Can Hypnotherapy Help With Confidence and Self-Esteem?

Yes, hypnotherapy can help many people feel more confident and think better of themselves. Low confidence is often held in place by old beliefs and a critical inner voice that runs automatically, and hypnosis works with that automatic part of the mind. Many of my patients notice a change after the first session.

Confidence and self-esteem are not the same thing

Confidence is trust in your ability to handle a particular situation, such as an interview, a date or a difficult conversation. Self-esteem is how you value yourself overall. Some people are confident at work but feel they are never good enough at home, and others like themselves but freeze in certain situations. Hypnotherapy can work with both, and it helps to know which one you want to change.

Where low confidence often comes from

1. Things you were told as a child or at school, which you came to believe about yourself.
2. A setback, a rejection or harsh criticism that stayed with you.
3. Comparing yourself with other people, online or in real life.
4. A long period of stress, illness or a difficult relationship.
5. Simply having avoided something for so long that it now feels impossible.

How I work with confidence and self-esteem

We begin, at the free consultation, by finding the trigger and the belief that keeps it going. In hypnosis we then work on that belief and on the inner voice that repeats it. You rehearse the situations you usually avoid while feeling calm and capable, and positive suggestions help you build a kinder picture of yourself.

I also create something I call a magical button. It is a simple anchor that brings back the confident feeling from the session, and you can use it in real life, for example just before you walk into a meeting or pick up the phone. Each session takes between one and two hours.

Situations people want more confidence in

1. Speaking up in meetings or sharing an opinion.
2. Job interviews and asking for a pay rise.
3. Dating and meeting new people.
4. Exams and driving tests.
5. Parties, weddings and other social events.
6. Saying no and setting boundaries without guilt.

When to speak to your GP first

Low self-esteem can be part of something bigger. If you feel worthless most of the time, your mood stays low or nothing gives you pleasure any more, please speak to your GP. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any hour, call NHS 111, or dial 999 if you are in immediate danger. As a safety rule in my practice, I do not recommend hypnotherapy if you have epilepsy or experience hallucinations of any kind.

What it costs

Confidence work currently costs £199 for the first session and £100 for each session after that. It starts with a free consultation, usually held by video, and you can then meet me online or in person at 165 Borough High Street, London.

If you would like to feel more at ease with yourself, you can arrange a free consultation from the home page and tell me where you would like more confidence.

I am Shahin Gurbanov, and I believe most people have more confidence than they think, waiting to be used.