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A calmer, more focused way of living with ADHD
Living with ADHD is rarely just about being a bit distracted. For many people it means a brain that is always on, ideas racing, starting lots of things and struggling to finish, losing track of time, feeling overwhelmed by simple admin, and then lying awake at night with thoughts that will not switch off.
On paper you might look capable or even high achieving, but in real life there can be a constant sense of underperforming, letting people down, and never quite doing what you know you are able to do. That mix of brilliance and chaos is exhausting.
Medication and behavioural strategies are the main recommended treatments for ADHD in the UK. For many people they are genuinely life changing. But plenty of people are still left with significant struggles, even on the right medication and with good support. Others cannot tolerate medication, are stuck on waiting lists, or simply want a more holistic way of working with their brain.
Hypnotherapy for ADHD sits alongside those options. It offers a way of changing how your mind responds, focuses and regulates itself day to day, so you are working with your ADHD brain instead of fighting it.
What ADHD feels like day to day
Everyone’s ADHD profile is different, but there are very familiar patterns that come up when people begin hypnotherapy for ADHD. You might recognise some of these.
- Attention that will not behave losing the thread in conversations, drifting in meetings,
either feeling unable to start boring tasks at all or only switching on with frantic focus when the deadline is uncomfortably close *(see below) - Hyperfocus at unhelpful times locking onto something interesting and suddenly realising hours have gone by while important jobs or messages sit untouched
- Emotional storms feeling things very strongly, going from fine to furious or in tears in seconds, then feeling ashamed and confused afterwards
- Chronic overwhelm small tasks piling up into a wall of too much, leading to avoidance, procrastination and more self criticism
- Sleep and nervous system issues difficulty winding down, racing thoughts at night, or feeling wired and flat at the same time **(see below)
* For many people with ADHD, attention does not just drift, it behaves as if it only wakes up under pressure. You can circle round a task for days, then find yourself working with laser focus at midnight when the deadline is finally close enough to feel dangerous. Your brain acts as though it needs a hit of adrenaline before it will even consider starting, which can look like “laziness” from the outside but feels very different on the inside.
Time does not feel straightforward either. Many people with ADHD tell us that “time management” is not just about being organised, it is about how time feels in their body. Five minutes can feel abstract and slippery, easy to underestimate or ignore. Three hundred seconds sounds huge and overwhelming. The result is that small windows of time either vanish completely or feel so big and uncomfortable that it is easier to avoid the task altogether, until urgency or adrenaline finally takes over.
** For some people with ADHD, focus seems to arrive at the wrong times. You might notice that you work best late at night, when you are already tired and the rest of the world has gone quiet. A drained brain can feel easier to control than a wide awake one. The price you pay is heavy, short nights, chaotic mornings and a constant sense of running on empty, but in the moment it can feel like the only way to get anything done.
Underneath all of that, many people carry old narratives like lazy, careless, bad with money, not living up to potential. Those stories dig in very deeply over the years and quietly shape how you behave.
A good hypnotherapy for ADHD process does not ignore any of this. It takes your lived experience seriously, then starts to work underneath the surface on the patterns that keep repeating.
Why hypnotherapy for ADHD makes sense
There is a slightly ironic twist with ADHD. The same brain that struggles with focus in everyday life often slips into trance like states very naturally. Getting lost in a game, zoning out on a journey, hyperfocusing on something interesting, these are all close relatives of hypnosis.
Research has shown that hypnotic suggestions can improve sustained attention and reaction times in adults with ADHD, and that structured cognitive hypnotherapy can maintain gains over time when combined with usual care. That does not mean hypnotherapy for ADHD removes the underlying neurodivergence. ADHD is still a neurodevelopmental difference.
What it does mean is that the ADHD brain’s natural ability to focus intensely, imagine vividly and slip into altered states can be harnessed on purpose instead of happening at random. In sessions we use that capacity. Hypnotherapy for ADHD lets us work directly with the subconscious patterns that sit underneath your habits, helping you build better self regulation, calmer internal states and more helpful automatic responses.
How hypnotherapy for ADHD helps in real life
Hypnotherapy for ADHD is unlikely to remove every symptom or difficulty. However, it can make a very real difference in the parts of life that feel most pressured and frustrating.
- Emotional regulation teaching your nervous system how to come down from red alert more quickly, so waves of anger, shame or overwhelm pass sooner and feel less frightening
- Task initiation and follow through installing clear internal cues for start now and keep going a bit longer, rather than waiting for motivation to appear by itself
- Self talk and self esteem softening the harsh internal critic and building a more accurate, compassionate understanding of how your brain works
- Managing anxiety and sleep teaching your body how to shift into calmer states on command, which can reduce anxiety and improve sleep, both of which strongly affect ADHD symptoms
For some clients, hypnotherapy for ADHD leads to changes that feel dramatic because they are finally using their brain in line with how it actually works instead of forcing themselves into systems designed for neurotypical people. For others, the gains are quieter but still important, shaving the rough edges off daily life so it feels more doable.
Living with sensitivity to rejection
Many of our clients with ADHD describe a kind of emotional whiplash when they feel criticised, rejected or ignored. A short comment, a change of tone, or a message left on read can land like a punch. The reaction is fast, intense and often out of proportion to what actually happened, but it does not feel chosen or controlled. Some people know this pattern as rejection sensitivity dysphoria. Whatever you call it, the emotional pain is real, and it often drives the very avoidance, people pleasing and last minute scrambling that make life more complicated.
Working alongside medication and other support
For some people, hypnotherapy for ADHD is their main psychological support, particularly if they are unsure about medication or still waiting to get a medical diagnosis and treatment. For many others, the best results seem to come when hypnotherapy is part of a wider plan that may include medication, ADHD coaching or practical support, reasonable adjustments at work or in education, and lifestyle changes that support the brain rather than fight it.
At The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we are happy to work alongside your existing clinicians where appropriate. We do not ask you to stop medication or other treatments. Any changes to prescribed medication are always a medical decision.
Hypnotherapy for ADHD is not about choosing between medical care and psychological support. It is about aligning everything you do so that your brain and body are working in the same direction.
When hypnotherapy for ADHD is integrated into a broader plan, it can add a missing layer of calm, confidence and self understanding that makes other strategies easier to use.
Children, teenagers and adults
Children and teenagers often respond particularly well to hypnotherapy for ADHD because they are already used to living in their imagination. They tend to pick up hypnotic skills quickly, and in many cases need fewer sessions than adults for the same kind of problem.
With adults, the focus is often wider. We are not just dealing with attention. We are also undoing years of shame, burnout and compensation strategies. That means part of the work is emotional healing and reframing, not just performance.
In every age group, the aim of hypnotherapy for ADHD is not to turn you into someone else. It is to help you feel more regulated, more resourced, and more in charge of how you respond.
Evidence and research on hypnotherapy for ADHD
The research base for hypnotherapy for ADHD is still relatively small, but there are some interesting controlled studies that suggest it may have a useful role, especially when it sits alongside good psychoeducation and practical strategies.
One of the first randomised controlled studies was carried out in Finland by Virta and colleagues, who compared a course of cognitive hypnotherapy for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with a control group receiving relaxation training and psychoeducation. After ten weekly sessions, the hypnotherapy group showed greater improvements in attention, impulsivity and everyday functioning on self report measures, independent ratings and neurocognitive tests, and these gains remained at follow up. You can read the original paper in Contemporary Hypnosis via the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis here.
A follow up paper by Hiltunen and colleagues tracked adults who had received either hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy for ADHD over a six month period. Both groups maintained benefits, but the hypnotherapy group showed better long term outcomes in general psychological wellbeing, anxiety and depression scores, with a trend towards greater improvement in core ADHD symptoms. That six month follow up is available as a Contemporary Hypnosis and Integrative Therapy article, which you can find here.
Virta and co authors have also explored mechanisms in more experimental work. In a PLOS One study, adults with ADHD completed a continuous performance test before and after hypnotic suggestions aimed at improving attention. Reaction times and performance on the task changed in line with the suggestions, which supports the idea that hypnotic work can directly influence attentional systems in the brain rather than simply reducing stress around symptoms. The full open access article is available here.
In younger populations, Anderson and Barabasz described a protocol called instant alert hypnosis used alongside neurotherapy for children with ADHD. Their study in the Child Study Journal reported that when instant alert hypnosis was combined with EEG based neurotherapy, children showed faster improvements in attentiveness and hyperactivity than with neurotherapy alone, as well as reduced time in treatment. An abstract and summary of this work can be accessed via ERIC here.
Broader paediatric hypnosis research, although not specific to ADHD, is relevant because it looks at problems that often travel alongside ADHD. Anbar and Slothower reported a retrospective chart review of self hypnosis for insomnia in school age children, with most participants showing shorter sleep onset and fewer night awakenings after one or two sessions. Their BMC Pediatrics paper is open access and available here. Minosh and colleagues published a pilot study using hypnosis in 53 children with anxiety disorders, nocturnal enuresis or insomnia, finding that hypnosis was safe and moderately helpful overall, particularly for anxiety and bedwetting. That article can be found in the International Journal of Clinical Pediatrics here.
On a wider level, a recent meta analytic review by Rosendahl and colleagues pooled results from many hypnosis studies across a range of mental and physical health conditions. They reported that more than half of the effect sizes were at least medium in size and nearly a third were large, with some of the strongest results in pain conditions, medical procedures and work with children and adolescents. The open access paper in Frontiers in Psychology can be read here.
It is important to distinguish between statistical significance and clinical significance when looking at this evidence. Statistical significance means that the improvements seen in a study are unlikely to be due to chance in that particular sample. Clinical significance asks a different question, which is whether the changes are big enough to matter in real life, for example being able to complete tasks more reliably, feel calmer at work, or sleep better without as many coping strategies. The ADHD hypnotherapy studies suggest that a proportion of participants experienced clinically meaningful improvements, but the sample sizes are small and the protocols are quite specialist, so we cannot assume that everyone will respond in the same way.
At SICH we draw on this research base, but we also work within its limits. Hypnotherapy for ADHD is not a replacement for medical care or established behavioural support, and we do not claim to cure ADHD. Instead, we use hypnotherapy to help clients regulate their nervous system, change unhelpful beliefs, improve focus and planning, and reduce the emotional burden that often sits around the diagnosis. The emerging evidence simply supports what we see in clinic, that targeted hypnotherapy can be a powerful addition to a thoughtful, joined up plan for living well with ADHD.
Frequently asked questions about hypnotherapy for ADHD
Hypnotherapy for ADHD is not trying to remove the underlying neurodivergence or turn you into a different person. It works on how your nervous system responds, how you talk to yourself internally, and how automatic your helpful habits become. In practical terms that means working on emotional regulation, task initiation, follow through, sleep and self confidence, the parts of ADHD that make everyday life hard.
No. ADHD is understood as a neurodevelopmental condition. Hypnotherapy for ADHD cannot cure it, and anyone promising a cure is over selling. What it can do is help you use the brain you have in a more effective and compassionate way, so that symptoms feel less intrusive and life becomes easier to manage. For some people that feels like a dramatic shift, for others it is a series of steady, meaningful improvements.
For most people, hypnotherapy for ADHD is best seen as an addition to medical care, not a replacement. In the main clinical studies, adults continued their prescribed medication while receiving hypnosis. If you are already taking medication, any changes to dose or type should always be discussed with your prescribing doctor. Sometimes clients do find that they need less medication or feel more stable, but that is a medical conversation, not something we decide in a hypnotherapy session.
You stay awake, able to talk and in control. A typical session starts with a brief check in about your week and where ADHD has shown up. The hypnosis part might involve guided imagery, for example rehearsing yourself starting a task calmly, or focusing on your breath while we link that to a sense of steadiness. We often build in post hypnotic suggestions, simple cues you can use in real life, such as a particular breath or phrase that reminds your nervous system how to settle and focus.
This is a very common worry. Many people with ADHD assume they will be bad at hypnosis because they are used to drifting off or fidgeting. In reality, a lot of ADHD clients slip into trance very naturally, the same way you hyperfocus on something interesting or zone out on a journey. A good hypnotherapist will adapt hypnotherapy for ADHD to you, using shorter, more active segments and imagery that fits your interests, rather than expecting you to sit perfectly still with a blank mind.
A formal diagnosis is helpful, especially if you are considering medication or support at work or university, but it is not a requirement for hypnotherapy for ADHD. Many clients come for help with familiar attention, organisation and emotional regulation issues long before they see a psychiatrist. In sessions we focus on how your difficulties show up day to day and what you want to change. If it looks as though a full ADHD assessment would benefit you, that is something we can discuss and signpost.
Yes, with the right safeguards and parental involvement. Children and teens often do very well with hypnotherapy for ADHD because they are already used to imagination, stories and play. Sessions tend to be shorter and more creative, using metaphors, imagery and simple self hypnosis skills. Parents are usually involved so they can support practice at home and understand what the child is learning.
That depends on what we are working on and what else is going on in your life. Some people notice early shifts in emotional regulation or sleep within the first three or four sessions of hypnotherapy for ADHD. Deeper changes in long standing patterns, like chronic procrastination or harsh self criticism, usually take longer. As a rough guide, many clients plan for an initial block of six sessions, then review.
For many people yes, provided you have a reasonably quiet, private space and a stable internet connection. A lot of recent work and clinical experience with hypnotherapy for ADHD now includes online sessions, and clients often appreciate being in their own environment. Some still prefer to come in person for the routine and the sense of physically leaving distractions behind. We can talk together about which format is likely to suit you and your ADHD profile best.
Next steps
If you recognise yourself in this description, you do not have to wait until life gets worse. Whether you are newly diagnosed, still on a waiting list, or have known about your ADHD for years, hypnotherapy for ADHD can be a powerful way to build more focus, calm and self control into your everyday life.
At The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we offer in person and online sessions, so you can choose what fits your energy and schedule best. If you would like to explore whether this approach is right for you, you can contact us to arrange an initial conversation. Together we can map out a plan for hypnotherapy for ADHD that respects your diagnosis, your goals and the way your brain actually works.