Confidence

Written by Ellen Lees
Ellen Lees
Hypnotherapy Directory Content Team

Reviewed by Faye Hatch
Last updated 13th November 2023 | Next update due 12th November 2026

Low self-confidence is something many of us suffer from. It can be a result of many factors, such as fear of the unknown, low self-esteem, or fear of how other people see us. This lack of confidence and self-belief can, over time, hold us back from developing both personally and professionally. This is where hypnotherapy comes in - keep reading to learn more about the power of hypnotherapy and how it can help boost confidence.

What is low self-confidence?

How we feel about ourselves is often influenced by our past experiences, both positive and negative. The things we experience in our everyday lives, and how we - and those around us - react to those events, can all have a significant impact on how we view ourselves and the world.

How we see ourselves may be influenced by friends, family, colleagues, peers, or even the media. It could be as small as a comment or post on social media, or a more impactful event or incident - whatever the scale of the situation, it can have a significant impact on our sense of self and confidence.

The difference between self-esteem and self-confidence

While self-confidence and self-esteem are usually linked, they are not the same thing. When we talk about confidence, we are referring to the way we feel about our ability to carry out tasks and roles. Self-esteem refers to the way we feel about ourselves - the way we look, behave and think.

Those with low self-esteem will typically have low self-confidence. Having said this, people with low self-esteem can have confidence in certain areas, and those with high self-esteem may lack confidence in certain areas.

Having confidence in your abilities does not mean performing tasks perfectly. In fact, a big part of having self-confidence is knowing how to deal with mistakes when they occur. And confidence in ourselves can make a huge difference in many areas of our lives, particularly, our careers and relationships.

  • Career - Lacking confidence at work can stop you from voicing your opinion and trying new things. This can hinder your progression and stunt your development. Building confidence at work can help you reach your full potential and ensure your voice is heard.
  • Relationships - When you have low self-confidence, it can affect your relationships with friends, family and partners. It may hold you back from meeting people or cause you to isolate yourself socially. Improving this can help you feel more comfortable in social environments.

If you feel you could benefit from building your confidence, hypnotherapy is a safe and effective way to make a positive, long-lasting change. 

Find a hypnotherapist dealing with confidence

Hypnosis for confidence

Have you ever met someone who despite constant reassurance and approval, lacks confidence in their abilities? Or perhaps you know someone who thinks they are fantastic at what they do, despite other people telling them otherwise? This happens because our unconscious holds a set of beliefs about us that stay the same, regardless of external factors. So a singer who believes deep in their unconscious that they have a terrible voice will likely avoid performing, even if people tell them they have a great voice.

In this video, hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, Paula Rist, explains how hypnotherapy can help those experiencing low self-confidence.

How do we overcome these beliefs?

As these beliefs dwell in our unconscious, this is where the change must take place.

Hypnotherapy accesses the unconscious mind and uses the power of suggestion to facilitate positive change. These suggestions can be tailored to help improve confidence levels. Generally, these suggestions will be positive and made in the present tense. For example, the phrase "you feel confident in everything you do" would be used in place of "you no longer doubt yourself". The theory behind this is that the unconscious can't differentiate between "you have" and "you no longer have".

With hypnotherapy, you can break free from negative self-talk and limiting beliefs, allowing you to feel more self-assured and confident in yourself

- Hypnotherapist Douglas Kidd in his article, Hypnotherapy for confidence building

How can hypnosis help improve my confidence?

Hypnotherapy can be effective in helping people build their confidence and self-esteem. By accessing your unconscious mind, or inner voice, a hypnotherapist can help you start to take control of how you are feeling about yourself, working with you to discover what may have caused you to develop low confidence, and helping you to improve it.

Your inner voice can feel like your biggest critic, causing you to feel bad about yourself, your thoughts or your actions. But it is possible to overcome these negative thoughts, no matter how deep they may seem. A hypnotherapist can help to guide our unconscious mind and help us to see ourselves in a kinder light.

As well as being able to help improve your overall confidence, hypnosis can help improve your confidence and self-belief around specific areas, such as in work or relationships, or to boost your confidence around a specific goal, such as a driving test or public speaking.

Does hypnotherapy for confidence work?

While many people experience an immediate improvement in their confidence levels, others may need to continue to reinforce these new ideas using self-hypnosis techniques, maintenance sessions, and recordings. Persistence is key: you didn't develop low self-confidence overnight. Fixing months or years of negative self-talk can take time.


What happens during a hypnotherapy session?

To begin with, your hypnotherapist will talk to you about what you hope to achieve through hypnotherapy. They will likely ask questions about your past to try and establish any root causes or triggers for how you feel. They will explain how hypnosis for confidence works, telling you more about the process so you know what to expect. If you have any questions that have not been covered by your hypnotherapist, be sure to ask.

Once you are both happy with what you plan to do, the hypnotherapy will begin. You will be guided into a highly relaxed state. Know that you will not be asleep or without control - you will be aware of what is happening throughout. Once you are in this state, your hypnotherapist will communicate with your unconscious, using questions and suggestive statements to challenge your limiting beliefs.

The statements used will depend on your personal circumstances and will relate to any particular confidence issues you have. The idea behind hypnotherapy is that when your unconscious believes you are confident, this translates to your consciousness. This, therefore, changes your thought patterns and actions to improve your confidence.   

What happens after my hypnotherapy session?

The number of sessions you'll need will depend on your individual circumstances, but this is something you can discuss with your hypnotherapist. After your session or course of sessions is over, it's likely that your hypnotherapist will recommend you listen to pre-recorded hypnosis tracks to help reinforce the suggestions made.

Your hypnotherapist may also teach you some self-hypnosis techniques to use as and when you need them. Listening to recordings and carrying out self-hypnosis are easy ways to continue working on your confidence levels long after your sessions are over.

Interested? Try this self-hypnosis for confidence building, led by Vicki Crane.


Will hypnosis change my personality?

Hypnotherapy has the power to tap into your unconscious to bring out traits you already have. It cannot add personality traits or change your personality. Everyone is born with confidence; it's the false beliefs that, for one reason or another, end up in our unconscious minds that deplete our confidence levels. By unlearning these false or negative beliefs, our confidence levels can return to how they would be naturally.

Put simply, hypnosis for confidence isn't something that turns you into someone you're not. "Unlike on the television, this isn’t a situation where the hypnotherapist takes over your mind and makes you do things," writes Biodun Ogunyemi in his article, How does hypnosis for confidence really work?

"Hypnosis works by pulling the confidence from you that is already there. After all, everyone is born with confidence; it is just the things that happen in life that either help this confidence to grow or disappear."


How can I find a hypnotherapist?

When looking for a hypnotherapist, it is important to find someone you feel comfortable with and someone who is sufficiently qualified. Currently, there are no laws in place regulating the hypnotherapy profession. There are, however, voluntary regulatory bodies that check hypnotherapists are adequately trained and hold them to a code of ethics.

On Hypnotherapy Directory, we have a proof policy that ensures everyone we list has provided proof of qualifications and insurance or membership with a professional body. We encourage all members to fill their profiles with as much information as possible so that you can find out more about the way they work and what they can help with before making contact.

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