Hypnotherapy Statistics

Have you ever wondered how effective hypnotherapy really is?
Scientists and researchers around the world have come together to provide us with facts and figures about hypnosis.

The verdict: It really works!

Results from Studies

  • Stop Smoking – Hypnosis is 3 Times as Effective as Nicotine Patch and 15 Times More Effective Than Willpower

    The results from more than 600 individual studies, involving over 72, 000 people from America and Europe were analysed and scrutinised. The findings state that on average, hypnosis is over three times as effective as nicotine replacement methods and 15 times as effective as trying to quit alone.
    (Source: New Scientist, University of Iowa, How One in Five Give Up Smoking, Journal of Applied Psychology, October 10, 1992)

  • Hypnosis Can Multiply Your Chances of Successful Weight Loss By More Than 30!

    60 females, at least 20% of whom were overweight were involved in a clinical study, where treatments included group hypnosis, individual hypnosis and maintenance suggestions. An average of 17 lbs (7.7kgs) was lost by those that were hypnotised, compared to just 0.5lbs (225grams) in the control group who were not hypnotised.
    (Source: Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment , Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492)

  • Hypnosis Works Even Better Over Time

    Results from 18 unique studies, confirmed that those who received the hypnosis lost more weight than 90% of those not receiving hypnosis AND they maintained the weight loss two years after treatment ended.
    (Source: University of Connecticut, Storrs Allison DB, Faith MS. Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for obesity: a meta-analytic reappraisal. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):513-516. )

How Does Hypnosis Compare to Other Forms of Therapy?

“Compared to other forms of therapy, hypnosis is the obvious choice for many issues.

Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D. reviewed the overall lasting success of various psychological approaches. This study revealed the following success rates:

  • Hypnotherapy — 93% success rate after 6 sessions
  • Behavior Therapy — 72% success rate after 22 sessions
  • Psychotherapy — 38% success rate after 600 sessions” 

(Source: Psychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice, Volume 7, Number 1, Spring, 1970.)

A Journalist’s Perspective

Maya Anderson is a freelance journalist with a special interest in health and natural therapies. In ‘Nature and Health’ magazine, February 2008 edition, Maya wrote:

Research into Relaxation

“In a Harvard Medical school study, 12 patients with a recent bone fracture were divided into two groups. Both groups had standard orthopaedic treatment, but one also received hypnosis and listened to healing visualisation audio tapes. After nine weeks, the hypnosis group demonstrated faster healing and better mobility, and a reduced reliance on painkillers compared to the control group.

A report published in the American journal of Clinical Hypnosis found that hypnotherapy helps prevent premature birth and prolong pregnancy. In another study, 55 per cent of woman in labour who used hypnosis were able to avoid an epidural, compared with 22 per cent of woman not given hypnosis.

In a 2004 study, 81 per cent of smokers who attended a set of three hypnotherapy sessions were able to quit smoking. What’s more, 12 months later, nearly 50 per cent had maintained their smoke free status.

One report has found that hypnotherapy can cure warts, presumably due to the link between psychological mechanisms and the immune system. In this study, a seven year old girl had 82 common warts; the warts had been present for 18 months and had not responded to conventional medical or drug treatment. After a fortnight of hypnotherapy sessions, eight of the 16 facial warts had disappeared. After three more weeks, all 82 warts were gone.”

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