WEDNESDAY EVENING GROUP HYPNOTHERAPY SESSION
Stress & Anxiety Relief
ONLINE SESSION PREPARATION AND PARTICIPANT ORIENTATION
Good evening, everyone, and welcome.
Before we begin tonight’s group hypnotherapy session, I would like to explain a few important things about how our online session will work.
This is a guided group hypnotherapy experience, but you will experience the session individually within the group.
You will not be able to hear the other participants.
During the hypnotherapy exercise, your microphone will be switched off.
This means that you will only hear my voice and your own voice.
You will not hear other participants speaking, breathing, counting, or moving around.
This is intentional.
It allows you to remain focused on your own experience without being distracted by what anyone else in the group is doing.
When we reach the interactive part of the session at the end, we will open the session for questions, discussion, and sharing of experiences.
Until then, your microphone will remain muted.
YOUR AUDIO AND INTERNET SETUP
You can participate using the speaker on your mobile phone, tablet, computer, or other suitable device.
Alternatively, you may use earphones or headphones if you prefer.
If you are using wireless earphones or headphones, please make sure that they are fully charged before the session begins.
If your earphones run out of power during the session, you may lose the sound of the hypnotherapy guidance.
Please also make sure that you have:
- A reliable and stable internet connection.
- A stable connection to the online session.
- Sufficient battery power on your device, or your device connected to a charger.
- Your phone or device placed somewhere comfortable and secure.
- A quiet environment where you are unlikely to be disturbed.
- Notifications and incoming calls silenced where possible.
Please do not participate while driving, walking in an unsafe environment, operating machinery, or doing anything that requires your full attention.
Ideally, give yourself this full hour simply for yourself.
COMFORTABLE POSITION
Find a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down safely.
Make sure your head, neck, back, and body are adequately supported.
Your hands can rest comfortably.
Your feet can rest naturally.
You don’t need to maintain any particular position throughout the session.
If you become physically uncomfortable, you may adjust your position.
You remain in control throughout the entire experience.
CONSULTATION, INFORMATION AND INFORMED CONSENT
Before participating in tonight’s exercise, each participant must have completed and signed the required consultation, information, and informed-consent form.
Participation in the hypnotherapy exercise is only permitted once the required documentation has been completed.
Hypnosis does not mean losing control.
You remain aware.
You remain capable of hearing my voice.
You remain capable of making decisions.
And you are free to open your eyes, move your body, or discontinue the exercise at any time.
You do not have to force yourself into hypnosis.
There is nothing you have to prove.
Simply allow yourself to listen and experience whatever feels appropriate for you.
This group session is intended as a guided relaxation and hypnotherapy experience focused on stress and anxiety.
It is not a substitute for individual medical, psychological, or psychiatric assessment or treatment where such care is required.
If you have any concerns about whether this type of session is appropriate for you, please discuss those concerns with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before participating.
IMPORTANT AUDIO INSTRUCTION
And one final thing before we begin.
Once the hypnosis exercise starts, your microphone will be switched off.
You will not hear the other participants.
You will only hear my voice and your own voice when I specifically ask you to respond.
So if I ask you to count…
you will hear your own counting.
If I ask you to speak…
you will hear your own voice.
And you may notice that your own voice begins to sound different as you relax.
You may become slower…
softer…
quieter…
or you may find yourself pausing between words.
That’s perfectly fine.
You don’t need to monitor yourself.
You don’t need to perform.
Simply follow the instructions and allow yourself to experience whatever naturally occurs.
The other participants are having their own individual experience.
You don’t need to compare yourself with anyone else.
There is no competition.
There is no right or wrong way to experience hypnosis.
Your experience belongs entirely to you.
So now…
make sure you are comfortable…
make sure your device is secure…
make sure your headphones or earphones are charged if you’re using them…
and make sure you have a reliable internet connection.
Take a final moment to settle yourself.
And when you’re ready…
we will begin.
OPENING AND WELCOME
Good evening, everyone.
Welcome to tonight’s Wednesday evening group hypnotherapy session.
I’m very pleased to have each of you here.
For the next while, I want you to give yourself permission to put the rest of the evening aside.
Whatever happened today…
whatever still needs to be done…
whatever conversations are waiting for you…
whatever responsibilities are waiting outside this session…
they can wait.
For this hour…
there is nothing you need to solve.
Nothing you need to achieve.
Nothing you need to prove.
This is your opportunity to pause…
to breathe…
to become still…
and to give your mind and body some time to release some of the pressure you may have been carrying.
And remember…
you are not listening to anybody else’s experience.
You are not comparing yourself to anybody else.
You are simply listening to my voice…
and experiencing your own experience.
So allow yourself to become comfortable…
and allow us to begin.
SETTLING INTO THE SESSION
And now, make yourself comfortable.
Allow your feet to rest comfortably…
your hands to rest naturally…
and allow your body to be supported by whatever is beneath you.
If your eyes are open, you may gently allow them to close.
And if your eyes are already closed, simply continue listening to the sound of my voice.
There is nowhere else you need to be right now.
Nothing else you need to attend to.
Just this moment…
and the sound of my voice.
Take a comfortable breath in…
and slowly breathe out.
Again…
breathing in gently…
and breathing out slowly.
And one more time…
breathing in…
and letting the breath leave the body naturally.
You don’t have to control your breathing.
Simply allow your breathing to find its own comfortable rhythm.
INDUCTION
And now begin to notice the points where your body is being supported.
Notice the chair beneath you…
the floor beneath your feet…
the surface beneath your body.
Allow yourself to become aware of the physical sensations around you.
Perhaps you can notice the temperature of the room…
the sounds around you…
and the sound of my voice.
You don’t have to block anything out.
Simply allow every sound to become part of your relaxation.
Sounds in the room…
sounds outside the room…
and the sound of my voice…
can simply remind you that you are here…
safe…
supported…
and becoming more relaxed.
And now bring your attention gently to your forehead.
Allow the muscles around your forehead to soften.
Let the space between your eyebrows become smooth.
Allow your eyes to become comfortably relaxed.
Relax your cheeks…
your jaw…
your mouth…
your tongue.
There is nothing you need to say.
Nothing you need to explain.
Just relax.
Allow that relaxation to move down through your neck…
your shoulders…
and into your arms.
Let your shoulders become heavier.
Let your arms become comfortable.
Allow your hands and fingers to relax.
And now allow that feeling of relaxation to move into your chest…
your upper back…
your stomach…
and your lower back.
With every breath…
allow the body to release a little more unnecessary tension.
Moving down through your hips…
your thighs…
your knees…
your calves…
your ankles…
and finally into your feet.
From the top of your head…
all the way down to your feet…
allow yourself to become comfortably relaxed.
DEEPENER
And now we’re going to allow that relaxation to deepen.
Imagine yourself standing at the top of a beautiful staircase.
There are ten comfortable steps leading downward.
You don’t need to physically move.
Simply imagine yourself becoming more relaxed with every step.
Ten…
beginning to let go.
Nine…
allowing the body to become heavier and more comfortable.
Eight…
letting the mind become quieter.
Seven…
breathing naturally…
relaxing more deeply.
Six…
allowing yourself to become increasingly inwardly focused.
Five…
halfway down…
and perhaps noticing that you don’t need to do anything at all.
Four…
deeper and calmer.
Three…
allowing the outside world to become less important for a while.
Two…
almost completely settled.
And one…
deeply comfortable…
calm…
and relaxed.
And now…
simply remain there.
DEPTH TEST — THE DISAPPEARING NUMBERS
And now, as you continue to relax, I’d like you to do something very simple for me.
In a moment, I want you to count slowly from one to ten, aloud.
But this time, don’t simply count the numbers.
As you move from one toward ten, allow each number to become a little slower…
a little softer…
and a little more distant.
So perhaps one is spoken normally…
two a little slower…
three a little softer…
and as you continue, allow your voice to gradually become quieter…
until eventually you’re almost whispering.
And as your voice becomes softer…
allow your attention to become softer too.
You don’t have to make anything happen.
Simply allow yourself to notice what happens to the numbers.
Perhaps the numbers begin to feel less important…
Perhaps the spaces between them become longer…
Perhaps you become more interested in the silence between the numbers than in the numbers themselves.
And somewhere along the way, you may discover something interesting…
You may reach a point where the next number simply doesn’t seem important anymore.
Perhaps you remember the number…
Perhaps you don’t.
Perhaps you continue counting…
or perhaps the counting simply disappears into the background.
There is nothing you need to force.
Just allow it to happen naturally.
And you don’t need to decide beforehand whether you’ll reach ten.
Don’t try to reach ten.
Simply begin at one…
and allow each number to take care of the next.
And somewhere between one and ten, you may discover that you’re no longer interested in counting at all.
And if that happens, that’s perfectly fine.
And if you continue all the way to ten, that’s perfectly fine too.
There is nothing to achieve.
We’re simply allowing your mind to discover how deeply it can become absorbed.
And now…
when you’re ready…
begin counting from one to ten…
slowly…
softly…
allowing each number to take you deeper inward.
[PAUSE — ALLOW THE GROUP TO COUNT]
And now…
enjoy the quiet.
Just allow the counting to disappear completely…
and allow yourself to remain comfortably absorbed in this peaceful state.
There is nothing else you need to do.
Simply breathe…
simply relax…
and enjoy the quiet.
[PAUSE]
And now, without analysing anything, simply notice where your awareness is right now…
More aware of my voice…
or more aware of your own inner experience…
And whatever you notice is perfectly fine.
Just allow yourself to remain there…
comfortable…
quiet…
and deeply relaxed.
STRESS RELEASE
And now that you are comfortable…
we can begin to work with the stress that you may have been carrying.
You don’t need to search for every stressful experience.
You don’t need to remember everything.
Simply allow your mind to become aware of the idea of releasing unnecessary tension.
Because sometimes the body continues holding tension long after the situation that created it has passed.
And tonight…
you can begin to teach your body something different.
You can begin to recognise the difference between being alert…
and being tense.
Between being prepared…
and being afraid.
Between responding to life…
and constantly anticipating danger.
Your mind does not need to remain on high alert all the time.
Your body does not need to carry tomorrow before tomorrow arrives.
And slowly…
gently…
you can begin to let go of what you don’t need to carry right now.
With every breath out…
imagine releasing a little unnecessary tension.
Breathing in…
receiving calm.
Breathing out…
releasing tension.
Breathing in…
creating space.
Breathing out…
letting go.
WORKING WITH ANXIETY
And perhaps there have been moments when your mind has moved far into the future…
imagining possibilities…
creating scenarios…
asking:
“What if?”
“What if something goes wrong?”
“What if I can’t cope?”
“What if something happens?”
And tonight, you can begin to respond differently.
When the mind asks:
“What if?”
You can gently remind yourself:
“I am here.”
“This is now.”
“I can deal with what is actually happening.”
You don’t have to solve tomorrow tonight.
You don’t have to experience tomorrow’s emotions today.
You can return to this breath…
this moment…
this body…
this room…
this present experience.
And whenever your mind moves into the future…
you can gently bring it back.
Not through force.
Not through criticism.
Simply through awareness.
“I’m here.”
“This is now.”
“One breath at a time.”
CALMING THE BODY
And now imagine that there is a quiet sense of safety moving through your body.
Perhaps beginning around your chest…
and gently spreading through your shoulders…
your arms…
your stomach…
your back…
your legs…
and your feet.
Your body can learn that it is safe to relax.
Your shoulders can soften.
Your jaw can loosen.
Your breathing can become easier.
Your heartbeat can settle naturally.
And whenever you notice tension in the future…
you can recognise it earlier.
You can pause.
You can breathe.
You can soften your shoulders.
You can release your jaw.
You can bring your attention back into the present.
You can remind yourself:
“I don’t have to fight this moment.”
“I can breathe through this moment.”
“I can allow this moment to pass.”
BUILDING INNER RESILIENCE
And now imagine yourself dealing with an ordinary stressful situation in the future.
Perhaps something that previously would have caused you to become overwhelmed.
See yourself responding differently.
You notice the stress…
but you don’t immediately become the stress.
You notice the anxious thought…
but you don’t have to believe every thought.
You breathe.
You pause.
You create space between the situation and your reaction.
And in that space…
you discover choice.
You can choose your response.
You can speak more calmly.
You can think more clearly.
You can ask for help when you need it.
You can step away when appropriate.
You can return when you are ready.
And most importantly…
you can remember that experiencing stress does not mean that you are failing.
Experiencing anxiety does not mean that you are weak.
You are human.
And you are learning.
Every breath can become an opportunity to return to yourself.
INSTALLING A CALMING ANCHOR
And now take a comfortable breath in…
and as you slowly breathe out…
gently press your thumb and finger together.
Just lightly.
And while you do that, allow yourself to associate this simple gesture with calmness…
steadiness…
and presence.
Breathing in…
and breathing out…
thumb and finger gently touching…
calm…
steady…
present.
And later, during your everyday life, whenever you notice stress beginning to rise…
you can gently bring those fingers together…
take a slower breath…
and remind yourself:
“I am here.”
“This is now.”
“One breath at a time.”
You don’t have to eliminate every stressful thought.
You simply learn that you don’t have to follow every stressful thought.
You can notice it…
breathe…
and choose your response.
CONSOLIDATION
And allow these ideas to settle comfortably into your mind.
You are learning to recognise tension earlier.
You are learning to breathe before reacting.
You are learning to create space.
You are learning that thoughts are thoughts…
feelings are feelings…
and neither one has to control your behaviour.
You can become calmer without becoming passive.
You can become relaxed without losing your awareness.
You can become peaceful while still being capable, alert, and responsible.
And each time you practise this…
the skill becomes more familiar.
Calm becomes something you can access.
Breathing becomes an anchor.
The present moment becomes a place you can return to.
And your mind can learn:
I am capable of handling this moment.
I don’t have to carry everything at once.
I can pause.
I can breathe.
I can choose.
RETURNING TO THE PRESENT
And now, in a moment, we’re going to begin returning to the room.
But you don’t have to leave the calmness behind.
You can bring that calmness back with you.
The relaxation can remain available to you.
The awareness can remain with you.
The ability to pause and breathe can remain with you.
And as I count from one to five, allow yourself to gradually become more alert and aware of your surroundings.
One…
slowly returning…
bringing awareness back into the body.
Two…
feeling the surface beneath you…
noticing your hands and feet.
Three…
breathing a little more deeply…
allowing energy to return naturally.
Four…
becoming more aware of the room…
the sounds around you…
and the people around you.
And five…
eyes open when you’re ready…
fully awake…
alert…
comfortable…
and present.
Take a comfortable breath.
Move your fingers and toes.
Stretch gently if you wish.
And take a moment before you speak.
There is no need to rush.
Welcome back.
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
And remember…
you don’t need to wait until stress becomes overwhelming before you pause.
You can pause early.
You can breathe.
You can soften.
You can return to the present.
One breath…
one moment…
one choice at a time.
GROUP CLOSING, Q&A AND SHARING
And before we finish tonight, I want to sincerely thank every one of you for participating.
Thank you for giving yourself this time.
Thank you for allowing yourself to be open to the experience.
And thank you for sharing this space with the rest of the group.
Remember, even though we have been together as a group, each of you has experienced this session individually.
You have not been listening to the other participants.
Your microphone has been muted.
You have only been listening to my voice and, when invited to respond, your own voice.
Everyone experiences hypnosis differently.
There is no right or wrong experience.
Some people may have felt deeply relaxed.
Some may have experienced physical sensations.
Some may have noticed thoughts becoming quieter.
Some may have experienced memories, images, emotions, or simply a sense of peace.
And some people may not have noticed very much at all.
Every experience is individual.
So now we’re going to open the session.
Your microphones can now be unmuted.
You are welcome to ask questions about the experience, the process of hypnosis, stress, anxiety, relaxation, or anything that came up for you during the session.
If you would like to share your experience with the group, you are also welcome to do so.
You don’t have to share anything personal that you don’t want to share.
Simply share what you feel comfortable sharing.
So let’s open the floor now.
What did you notice?
How did the experience feel for you?
Did anything surprise you?
And is there anything you’d like to ask?
[ALLOW TIME FOR Q&A AND GROUP INTERACTION]
Thank you to everyone who participated and shared tonight.
Remember that the purpose of these sessions is not to become perfect at relaxation.
It is to practise.
Every time you slow down…
every time you breathe consciously…
every time you notice your thoughts without automatically following them…
you are strengthening your ability to respond differently.
And I invite you to join us again next Wednesday evening.
Our group sessions take place every Wednesday evening from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Each week we will work with different themes and different therapeutic approaches designed to support greater self-awareness, emotional wellbeing, relaxation, and personal growth.
So if tonight’s session was helpful to you…
come back next Wednesday.
And if you know someone who could benefit from experiencing a guided group hypnotherapy session, you are welcome to invite them to join us, provided they complete the required consultation, information, and consent process before participating.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for giving yourself this hour.
And most importantly…
thank yourself for making the decision to pause…
to breathe…
and to take care of yourself.
Have a peaceful evening.
And I look forward to seeing you again next Wednesday evening…
at 8:00 PM.
Good night, everyone.