pattern lights up and dissolves.

That’s why you don’t have to relive distressing experiences or analyse everything in detail. Once the unconscious mind starts to process and release, those old emotional links naturally let go, creating space for balance, calm, and control.

So which works better?

That depends on what you need — and where you are in your process.

If you’re looking to talk, explore, and understand your experiences, counselling can be an excellent place to begin. It helps you gain insight and make sense of the past through the conscious, analytical mind.

Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, works by quietening that analysis and connecting with the unconscious mind — the part that runs the automatic emotional and behavioural patterns underneath.

Because hypnotherapy encourages release rather than discussion, it’s often most effective when the conscious mind isn’t busy re-examining the same material elsewhere.

That’s why I usually recommend completing any counselling first, and then beginning hypnotherapy when you feel ready to let go of what’s already been understood.

It’s not that one is right and the other wrong — they simply work in different ways. 

Counselling helps you understand why things feel the way they do. 

Hypnotherapy helps you change how it feels so you can move forward.

How Hypnotherapy works in practice

During a hypnotherapy session, you’re guided into a relaxed, focused state — it's a natural state you move through many times a day, like daydreaming or being deeply absorbed in a book.

You remain fully in control, aware of everything around you, and able to talk or move at any time. In that calm and focused state, the unconscious mind becomes more receptive to positive change.

That’s where the work happens — gently and effectively, without forcing or reliving anything painful.

Clients often describe it as finally being able to press “reset.”

Choosing what’s right for you

There’s no competition between hypnotherapy and counselling — they simply work at different levels of the mind.

• Counselling helps you understand the story.
• Hypnotherapy helps you change the script.

If you’ve talked things through but still feel like something’s holding you back, it might be time to go deeper — to reach the programmes that are quietly shaping how you think, feel, and respond.

That’s where real transformation begins.
If you feel ready to move on, you can book a free, no-obligation consultation to find out how hypnotherapy can help you take that next step with confidence.

👉 Click here to book your free consultation 

Frequently asked questions

Can I have hypnotherapy while I’m still in counselling?
It’s usually best to complete counselling first. Hypnotherapy works by calming the analysing mind and connecting with the unconscious, so running both together can sometimes slow the release process.

Do I have to know the cause of my problem for hypnotherapy to work?
No. Your unconscious mind already knows where the pattern began. Once we reach any connected point, change often happens naturally — like a set of dominoes falling or lights switching on across a network.

Will I lose control under hypnosis?
Not at all. You remain aware and in control throughout. Hypnosis is simply a focused, relaxed state where your mind becomes more open to positive change.

How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
Everyone’s different, but most people notice positive changes within just a few sessions. We’ll discuss this during your free consultation so you know exactly what to expect.

Is hypnotherapy suitable for anxiety or trauma?
Yes — hypnotherapy can be highly effective for people experiencing anxiety, stress, or the effects of past trauma. It works by calming the body’s stress response and helping the unconscious mind release old emotional patterns safely and gently. 

Many clients come to hypnotherapy after talking therapies when they’re ready to move beyond understanding and create genuine emotional freedom. Each session is tailored carefully to your needs and delivered in a safe, supportive environment.

Ready to take that next step?

If you live in Cheltenham, Gloucester, or the Cotswolds, I offer a free, no-obligation consultation so you can ask questions, find out more, and decide whether hypnotherapy feels right for you.

👉 Book your free consultation today 

There is never any obligation to book any of my services and the free consultation is a way to let me understand what is going on for you.