May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness, promoting education, and reducing stigma around mental health issues. Organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America (MHA) are at the forefront of these efforts, encouraging open conversations and highlighting effective treatments for common mental health challenges—especially anxiety, which remains one of the most pervasive mental health issues in the world today.
A real-life example
Karen came to me for help with her anxiety about driving. She knew how to drive but during an illness she had stopped driving. It became worse during the pandemic when she did not have a reason to drive. It became something that she didn’t want to do anymore. It was OK for a while and then it started to be a problem. Her kindergarten aged son was wondering why his mommy wasn’t picking him up at school like the other moms. She didn’t like always having to rely on her husband to run errands and do the marketing. She came to me for help. After two therapeutic hypnosis sessions she had learned how to:
shift herself into a state of deep relaxation
change her mindset about driving from anxious to positive, confident and enjoyable
use her personalized affirmations practice to reinforce and maintain this new mindset
For her final session with me Karen drove herself to her session, then on to school to pick up her son and safely, happily home again.
Understanding Anxiety: A Mind Stuck in “What If”
Your anxiety might show up not just as a racing mind or pounding heart, but as chronic tension, sleepless nights, difficulty concentrating, or even physical symptoms like digestive upset or fatigue. And while medications and talk therapy are often part of a comprehensive treatment plan, more people are discovering the power of hypnotherapy as a complementary approach that helps train the mind to let go.
Anxiety is more than worry. It’s a physiological and cognitive loop in which your brain stays stuck in future-focused fear, hypervigilance, and overactivation of the nervous system.
In essence, anxiety is the brain’s fight-or-flight system stuck in the “on” position—and over time, this constant mental and physical stress can become debilitating.
The good news? The brain is changeable. And hypnotherapy offers a powerful method for helping the mind rewire itself toward calm, clarity, and control.
What Is Hypnotherapy—and How Does It Help Anxiety?
Hypnotherapy is the therapeutic use of hypnosis, a focused relaxed state of awareness that allows access to your subconscious mind. While in this state, you can bypass conscious resistance and reprogram patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that fuel anxiety.
Key ways hypnotherapy helps with anxiety:
Interrupts racing thoughts with deep, guided relaxation
Retrains the nervous system to shift out of “fight-or-flight”
Reframes subconscious triggers that perpetuate anxious responses
Instills new coping tools for calm, focus, and resilience
Builds confidence by reinforcing a sense of inner control
Sessions often involve techniques such as guided imagery, progressive relaxation, breathing anchoring, and post-hypnotic suggestions tailored to the your individual experience of anxiety.
Scientific Support: What the Research Shows
Emerging research supports hypnotherapy’s effectiveness for anxiety. For example:
A 2016 study published in Cerebral Cortex showed that hypnosis measurably altered brain activity in areas involved in emotional regulation and self-awareness.
A meta-analysis published in International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis found hypnosis to be significantly effective in reducing anxiety symptoms across various populations.
The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes hypnosis as a proven therapeutic technique when used by trained professionals.
What Does a Hypnotherapy Session for Anxiety Look Like?
Each session is unique, but generally follows this arc:
Initial discussion to identify current stressors, triggers, and goals
Induction into a deeply relaxed, focused state
Suggestion phase, where the subconscious mind receives positive, calming instructions tailored to your goals (e.g., “I am safe and in control)
Emergence back to full wakeful awareness
Discussion and follow-up plan to reinforce change outside the session
You might find yourself feeling refreshed, calm, and empowered after just one session. Three or four follow-up sessions can lead to cumulative, lasting benefits including including reduced panic, improved sleep, and increased emotional resilience.
Anxiety Relief Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All—But Hypnotherapy Can Help
Whether your anxiety shows up as constant worry, panic attacks, social discomfort, or generalized unease, hypnotherapy can meet the mind where it is—and guide it gently toward balance. It doesn’t replace medical care (if needed), but it can enhance it by calming the body, retraining the brain, and helping you reclaim a sense of agency.
As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month this May, consider the importance of treating the mind with as much care and compassion as you treat your body. Hypnotherapy offers a powerful tool in the toolkit of healing.
A Final Word: You Don’t Have to Be Stuck in Anxiety Forever
Anxiety may feel like a life sentence, but the brain is not fixed in fear. Through intentional support, including hypnotherapy, you can retrain your mind, reshape your responses, and rediscover peace.
When you or someone you love is struggling with anxiety, consider exploring hypnotherapy as part of a well-rounded, compassionate approach to mental health. , I am available for a Free, private 30 minute phone consultation for new clients. Please call me at 818-929-4944 or go to cindaroffman.com to book a free consultation.
Sincerely,
Cinda
HypnoNews and Resources
Please see the following for access to a comprehensive tool kit to support Mental Health Awareness and additional perspectives on
2025 Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit
https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/mental-health-awareness-month/toolkit
Understanding Hypnosis for Anxiety