Hypnotherapy for Anxiety When You’ve Already Tried Everything
There’s a particular kind of anxiety that shows up after you’ve already “done the work.”
You’ve been to therapy.
You’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, learned the breathing exercises.
Maybe you’ve tried medication, supplements, yoga, somatic practices, or even psychedelics.
And yet, your body still jolts awake at 3 a.m.
Your chest still tightens over small things.
Your brain still runs worst-case scenarios on a loop, even when you know you’re not in immediate danger.
It can start to feel like you’re the problem, or like you’re somehow resistant to healing.
From a somatic hypnotherapy perspective, that’s usually not what’s going on.
Often, your anxiety isn’t a sign that you haven’t tried hard enough. It’s a sign that your nervous system is still carrying more than it can metabolize with thoughts alone.
In this post, I’ll share how hypnotherapy, specifically the modality that I practice called somatic hypnotherapy, can support anxiety that hasn’t shifted with other approaches, and how it fits alongside things like therapy and medication rather than replacing them.
Why Anxiety Can Stick Around Even When You’ve “Done the Work”
Anxiety is a full-body pattern.
You might notice:
Racing thoughts and a wired, restless body
Tightness in your chest or throat
Shakiness, buzzing, or a sense of “vibrating” under your skin
Trouble sleeping because your system won’t downshift
A constant sense that something is about to go wrong, even when nothing obvious is happening
Talk therapy, coaching, and mindset work can be incredibly helpful for understanding:
What you’ve been through
How your beliefs formed
What patterns you’re repeating
But understanding doesn’t always convince your body that you’re safe now.
Many people I work with have histories like:
Growing up in unstable or unsafe environments
Long-term burnout or caregiving with no real rest
Living in a body where hypervigilance is rational and normalized.
Repeated experiences of being dismissed, gaslit, or punished for having needs
Your body learned to stay on high alert for a reason. It’s not going to stop just because you tell it to.
Somatic hypnotherapy gives us a way to work with that body-level alarm system directly, instead of only trying to talk it down from the ledge.
What Makes Hypnotherapy Different From More Coping Skills
When people hear “hypnotherapy for anxiety,” they sometimes imagine a script like:
“You are calm and relaxed.
You feel peaceful in all situations…”
That’s one style of hypnosis, direct suggestion, but it’s not the only way to work.
What’s different about hypnotherapy in general is that it works in altered states of attention:
You’re more inwardly focused
Your analytical mind softens a bit
Imagery, emotion, and sensation are more vivid and accessible
Instead of trying to reason with anxiety from the outside, we step into a state where we can speak the language of the subconscious: symbol, metaphor, felt sense, memory, and body responses.
In somatic hypnotherapy, we take that one step further by including:
The nervous system (fight/flight/freeze/fawn and how they live in your body)
The felt sense (tight, heavy, numb, buzzy, spacious, warm, etc.)
A strong emphasis on pace and safety so we don’t overwhelm your system all over again
We’re not just installing affirmations; we’re building a new relationship between your mind, your body, and the parts of you that have been working overtime to keep you safe.
How Somatic Hypnotherapy Works With Anxiety Specifically
Instead of treating anxiety as an enemy to crush, somatic hypnotherapy treats it as a protective part of you that needs updating, reassurance, and sometimes a different job.
In sessions, we might:
Track anxiety in the body
Rather than only talking about “being anxious,” we gently notice where and how anxiety is showing up:A buzzing in your chest
Tightness in your throat
A knot in your belly
Feeling “floaty” or disconnected
Create an inner sanctuary
We might co-create an internal place that feels safer. An inner forest, a room, a landscape ~ a place where anxious parts of you can rest, watch, or receive support.Meet the anxious part, not just the anxious thoughts
In trance, anxiety often shows up as an image, a younger self, or a symbol of some sort.
We’re not arguing with it; we’re asking:“What are you protecting me from?”
“What do you need?”
“What would make this feel less dangerous?”
Let the body complete what it never got to finish
Sometimes anxiety is stuck fight-or-flight energy that never had a chance to move.
In a safe, contained way, we might let the body imagine running, pushing away, setting a boundary, or finally saying the thing you never got to say.Practice embodying new states
Not just “I am calm,” but:“What does 2% more grounded feel like in my feet?”
“What does ‘safe enough’ feel like in my chest?”
“What does ‘I can say no’ feel like in my spine and jaw?”
These shifts may seem subtle, but over time they can change the baseline of your system. Not by forcing calm, but by giving your body repeated experiences of support and choice.
A (Composite) Example
To protect privacy, this is an archetype rather than one real person, but it might sound familiar.
“R” is someone who has:
Been to therapy for years
Learned all the cognitive tools
Built a lot of insight about their trauma and patterns
They’re also:
Waking up with their heart racing most mornings
Feeling dread before work even when “nothing bad” is happening
Freezing or shutting down when they need to speak up, then beating themselves up later
In somatic hypnotherapy, we don’t start by telling R they’re safe and confident now.
We might begin by:
Helping R notice what anxiety actually feels like in their body without making it wrong.
Building an inner sanctuary where part of them does feel safe enough to rest.
Meeting the anxious part that believes “if I don’t keep watch, everything will fall apart,” and discovering when that job started.
Letting that part feel, in the body, what it’s like to be accompanied and supported instead of left alone with it all.
Over time, R might notice:
The morning heart-racing is less intense or less frequent
They recover from spikes of anxiety faster
They have a little more space to choose instead of automatically shutting down
It’s not magic; it’s consistent, body-based renegotiation of old survival patterns.
How Sessions Fit With Therapy, Medication, and Psychedelics
Somatic hypnotherapy is not a replacement for mental health treatment when that’s what’s needed.
If you’re dealing with severe depression, active suicidality, psychosis, or conditions that require medical/psychiatric care, hypnotherapy should be part of a broader support network, not the only pillar.
If you’re on medication for anxiety, this work can often complement it by helping your body learn what to do with the extra capacity meds can provide.
If you’ve done psychedelic work, somatic hypnotherapy can be a gentle integration space to help your nervous system catch up with the insights you’ve had.
I often collaborate with therapists, psychiatrists, and other practitioners (informally, with client consent) so that we’re not pulling your system in different directions.
Is Somatic Hypnotherapy for Anxiety Right for You?
Somatic hypnotherapy might be a good fit if:
You feel like you’ve hit a ceiling with talk therapy alone
Your anxiety is as much in your body as in your thoughts
You’re open to guided inner work (imagery, sensation, metaphor), even if you’re skeptical or new to it
You want a practitioner who takes context seriously ~ queer/trans identity, neurodivergence, trauma, systemic oppression ~ not as an afterthought
It might not be the best fit if:
You’re looking for a quick, one-session “fix”
You’re uncomfortable with any kind of inner imagery or guided experience
You’re in a level of crisis that needs more intensive, immediate support (ER, crisis line, or a higher level of care)
If you’re not sure where you land, that’s okay. A lot of people come into somatic hypnotherapy unsure whether they’re “doing it right.” Your uncertainty is welcome.
Working With Me: Somatic Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in Eugene & Online
If you’re curious about exploring this work, I offer somatic hypnotherapy sessions for anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm in a quiet office in Eugene, Oregon, as well as online for folks who prefer to work from home.
You can read more about my approach, who I work with, and what sessions look like here:
Somatic Hypnotherapy in Eugene & Online »
If something in you is tired of white-knuckling your way through anxiety, you’re welcome to book a free 20-minute consult through that page so we can feel into whether this kind of work might be supportive for you.
