Combining Talking Therapy and Hypnosis in Addiction Recovery: Benefits, Evidence and Limits

Many people who want to change their drinking or drug use already know why they want to stop. The difficulty is that knowing is often not enough. Cravings, old habits and strong emotions can override good intentions, especially under stress. This is one reason some people are interested in combining talking therapy with hypnosis.

In this post we explain what each approach offers, why they are sometimes used together, what the research does and does not show, and who a combined approach may or may not suit.

What talking therapy offers

Talking therapy gives you space to understand the role alcohol or drugs play in your life and to build practical alternatives. Depending on the approach, this can include:

• Making sense of your patterns, triggers and high-risk situations

• Building motivation and setting goals that feel realistic

• Learning ways to cope with cravings, stress and difficult emotions

• Planning for setbacks and preventing relapse

• Rebuilding relationships, routines and a sense of purpose

These approaches work mainly with the conscious mind: the thoughts, choices and behaviours you can notice and change. Psychosocial interventions of this kind are the foundation of UK guidance on treating drug misuse, including guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

What hypnosis adds

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened responsiveness to suggestion. In a therapeutic setting it is used to help people reach memories, beliefs and emotional associations that can be hard to access through conversation alone.

Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) is an integrative approach that combines hypnotherapy with cognitive behavioural principles, psychodynamic insight and suggestion-based techniques. In an RTT® session the aim is to identify the beliefs and emotional experiences that may be keeping the cycle of use going, and to reframe them. Sessions are followed by a personalised recording to listen to every day, which is intended to reinforce new ways of thinking.

Why combine therapy and hypnosis?

The idea behind a combined approach is that both conscious and subconscious processes play a part in addiction. Someone may decide clearly that they want to stop using cocaine, then find themselves using again on a Friday night without fully understanding why. Talking therapy helps with the planning, skills and support needed to change behaviour day to day. Hypnosis aims to work on deeper emotional drivers, such as feeling not good enough, needing to escape, or using to cope with anxiety.

Potential benefits of bringing the two together include:

• Two routes to the same goal: practical skills for everyday life, alongside work on underlying beliefs and emotions.

• Insight that can be explored further: themes that come up in hypnosis can be discussed and worked through in later therapy sessions.

• Continuity between appointments: listening to a recording each day keeps change in mind between sessions.

• Support when things get hard: therapy helps you plan for cravings and setbacks, which can still happen after a positive hypnosis session.

What does the evidence say?

It is important to be honest about the research. A widely cited meta-analysis of 18 studies by Kirsch, Montgomery and Sapirstein (1995) found that adding hypnosis to cognitive behavioural therapy improved outcomes: on average, clients who received hypnosis alongside therapy did better than at least 70% of those who received therapy alone. However, a later reanalysis of the weight-loss studies included in that review found a much smaller effect (Allison and Faith, 1996), which suggests the benefit varies between problems and studies.

For addiction specifically, the evidence is more limited. A Cochrane review of hypnotherapy for stopping smoking (Barnes et al., 2019) concluded that there was not enough good-quality evidence to say whether hypnotherapy works better than other forms of support. There are not yet any large controlled trials of RTT® for alcohol or drug problems, and NICE guidance does not currently recommend hypnotherapy as a treatment for drug or alcohol misuse.

In practice, this means hypnosis should not be presented as a stand-alone cure, and anyone promising guaranteed results should be treated with caution. At Cheshire Sobriety Clinic, RTT® is used as one part of a wider programme alongside talking therapy, goal setting and aftercare, and progress is reviewed regularly. Some clients describe RTT® as a turning point, but individual experiences vary and are not a substitute for research evidence.

Who a combined approach may not suit

• People with a history of psychotic illness. RTT® and hypnosis may not be suitable, and we will talk this through with you at your consultation.

• People who need a medically managed detox. Stopping alcohol suddenly after heavy, daily drinking can be dangerous. We do not provide detox, but we can advise on accessing those services.

• People in crisis or at immediate risk. Please go to A&E, contact your GP or call NHS 111.

• Anyone unsure about hypnosis. It is fine to ask exactly what a session involves before deciding whether it is right for you.

How we combine therapy and RTT® at Cheshire Sobriety Clinic

Our programmes bring together talking therapy with John Wilkinson, who has 27 years' experience across drug, alcohol and mental health services and is registered as an Advanced Practitioner with Addiction Professionals, and RTT® sessions with Dr Shyra Raj, a consultant medical doctor trained in RTT®.

Programmes typically last 6 to 10 months, starting with weekly therapy sessions. The first RTT® session usually takes place early in treatment, with a second session three to four weeks later, and you listen to your personalised recording every day for at least 21 days. You can read more in our treatment programmes section.

We support people with alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, cannabis and other drug use. Sessions take place in Altrincham and Alderley Edge, Cheshire, and online via Zoom for people anywhere in the UK, with evening and Saturday morning appointments available.

Taking the next step

If you are wondering whether combining therapy and hypnosis could help you, a complimentary, confidential 30-minute consultation is a chance to talk through your situation and ask any questions. Book a complimentary consultation or call 01925 500385 (also on WhatsApp).

References

Allison, D. B. and Faith, M. S. (1996) 'Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for obesity: a meta-analytic reappraisal', Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(3), pp. 513–516.

Barnes, J., McRobbie, H., Dong, C. Y., Walker, N. and Hartmann-Boyce, J. (2019) 'Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD001008.

Kirsch, I., Montgomery, G. and Sapirstein, G. (1995) 'Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: a meta-analysis', Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(2), pp. 214–220.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2007) Drug misuse in over 16s: psychosocial interventions (CG51).