Hypnotherapy is a gentle, focused way of accessing the subconscious mind — the part of your mind where your habits, beliefs, emotional patterns, and automatic responses live. In a deeply relaxed state (called a hypnotic trance), the critical conscious mind steps back, allowing us to work directly with the deeper patterns driving your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

It is not sleep, not unconsciousness, and nothing like what you've seen in stage shows or movies. It's a natural, comfortable state — similar to being fully absorbed in a book or arriving somewhere and realizing you don't quite remember the drive. Most people experience it as deeply relaxing and surprisingly clear.

Yes — hypnosis is a natural state that every human being experiences multiple times a day. That moment of being completely absorbed in a film, a book, or a conversation. The familiar experience of driving somewhere and arriving without quite remembering the route. These are all naturally occurring hypnotic states.

Most people can easily be guided into a therapeutic trance. Some people respond to suggestion more quickly than others — finding the most comfortable and effective way into that state for each individual client is part of the work.

Are You Hypnotizable? Take the quiz.

Yes. Hypnotherapy is a well-established, evidence-informed modality used in clinical, medical, and therapeutic settings around the world. Stanford University School of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center all use and teach hypnosis in their programs. Since the American Medical Association sanctioned its use, hypnotherapy has become widely accepted for a broad range of medical, dental, and psychological applications — including major surgery.

In the hands of a trained, ethical practitioner, hypnotherapy is a safe, gentle, and deeply supportive process.

Most people describe it as a state of deep relaxation combined with heightened focus. You are aware of everything happening around you and everything being said. Your body feels very comfortable, your mind feels quieter than usual, and you have a heightened ability to access thoughts, feelings, and memories that might be harder to reach in ordinary waking life.

You are never unconscious, never asleep, and always in complete control. Many clients say it feels like the most relaxed they've been in years — and are surprised by how natural and comfortable the experience is.

Yes — completely. You cannot be made to do or say anything against your will, your values, or your moral code. Anything you want to keep private stays private. In a hypnotic state, you will not accept suggestions that don't benefit you or that you disagree with.

Throughout the session you are always aware of what is happening, always able to speak, and always able to bring yourself out of the hypnotic state if you choose to. You are a fully active and consenting participant in everything we do together.

Yes.

Unfortunately not in the State of Washington.

Traditional talk therapy primarily works with the conscious mind — through conversation, insight, and cognitive reframing. This is valuable work. But the conscious mind represents only a small fraction of our mental activity. Most of our habits, beliefs, emotional responses, and automatic patterns are stored and driven by the subconscious mind — which talk therapy reaches only indirectly.

Hypnotherapy works directly with the subconscious mind, which is why it can often create change more quickly and at a deeper level than talk therapy alone. It's not better or worse — it's different, and for many people it reaches places that years of talking haven't been able to access.

In my practice, hypnotherapy and coaching are fully integrated — both happen in every session. They work on different but complementary levels.

Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious mind — accessing and rewiring the deeper patterns, beliefs, and emotional responses that drive behavior.

Coaching works with the conscious mind — building awareness, developing new frameworks for thinking, creating actionable strategies, and building the conscious habits and structures that support and reinforce the subconscious work.

Together they create a uniquely powerful combination. The subconscious shifts create the inner foundation for change. The coaching provides the tools and awareness to live from that new foundation in daily life.

A few things make my approach distinctive:

• Every session integrates both hypnotherapy and coaching — I don't separate the two
• Sessions are entirely client-centered and non-scripted — no cookie-cutter approaches, no one-size-fits-all scripts
• I work at the identity level — addressing the root of who you're being, not just the surface symptom
• I bring over 20 years of experience and ongoing training across multiple modalities — including NLP, somatic work, and coaching
• I bring lived experience — as a cancer survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient, I know the mind-body connection from the inside out

My clients often describe sessions as unlike anything they've experienced before — intuitive, precise, and surprisingly fast at getting to what actually matters

Identity-level transformation is the core of what I do — and it's what sets this work apart from symptom management or coping strategies.

Most approaches address the problem at the surface level — the behavior, the thought, the feeling. Identity-level transformation goes deeper, to the level of who you are being. The subconscious beliefs you hold about yourself. The story you're living from. The identity that shapes every choice, reaction, and pattern in your life.

When change happens at the identity level — when your subconscious sense of self shifts — the surface-level symptoms tend to resolve naturally. You don't have to force yourself to change your behavior because the person you're being has genuinely changed. That's the difference between lasting transformation and temporary relief.

The Initial Session is 1.5 hours and is designed to give us both the time and space to do real work together — not just an intake or a consultation.

We'll spend time getting to know each other and the issues you're bringing. I'll ask questions that help us both get beneath the surface to what's actually driving the patterns you want to change. And we'll spend time in hypnosis — so you leave the first session having already experienced the work, not just talked about it.

At the end of the session we'll discuss what I observed, what I think is going on at the subconscious level, and how we might work together going forward. You can choose to continue with individual sessions or move into a package or program

This varies significantly depending on what you're working on, how long the patterns have been in place, and how your subconscious responds to the work. Some issues shift in just a few sessions — habit change and specific phobias, for example, often respond quickly. Deeper identity-level work, long-standing anxiety, or complex patterns typically benefit from more sustained work over time.

I offer packages of 3, 6, 9, and 12 sessions, as well as 3 and 6-month Hypnotherapy & Coaching Programs for those ready to commit to deeper transformation. We discuss what feels right at the end of your Initial Session.

Yes — and virtual sessions are just as effective as in-person sessions. Hypnotherapy translates beautifully to an online format because the work happens in your mind, not in a physical space.

I work with clients in person in Seattle, Washington, and virtually with clients anywhere in the United States and worldwide. All you need is a quiet, comfortable space and a reliable internet connection.

Yes — the mind-body connection is real, well-documented, and central to my work. Hypnotherapy has been used effectively to support pain management, immune function, cancer treatment, autoimmune conditions, sleep disorders, and recovery from illness or surgery.

As a cancer survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient, I have personal experience of how profoundly the mind influences the body's healing process. This shapes everything I bring to working with clients facing health challenges.

This work is always a complement to — not a replacement for — medical care. It supports your psychological, emotional, and nervous system wellbeing so that you can navigate your health journey with greater resilience, peace, and agency.

Absolutely — in fact most of my clients come with no prior experience of hypnotherapy, and many arrive with a fair amount of skepticism. That's completely fine. Skepticism doesn't prevent hypnotherapy from working — willingness and openness are what matter, and even those develop naturally as we work together.

If you have questions or hesitations before booking, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to answer anything that would help you feel more comfortable taking the first step.

The Initial Session is the best way to experience the work firsthand — and to find out whether this approach feels right for you. It's available as a standalone session or as the first session of a package or program.

Sessions are available in person in Seattle and virtually, anywhere nationwide.

Book your Initial Session → 

Or reach out with questions: shalynn@templehypnosis.com