In Hong Kong, hypnotherapy is a solution for lots of us who struggle with mental and physical health conditions.
Hypnotherapy can be very useful when issues like anxiety develop or you haven’t healed from past traumas.
Ok, you know you’ve not been doing all the self-care you need; what next?
Guide to hypnotherapy in Hong Kong
In this article, we’re going to explore with you:
- Exactly what hypnotherapy is and how it works
- How hypnotherapy can benefit you
- A very well-regarded Hong Kong hypnotherapy and wellness center near you
In a hurry and just want to contact a hypnotherapy center in Hong Kong? If so, try All About You, founded by Clinical Hypnotherapist Sonia Samtani.
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is when you get hypnotized by a professional to help you understand – and hopefully solve – issues that are deep in your subconscious and show up as symptoms of addiction, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, or pain.
A trained hypnotherapist works with verbal cues and repetition to get you to relax and enter a state of deep concentration. This is when the “work” begins, and you start to explore your mind in a controlled environment.
There’s been a myriad of research over the years, and although we don’t know exactly how the process works, there’s a whole bunch of evidence that says it works for lots of different issues.
How does hypnotherapy work?
When you get put into a trance, your mind becomes more pliable and open to suggestions. You’re in a state of deep focus and attention so that you can better process what you’re being told without your defenses.
Your hypnotherapist can use visualization, suggestions or regress you back to a painful place where you can release your pain and reinterpret the situation. Ultimately, your hypnotherapist will help you feel at peace in a situation that previously triggered the negative behavior or thoughts you want to deal with.
The new feelings and beliefs that are created under the hypnotic state become your new default way of being. Similarly, the techniques that you’ll be taught when in the trance subsequently become automatic actions much quicker because you were hypnotized when you learned them.
With a little work and the help of tools like visualizations, guided meditation, and affirmations, hypnotherapy can have a whole range of benefits – some you’d probably not ever have guessed.
Where is the best clinic for hypnosis therapy near me in Hong Kong?
I have personally tried and highly recommend All About You; it’s one of the best hypnotherapy clinics in Hong Kong. Founded by Clinical Hypnotherapist Sonia Samtani, All About You is an all English-speaking center dedicated to your mental health and wellness.
The team of four clinical hypnotherapists is complemented by a team of other wellness coaches, such as tarot readers, NLP practitioners, intuitive acupressure massage therapists, trauma release practitioners, and a Bazi reader.
They offer private sessions and workshops that can help you work through your addictions, inhibitions, anxieties, and problems to help you become a better version of yourself.
Investing in your mental well-being now can help stave off issues further down the line, and hypnotherapy can teach you long-term strategies to help you maintain focus and positivity even after your sessions are over.
The 3 key reasons All About You is such a popular HK hypnotherapy clinic
- Non-judgemental atmosphere. This sounds simple, but what does it mean? The founder, Sonia, won’t express a judgment about your past actions or even the actions of people that might have hurt you. Instead, Sonia’s sole focus is on finding out what is causing the pain and helping you heal.
- Ability to simply explain complex and abstract concepts. Sonia is an impressive person; she is a clinical hypnotherapist, teaches hypnotherapy, is a public speaking coach, has her own TED videos, and has been featured in a huge number of press articles. But what’s more impressive than all of that is the clear and concise way she can communicate and explain why you’re feeling the way you do and what will help make you feel better.
- Strong sense of community. The clinic itself has a really warm and comforting vibe. If you attend any of their classes, don’t be surprised if you end up striking up a friendship with your fellow class participants. In our experience, people that either work or go to All About You tend to be pretty open-minded and friendly individuals.
Benefits of Hypnotherapy
There are so many different benefits of hypnotherapy. We’re going to look at ten of the proven benefits of using hypnotherapy and some of the evidence for building hypnosis into Hong Kong life.
1. Hypnotherapy and overcoming anxiety
Anxiety can take hold of us at any time in life – it’s not a sign of weakness. It tends to stem from a fear of judgment from other people or making a mistake. In simple words, it’s a future-based fear that ‘something bad is going to happen.’
You can feel anxious in lots of different situations, like:
- Meeting new people
- Going to parties and gatherings
- Attending a meeting or training course
- Heading out to a restaurant
- Walking down a crowded street
- Speaking in public
Any of these feel familiar?
These feelings will stem from a situation you’ve experienced in your life. You may not be able to pinpoint exactly what caused these feelings to build up, but understanding the cause will be the beginning of the journey to overcoming the anxiety.
When you get hypnotized, your therapist will be able to explore where the issues come from, why you worry about these issues and then help you develop techniques to be able to improve your mental well-being so that you can be relaxed in the same situations.
2. Using hypnotherapy to treat depression
Depression can be debilitating, creeping into your life and sometimes feeling like it’s never going to go away.
You might not identify what’s going on in your life as depression, so it’s worth looking at some of the main symptoms:
- Pessimism and a depressed feeling through the day
- A change in your weight, up or down
- Change in your energy levels
- Feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, or worthlessness
- Problems making decisions
- Not hitting targets at work or in your studies
- Sleep problems
- Having no feelings at all – emotional numbness
If you can tick off five or more from that list most days for two weeks, you’re likely dealing with depression.
You can seek a clinical diagnosis and then look to find a hypnotherapy practice near you to help work through your issues and figure out where they’re coming from.
There is plenty of evidence that hypnotherapy can be effective in treating depression, so it’s more than just a theory or something else to try.
3. Hypnosis to understand your life purpose
Ever wondered why you’re here? Where you’re going? Living in Hong Kong has loads of awesome and exciting elements, but it’s not all sunshine and roses.
When life feels like a grind, and you’re getting nowhere, an intervention to help you get to grips with where you are and where you’re going can offer guidance that gives you a sense of direction.
Along with hypnotherapy being used for clinical issues like we’ve just looked at, it can help you on a spiritual level to connect with your energy and find clarity on your purpose.
You’re not going to get told to leave your family and go meditate in the Himalayan foothills when you seek spiritual hypnotherapy – instead, you’re going to be encouraged to understand your needs better. In the end, you will feel more aligned, confident, and able to express yourself authentically.
Connecting with your life purpose when you’re hypnotized can help you maintain that connection in the longer term.
4. Quitting smoking with hypnotherapy
Smoking is one of those habits that we know is bad for us, but somehow the urge is too deep to be able to quit.
How many times have you tried to give up smoking? People will try to quit up to 30 times before they successfully give up the smokes for good.
There’s plenty of reasons to quit smoking:
- Smoking in most public places in Hong Kong is banned
- Your chances of getting all types of cancer increases
- You’ll damage your skin and wrinkles
- Hair gets brittle and smells
- It’ll mean you smell bad to those around you (take this from a former smoker!)
Although cigarettes aren’t prohibitively expensive like in Australia or the UK, the extra cash in your pocket will always help.
Seeking professional help in the form of smoking cessation hypnotherapy in Hong Kong is a great idea that will more than pay for itself in the long run.
Combining hypnotherapy with other methods to quit smoking like nicotine replacement is proven to be more effective than just nicotine gum, patches, etc., by themselves.
At All About You, they do more than place suggestions to stop smoking. They understand that if you stop smoking, you may channel the same addictive tendency to another seemingly more acceptable stimulus but still becomes an obsession. Their hypnotherapy techniques also address the root cause of the addiction itself, so it is nipped in the bud and stops there.
5. Hypnosis for eating disorders and weight loss hypnosis
Food isn’t just a means to our existence. For lots of us, food is a huge part of our lives, whether that’s because of gluten intolerance or a choice to be vegan.
Some people can have a more complicated relationship with what they eat, and this can develop into eating disorders such as:
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Compulsive eating
Or a combination of the three.
The first thing you should do is consult a doctor when you recognize you have disordered eating – this will ensure your recovery is healthy and you don’t gain or lose weight too quickly.
Building hypnotherapy into your recovery plan can help you reconfigure your attitude towards food.
When you get hypnotized, it’s easier to understand where ideas around food and eating come from. You can reach back to the memories that started to complicate your food habits.
There’s evidence to suggest that combining hypnotherapy with other treatment options can improve outcomes for people who have eating disorders, with a better chance of recovery and less chance of relapse.
6. Allergies and hypnosis
How do you deal with the annual onslaught of hayfever? When your eyes, nose, throat, and very being are disrupted by the pollen in Hong Kong, hypnotherapy can provide welcome relief.
If you’ve suffered from hayfever since childhood, you’ll no doubt have your own remedies. Whether you swear by local honey or dose up on Claritin every chance you get, hayfever sufferers know what works – is it worth the risk to try something new?
There is scientific evidence that having hypnotherapy sessions will, in fact, reduce your reaction to pollen and other airborne allergens.
How does it work? Your allergies are an overreaction of your body to something that’s generally harmless, like pollen or dust. It comes from an unconscious association that your mind has made with the stimulus, which you can discover through hypnotherapy.
Through your Hong Kong hypnotist, you’ll be able to work through your body’s reactions to your allergies and work on processes to change how you react to your surroundings.
Less sneezing, puffy eyes, and croaky throat? Yes, please!
7. Grief, loss, and hypnotherapy
Working through the grief of losing someone you loved can feel neverending. In the throes of mourning, it can feel like there’s no way out and no end to how bad you feel.
This can be exacerbated if you’re living apart from family – you might not have been able to make it home to the funeral or have had to leave loved ones back home to get back to Hong Kong and pick up your life.
To avoid building negative behaviors associated with your loss, you need support through the five stages of grief:
- Denial
- Depression
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Acceptance
Your hypnotherapist in Hong Kong can help you work through the stages and help find the reasons that you might have gotten stuck at a particular point. An important element of hypnotherapy for loss and grief is that you will be given coping mechanisms that will stay with you in the long term, too.
8. Hypnotherapy to help a trauma response
Having a negative response to a traumatic incident or situation is perfectly normal, whether it’s physical or emotional.
When your body gets hurt, it’s not uncommon to feel different or “changed” in some way, whether you’ve been in an accident, been attacked, or abused.
Hypnotherapy works with trauma by helping you deal with the suppressed emotions and negative reactions that are persisting. It helps you face the events with awareness so that you can address whatever is incomplete and finally move forward from what happened. If you’re struggling to process a bad time, speaking with a hypnotherapist can give you the chance to talk it through with focus and concentration.
You’ll also get taught strategies that have proven effective for others to help you cope with the memory of your trauma, so you’ve got a long-term solution.
9. Breaking nervous habits with hypnotherapy
It might not seem like the biggest issue in the world, but biting your nails can be a negative habit that’s driven by nerves and deep anxieties.
The same goes for other nervous habits like:
- Chewing pens and pencils that can damage your teeth
- Picking at scabs or spots, risking infection
- Pulling at hair, leading to potential hair loss
Engaging the help of hypnosis in Hong Kong can help you explore the deeper reasons for your nail-biting and other compulsive behavior.
Once you and your hypnotherapist work out why you’re destroying your nail, they can help you by stopping it all together.
10. Using hypnosis for phobias and fears
A phobia – an irrational fear or aversion to something – can creep on us at any time.
There are lots of phobias that are common, such as:
- Spiders
- Heights
- Small spaces
- Clowns
Which all have some basis for being scared; it’s part of the natural human instinct.
A fear or phobia can become troublesome when it interferes with our daily lives. For example, being afraid of flying could see you missing out on many important family occasions.
These fears come from somewhere. Harnessing the power of hypnotherapy, you can work to understand exactly where the fear is coming from in your mind.
Once you’ve recognized your problem and its cause, your hypnotherapist can help you work through your fears and find ways to overcome them.
FAQs about Hong Kong Hypnotherapy
Is hypnosis covered by insurance?
Whether your Hong Kong insurance company will cover hypnosis treatments will be down to them. As well as consulting your policy, you should contact your insurer to confirm, particularly if another health professional has recommended you try hypnotherapy for your needs.
Where can I take hypnotherapy classes in Hong Kong?
We recommend hypnotherapy classes from Clinical Hypnotherapist Sonia Samtani from All About You. Whilst we here at SavvyinHK have not taken any of the hypnotherapy classes at All About You, we personally know three different people who have. The feedback we heard was very positive. Not only is Sonia, an incredible teacher but All About You is the only center in Hong Kong that can provide complete and full training in Hypnotherapy in English.
Where is the best clinic for hypnosis therapy near me in Hong Kong?
We have tried and highly recommend All About You; it’s one of the best hypnotherapy clinics in Hong Kong. Founded by Clinical Hypnotherapist Sonia Samtani. All About You is dedicated to mental health and wellness; they have catered to English-speaking clients for years and have recently employed their first Chinese-speaking therapist to cater to the local market.
How much does a session of hypnotherapy cost?
Costs can vary wildly for hypnosis therapy in Hong Kong, like any other service. For highly qualified, English-speaking hypnotherapists, expect to pay around $1,300 – $3,000, with discounts generally available when you book multiple sessions.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy?
According to some sources, hypnosis can have a success rate of up to 93%. Fewer sessions of hypnosis therapy are usually needed than the alternatives such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
Does hypnosis therapy really work?
There’s a strong body of evidence that says hypnosis in lots of circumstances can be effective. It’s still a topic of debate by some psychologists and therapists as to exactly how hypnosis can work. The risks of hypnosis are minimal, with the worst reported side effect being the creation of false memories, but this isn’t too common. Trying hypnosis is unlikely going to make your situation worse, so it’s worth a try, even if you’re skeptical.
What conditions can hypnotherapy treat?
Seeking hypnotherapy in Hong Kong can be useful for a whole range of situations and problems. Along with the ten we’ve covered above, you can consider hypnotherapy for things like:
– Performance enhancement
– Family issues
– Exam anxiety
– Managing physical pain
– Eliminating recurring patterns
– Releasing long-term emotions of anger, sadness, helplessness, or guilt
If you’re not sure if a problem might be helped by a hypnotherapist, contact a reputable hypnotherapy clinic to discuss your needs.
Is it common to do hypnosis for eating disorders?
Yes, research has found that hypnotherapy can be effective in treating eating disorders.
In conclusion
Your wellness is always important, even with a busy city life that’s full of commitments. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider hypnosis.
Sonia Samtani from All About You has personally treated me. I was so impressed with her gentle, reassuring and non-judgemental approach. I immediately felt at ease and ready to explore the root cause of my concerns.
I couldn’t more highly recommend you go and see Sonia or one of the other hypnotherapists at her clinic – all of whom have been personally trained by Sonia.
If we have missed any tips about Hong Kong hypnotherapy, please share them in the comments section below.
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I studied under Sonia for the hypnotherapy course at her Centre. It was so eye-opening on so many levels. Sonia is an amazing teacher – very well prepared and knowledgeable and her delivery is second to none. I highly recommend her hypnotherapy courses.
Nathan – thanks so much for sharing your experience. We agree from our own personal experience that Sonia is a truly amazing teacher!