How Well Does Hypnotherapy Work?

The American Medical Association has officially recognized hypnosis as a beneficial treatment for over 40 years.

How effective is hypnosis? An article by clinical psychologist, Dr. Alfred A. Barrios which reviewed literature profiling various treatment techniques was published in the journal of Psychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice and determined that the greatest success in providing lasting change occurred with:

Hypnosis                 93% recovery after 6 sessions (about 1 1/2 months)
Behavior Therapy    72% recovery after 22 sessions (about 6 months)
Psychotherapy         38% recovery after 600 sessions (about 11 1/2 yrs!)

Hypnosis Success Rates

Home Study Self-Hypnosis       2 – 5% success rate
Group Hypnosis Session           2 – 5% success rate
Single Individual Session       17 – 20% success rate
Three Individual Sessions      45 – 50% success rate
Five+ Individual Sessions      85 – 90% success rate

The above success rates were compiled by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis from investigative studies to determine the effectiveness of hypnosis in smoking cessation, substance abuse, weight loss, phobias, depression, and anxiety.

Mythbusters