What to do after a hypnotherapy session

After a hypnotherapy session, there is no single 'right' or 'wrong' thing to do - you are the expert on yourself. While your therapist can offer guidance and suggestions, the most important thing is to do what feels right for you.

In this article, we'll explore different post-session practices, including personal experiences and feedback from clients. Whether you're looking to process emotions, relax, or take action, you may find an approach that resonates with you.

Processing and reflecting on your session

At the end of a session, I always leave time for clients to debrief. Some clients want to discuss specific things that came up for them, while others want to take that away and sit with it. We also use this time to go through specific techniques that will be used until the next session - they could be CBT grounding techniques, or mindfulness techniques or something else we've decided on. 

Many clients feel deeply relaxed after hypnotherapy. Because of this, I recommend scheduling an appointment for when you have some free time after. However, if you need to go back to work or continue with your day, you can always integrate post-session practices later when it suits you.

What clients do after hypnotherapy sessions

Each person processes hypnotherapy differently. Here are some approaches clients have found helpful:

Practicing relaxation techniques

Some clients practice the breathing, mindfulness, grounding or other techniques that are in our plan straight away to bring together the anchor used in the hypnotherapy with the conscious mind.

Some clients meditate straight after whilst in that relaxed state.

Engaging in creative activities

For some clients, a specific colour came through strongly and one person told me that going home and painting that colour was a therapeutic experience.

Some clients feel that, as their minds are clearer, it's a good time to do creative work, or get started with to-do lists.

Listening to hypnotherapy recordings

Some clients will listen to the audio recording straight away to help them get to sleep (without the count up at the end so sleep can be kept). Or listen to the audio with the count up straight after and then go about their normal days. 

Taking inspired action

Some clients have told me they've felt really motivated to do something specific/speak to someone specific about something that's been building up for a while - as they're feeling more confident/motivated to do so. 

Processing emotions

Some clients have had some deep, maybe painful emotions come up and I've been told about the boxing lesson they've booked to get off the excess energy. I've had a client who needed to go home and have a good cry to release the emotions, this client and I checked in the next day.

Some clients simply go about the rest of their day with no changes, as that feels right for them after that particular session. 

For myself, after a particularly relaxing session, I will go straight into a meditation or journal through some of the things I saw or thought about. I might do 'free association' where I'll write out the word of an emotion that was really coming through and just write anything that comes to mind about that emotion - I find these therapeutic to do when I'm extremely relaxed.

What is helpful or necessary to do after each session will completely depend on what is best for us as individuals, and what we are working on. The therapist is there to provide guidance and care.