Clinical hypnosis is a gentle, therapeutic technique that helps you enter a relaxed, focused state of awareness-similar to the way you might feel when deeply absorbed in a book or daydream. In this state, your mind is more open to helpful suggestions, allowing you to strengthen your ability to manage stress, regulate emotions, and support overall well-being. Hypnosis is a natural process that enhances your ability to connect with your inner resources for healing and resilience.
This Hypnosis for Stress Management group is designed for individuals experiencing chronic symptoms who want to reduce anxiety and explore new ways to manage stress. The group combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and clinical hypnosis to help you better understand how stress affects your body and mind. Through guided hypnosis exercises, relaxation techniques, and practical coping strategies, you'll learn how to cultivate a greater sense of calm, ease, and control in your daily life.
Core Principles:
- Enhancing the Mind-Body Connection: Increases awareness of how stress affects symptoms and builds tools for self-regulation.
- Teaching Mindfulness & Relaxation: Uses focused breathing, body awareness, and guided imagery to foster calm and emotional balance.
- Combining Education with Experiential Learning: Blends CBT and hypnosis to support stress reduction through both understanding and practice.
- Building Long-Term Coping Skills: Provides practical, research-backed strategies for managing stress and improving well-being beyond the group.
Experiential Exercises:
- Self-Hypnosis Practice: Participants will learn to guide themselves into a relaxed, focused state using self-hypnosis techniques to reinforce skills outside of group sessions.
- Guided Hypnosis: Each session will include a hypnotic induction which includes progressive relaxation, resource-building, and stress management techniques
- Body Scans & Focused Breathing: Used to increase body awareness and relaxation, helping participants tune into sensations and regulate their nervous system.
- Cognitive Restructuring: Helps participants identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns contributing to stress and anxiety.
- Group Discussions: Provide a supportive space for participants to reflect on experiences, share insights, and reinforce learning.
- Hypnosis Inductions & Guided Imagery: Core components of the group, where participants are led through visualizations and relaxation techniques designed to enhance calm, reduce stress, and build resilience.
- Mindfulness Practices & Relaxation Techniques: Help participants cultivate present-moment awareness, develop emotional regulation skills, and deepen the mind-body connection for long-term stress management.
- Self-Hypnosis Practice: Equips participants with practical skills to independently enter a state of relaxation and reinforce therapeutic suggestions between sessions.
| Type | Group Therapy |
| Format | Telehealth (sometimes in-person) |
| Duration | 6 weeks (90-min sessions) |
| Facilitated by | Health Psychologist |
| Home practice (time spent outside of group) | Participants are encouraged to dedicate 20-30 minutes per day to home practice, including listening to recordings and engaging in brief reflection or assigned exercises. Continued practice after the group ends can help maintain and strengthen the skills learned, supporting long-term stress management and well-being. |
| Insurance Based? | Yes |
| Referral | Osher Provider - as part of an integrative health plan |
FAQ
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The skills and techniques developed in this group can help participants experience less anxiety, improved emotional regulation, and a greater sense of control over stress-related symptoms. They may also enhance sleep, increase relaxation, and support overall well-being in daily life.
Skills:
- Reduce anxiety and manage stress using evidence-based strategies.
- Understand the connection between stress and symptoms to improve coping.
- Access the body's natural relaxation response for greater calm and ease.
- Restructure unhelpful thoughts and develop a more supportive mindset.
- Use self-hypnosis to enter a focused, relaxed state for stress relief.
- Build confidence in managing stress and emotional responses.
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The Hypnosis for Stress Management group is designed for individuals with chronic symptoms who experience stress or anxiety and are interested in learning new ways to manage them. Sessions involve education, discussion, and guided hypnosis exercises, so participants should feel comfortable engaging in both learning and experiential practices. Because the group covers a lot of information, it may be best suited for those who can process and apply new concepts without feeling overwhelmed. No prior experience with hypnosis or cognitive-behavioral therapy is necessary-just an openness to learning and trying new techniques.
For more information and to discuss if it may be right for you, speak with your Osher medical provider.
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This group is designed for adults with chronic pain or other chronic health symptoms, as well as anxiety or stress, who are interested in learning more about the connection between their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and symptoms. It is best suited for individuals who recognize that stress plays a role in their symptoms and are ready to take an active role in managing it through guided hypnosis, education, and practical coping strategies. There are some rare cases in which hypnosis may not be a good fit, so it is best to discuss with your Osher medical provider.
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No, this group is not physically demanding and does not require any level of physical mobility to participate. Sessions focus on hypnosis, relaxation techniques, and cognitive-behavioral strategies, all of which can be done while seated or reclining in a comfortable position.
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The Hypnosis for Stress Management group is designed to complement existing treatments and can be integrated into a patient's broader wellness plan without replacing other therapies. It works well alongside mindfulness and movement practices, breathwork, biofeedback, physical therapy, and individualized therapy, reinforcing skills that support stress reduction and symptom management.
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To get the most out of this group, participants are encouraged to engage in home practice between sessions, 20-30 minutes per day. Continued practice after the group ends can help maintain and strengthen the skills learned, supporting long-term stress management and well-being.
Home practice includes:
- Listening to hypnosis recordings daily (or as often as feels helpful) to reinforce relaxation and stress management skills.
- Completing weekly CBT-based exercises such as worksheets or behavior tracking to deepen understanding of the relationship between stress, thoughts, and symptoms.
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Patients, to learn more, speak with your Osher medical provider.
Hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness that your mind moves in and out of throughout the day-similar to daydreaming, getting lost in a book, or becoming fully absorbed in a movie. In this state, your mind is more open to relaxation, focus, and helpful suggestions, making it easier to manage stress and enhance well-being.
Hypnosis is not something that is done to you, but rather a skill you learn to experience and guide yourself through. Coming with an open mind to explore how hypnosis works for you is the best way to get the most out of this group.To Learn More About Hypnosis:
- The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) - https://www.asch.net
- The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) - https://www.sceh.us
- Book Recommendation: Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: What You Need to Know by Gary Elkins and Cameron Alldredge