Can you be hypnotised if you have ADHD?

If you have ADHD, you may have wondered if hypnotherapy will work for you. You might have heard that hypnosis requires you to concentrate for long periods of time, or maybe you're worried that having a busy mind, experiencing restlessness, or difficulty focusing will make it very difficult. 

From having many sessions with ADHD clients, I have actually found that it's quite the opposite, and most clients don't experience any problems with hypnosis, especially if the therapist understands ADHD. 

Hypnosis is a natural state that we all go into multiple times a day, so you don't need to have a quiet mind or maintain perfect concentration. It's normal for our minds to wander during hypnosis and for you to become distracted by what's being said. This doesn't mean that hypnosis isn't working.

What does hypnosis feel like?

There isn't one particular way hypnosis feels. Your experience may be completely different from someone else's.

You might feel very relaxed and absorbed in what's being said, especially if you're naturally more of a daydreamer. At other times, you might notice your mind drifting off, thoughts popping up, or your attention moving around.

Many people wonder whether they're doing it correctly because, in the Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH) model, you're still fully aware of what's happening around you.

 You might hear sounds, notice sensations in your body or become distracted by a random thought before bringing your attention back. This is all very normal.

You don't have to maintain 100% focus for hypnosis to be effective. In fact, trying too hard to concentrate can sometimes achieve the opposite of what we hope for. Instead, you can accept and allow attention to move naturally without worrying about whether you're hypnotised or whether you're doing it right.

How do ADHD clients describe hypnosis?

Clients often describe hypnosis as being similar to daydreaming, becoming deeply hyper-focused or engrossed, where you're aware of what's happening but your attention seems to feel different. And most people with ADHD do experience this a lot in day-to-day life, but perhaps they might not always be fully conscious of it. 

Some people notice that physical sensations become more noticeable, such as feelings of heaviness, lightness, warmth, or just feeling deeply relaxed. Others don't notice many physical sensations at all.

So, there isn't really a “right” way to experience hypnosis.

Can you be hypnotised if your mind keeps wandering?

Definitely! In fact, having thoughts during hypnosis is completely normal.

You don't have to stop thinking; that's never the aim. You don't need to have an empty mind, and you don't need to prevent every random thought from popping up. That's actually impossible.

You might be listening to my voice, suddenly remember something you need to do later or think about what you're going to have for dinner, notice a sound outside, and then realise you've stopped listening for a moment. You then simply come back to the exercise or what is being said. 

Think of it a little like learning to meditate. It's a skill. The goal isn't necessarily to have no thoughts. It's learning to notice where your attention has gone and gently bring it back.

For someone with ADHD, this can actually become a useful skill in itself.

What benefits can people with ADHD experience from hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy doesn't treat ADHD itself. However, it can be useful for some of the difficulties that can come alongside ADHD. 

A Cognitive Behavioural approach can be particularly useful because it focuses on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be maintaining difficulties.

The benefits you may experience will depend on your goals and what is keeping you stuck.

In my work with ADHD clients, I use hypnosis alongside CBT and other practical strategies, creating an integrative approach tailored to the individual, as is common within Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH).

CBH can be helpful for:

• Reducing and coping better with anxiety and racing thoughts.
• Creating space between thoughts and learning to relax the body and mind.
• Managing stress and emotional dysregulation by developing coping strategies and learning to slow things down.
• Feeling more in control of your thoughts, emotions and responses.
• Supporting people experiencing panic attacks and reducing the fear and avoidance that can maintain the panic cycle.
• Developing better self-understanding and becoming less critical of yourself.
• Learning to pause before responding to every thought or feeling that comes up.

Why use CBH for ADHD?

There are different approaches to hypnotherapy. Some may focus mainly on relaxation, suggestion or the experience of hypnosis itself.

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH) is highly evidence-based, meaning it has been researched. It combines hypnosis with CBT principles, so we can also explore the thoughts, emotions and behaviours that may be keeping you stuck.

For someone with ADHD, this might mean looking at patterns such as anxiety and overthinking, overwhelm and avoidance, emotional reactions, self-criticism or difficulty getting started.

Rather than relying on hypnosis alone, we can use it alongside practical CBT strategies to help you understand these patterns and develop different ways of responding.

The aim isn't to change who you are or make your ADHD disappear. It's about helping you understand how your mind works and finding strategies that work with your brain rather than against it.

An interesting thing about attention

We often talk about ADHD as though someone simply can't concentrate. But from my experience, many people with ADHD can concentrate extremely intensely when something is interesting, rewarding or captures their attention.

This is sometimes referred to as hyperfocus.

The difficulty can be more about regulating attention – where it goes, how easily it shifts and how difficult it can be to direct it towards something that isn't particularly stimulating.

This is one reason I don't see a busy or wandering mind as something that automatically gets in the way of hypnosis. Instead, we can work with the way your attention naturally moves.

For some people with ADHD, one of the biggest changes can be learning that they don't have to react to every thought that enters their mind.

You can notice a thought without automatically following it.

You can take a pause. You can choose how you respond.

And over time, these skills can make it easier to feel more in control rather than feeling as though your thoughts, emotions and impulses are constantly in charge.

So, can you be hypnotised if you have ADHD?

Yes. You definitely don't need to stay completely still, have an empty mind or perfect concentration. Your attention may wander; you might notice lots of thoughts. That's all normal.

In fact, rather than seeing a wandering mind as something that needs to be fixed, we can figure out how to work with it. A good hypnotherapist will adapt hypnosis to you and your individual needs, rather than expecting you to fit into a particular idea of what it should feel like.

For me and other therapists that work with ADHD, this is one of the most important parts of working with ADHD clients. The aim isn't to force your brain to behave differently. It's about understanding how your mind works and finding strategies that help you work with it rather than fighting against it.

If you're considering hypnotherapy and have ADHD, you don't need to know whether you'll be “good at hypnosis” beforehand. There is no test to pass and no particular experience you need. It's a skill you can learn to use with an evidence-based approach.

You simply need to be willing to try it, keep an open mind, and notice what you notice. If you have any questions about how hypnosis can work with you, speak to a practitioner with experience in working with ADHD clients.