Hypnotherapy Success Rates: Where Those Numbers Come From

You may have seen hypnotherapy advertised with a 93% success rate, or a claim that adding hypnosis makes CBT 70% more effective. Before using either number to choose a practitioner, it helps to ask what was measured.

I want you to be able to check the source, understand its limits and ask useful questions about the work you’re considering. Here’s what those figures can actually tell us.

1. Where the 93% figure comes from

The figure comes from Alfred Barrios’s 1970 paper, Hypnotherapy: A Reappraisal (PDF). Barrios averaged reported improvements from three hypnosis studies and compared the result with figures from separate reports of other therapies. It was a review of published work, not a trial assigning comparable patients to the three approaches.

The hypnosis studies themselves used different definitions of improvement. That matters: some counted symptom improvement, while another counted complete or almost complete symptom removal. Differences in patients, methods and outcome definitions make the headline percentages unsuitable for ranking the therapies.

The paper is part of the history of hypnosis research. Its 93% figure does not establish a modern success rate for hypnotherapy or tell you how many sessions you’ll need.

2. What the CBT comparison means

A 1995 meta-analysis by Kirsch and colleagues reported that the average person receiving CBT with hypnosis improved more than at least 70% of those receiving CBT without it. That describes the average participant’s position relative to the comparison group. It does not mean that 70% recovered or that the treatment was 70% better.

The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination’s appraisal identified missing information about study quality, participants and review methods. Those limitations affect how much confidence we can put in the result.

A 2021 update by Ramondo and colleagues included 48 comparisons after treatment and 25 at follow-up. It found a small to medium average advantage from adding hypnosis to CBT after treatment, and a medium advantage at follow-up. Results differed by concern and analysis.

This supports further consideration of hypnosis alongside CBT. It doesn’t establish that any combination works for every concern, or that my sessions are equivalent to the CBT programmes studied.

3. How much evidence is there?

A 2024 overview by Rosendahl and colleagues examined 49 meta-analyses covering 261 distinct studies. Nine reviews were rated high quality and 26 critically low. Some studies appeared in several reviews, so the review count isn’t a count of independent confirmations.

The authors found the most robust evidence around medical procedures and pain. Those findings concern particular interventions and settings; they don’t establish results for every service offered under the name hypnotherapy.

Safety reporting was incomplete: 28 reviews contained no safety information. Reported unwanted experiences included dizziness and a panic attack. The findings do not justify describing hypnosis as risk-free. Your health, current care and the proposed work belong in the suitability discussion.

4. What anxiety research can tell us

A 2019 meta-analysis by Valentine and colleagues brought together 15 studies covering 17 trials. It found an average effect size of 0.79 after treatment. Seven trials with follow-up data had an average effect size of 0.99. These describe differences between groups, not percentages of people who recovered.

The follow-up figure comes from a smaller set of trials, so the two numbers alone don’t show that everyone’s benefit grew over time. The review also found larger effects when hypnosis was combined with another psychological intervention.

I find that encouraging, while keeping the question specific: does the evidence match your concern and the approach being proposed? Comparing a hypnosis figure with a CBT figure from a different review would not, by itself, answer which treatment is better.

For more detail, read what research says about hypnotherapy.

5. Why I don’t advertise a success rate

A practice can learn from recording outcomes. To interpret a percentage, though, you need to know who was included, what counted as improvement, when it was measured and what happened to people who didn’t reply or stopped attending. Missing answers can change the picture.

CAP’s hypnotherapy advertising guidance requires rigorous evidence for success claims. A result for a technique also needs to be distinguished from a claim about an individual practitioner.

I don’t advertise a practice success rate. I can explain the work, its cost and how we’ll decide whether it’s useful to you.

If someone quotes a percentage, ask:

• Which concern and treatment does it describe?
• What counted as success, and how long did it last?
• Were people who stopped attending or didn’t reply included?
• Where can I read the original evidence?

6. What we agree before starting

In the free consultation, we talk about what you want to change. That might mean spending less of Sunday evening replaying Friday’s meeting, or speaking up when you usually stay quiet. We agree a starting plan, the fees and when to review progress.

At the review, I want to hear what happened outside the session, including difficult days and things that haven’t changed. We can continue, adjust the approach, pause or finish. If another kind of support seems more suitable, I’ll explain why.

Any practice between sessions needs to fit your life. If it’s difficult to do or isn’t helping, tell me so we can review it. An unhelpful result isn’t something you need to dress up for me.

You can read more about planning and reviewing sessions before deciding.

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