Solution Focused Hypnotherapy for Health Anxiety, Pain Management & Health Concerns
Calm the Nervous System, Reduce Fear and Regain Confidence in Your Body
Living with health anxiety, ongoing pain, or persistent health worries can be exhausting. Whether you are constantly monitoring symptoms, fearing illness, managing chronic pain, or dealing with specific fears such as emetophobia (fear of vomiting), these concerns can take over daily life.
Solution focused hypnotherapy offers a calm, structured approach to help reduce anxiety, regulate the nervous system, and improve emotional resilience when health worries feel overwhelming.
When Health Concerns Begin to Control Daily Life
You may recognise some of the following:
Constant checking of bodily sensations or symptoms
Fear of illness despite medical reassurance
Anxiety around hospitals, tests, or medication
Chronic or recurring pain made worse by stress
Avoidance of situations due to fear of being unwell
Persistent worry about nausea or vomiting (emetophobia)
These experiences are real and distressing — and support is available.
Understanding Health Anxiety and the Nervous System
Health anxiety is not about “imagining symptoms”. It is a nervous system stuck in threat mode, scanning for danger and interpreting normal sensations as signs of serious illness.
Similarly, stress and anxiety can amplify pain signals, increase muscle tension, and lower pain tolerance. Over time, this can create a cycle where fear, tension, and discomfort reinforce each other.
Solution focused hypnotherapy works by helping the nervous system move out of survival mode and into a calmer, more regulated state.
What Is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?
Solution focused hypnotherapy is a forward-focused, evidence-informed approach that combines:
Solution focused brief therapy
Psychoeducation about how the brain and body respond to stress
Clinical hypnosis for deep relaxation and regulation
Sessions focus on what helps you feel calmer, safer, and more in control — not on analysing symptoms or reliving past medical experiences.
How Hypnotherapy Can Help with Health Anxiety
Solution focused hypnotherapy can help you:
Reduce constant symptom checking and reassurance seeking
Calm intrusive health-related thoughts
Improve emotional regulation and coping
Reduce anxiety around medical settings or procedures
Rebuild trust in your body
Many clients report feeling less preoccupied with symptoms and more able to live in the present.
Hypnotherapy for Pain Management
Hypnotherapy does not replace medical pain management but can support emotional and neurological responses to pain.
Sessions may help:
Reduce muscle tension
Lower stress-related pain amplification
Improve sleep and relaxation
Support coping with chronic or persistent pain
Reduce fear and anticipation of pain
When the nervous system is calmer, pain often feels more manageable.
Support for Emetophobia (Fear of Vomiting)
Emetophobia is a common but often misunderstood condition that can significantly restrict daily life.
Solution focused hypnotherapy can help by:
Reducing fear responses to nausea or illness
Calming the brain’s threat response
Reframing past illness experiences
Supporting confidence in social, work, and travel situations
The work is gentle and does not involve exposure or forcing situations.
Take Back Control from Health Anxiety and Pain
You don’t need to live in constant fear of your body or your health.
Solution focused hypnotherapy can help you:
Feel calmer and more regulated
Reduce fear and hyper-vigilance
Manage pain more effectively
Re-engage with life confidently
Book an Initial Consultation
A confidential, no-obligation conversation to discuss your health concerns and whether solution focused hypnotherapy is right for you.
Meet Laura
My name is Laura Bartlett, and I am a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist with a strong academic and professional background in psychology and evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
I hold a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, alongside a Diploma in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and a Hypnotherapy in Practice Diploma. My work is grounded in neuroscience-informed practice and focuses on supporting emotional wellbeing, nervous system regulation, and resilience during challenging life experiences.
I am a registered member of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH), fully insured, and hold an enhanced DBS certificate, so you can feel confident that you are working with a qualified, ethical, and professional practitioner.
Alongside my professional training, I also bring personal understanding of the fertility journey. I have experienced IVF and unexplained infertility myself, and I know first-hand the emotional impact this can have. I am now a proud mum of four children aged 6–11, and this lived experience informs my compassionate, sensitive approach when supporting clients through fertility challenges.
My aim is to provide a calm, supportive space where you feel understood, heard, and emotionally supported—whatever stage of your fertility journey you are on.
Registered member of associations that you can trust
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AfSFH
Membership Number: 2625
The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists provides the public with the only dedicated register for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists, and all listed members must be appropriately qualified and insured and abide by the Code of Conduct and professional standards.
As a professional governing body, AfSFH set and monitor standards to ensure all our therapists adhere to the hallmarks of best practice.
All AfSFH registered members are required to engage in at least 21 hours of additional professional development activities per year, including undertaking regular supervision and further training as part of their continuous professional development.
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NCH
Membership Number: 12094
The National Council for Hypnotherapy holds one of the largest registers of independent Hypnotherapists in the United Kingdom and strives to maintain the highest standards among its members.
There is an agreed Code of Conduct, an established Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure and all members are obliged to maintain comprehensive Public Liability & Professional Indemnity Insurance, maintain regular CPD (continuing professional development) hours, and attend Supervision when needed.
A Client Story: How Hypnotherapy Helped Jenny Break the Cycle of Chronic UTI Pain
(Details changed for confidentiality reasons)
Jenny, an Accounts Manager living with her partner, had been struggling with chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) for years. The pain, repeated antibiotics, and ongoing worry had begun to affect her daily life, relationships, and even led her to cancel her wedding.
When Jenny discovered solution focused hypnotherapy, she was sceptical but hopeful. She wanted support in reducing stress, breaking the constant focus on pain, and restoring confidence in her body.
During sessions, she learned how chronic stress and heightened nervous system responses can maintain pain and symptoms, even alongside medical treatment. Guided relaxation and solution focused techniques helped her calm the nervous system, reduce fear, and shift attention from symptoms to moments of safety and support.
Gradually, Jenny noticed meaningful changes:
She attended work events without UTI-related anxiety
Reduced unnecessary antibiotic use
Reconnected socially and engaged in life without constant worry
Began to rebuild trust in her body and enjoy daily life
By the end of therapy, Jenny described feeling calmer, more hopeful, and in control. While she wasn’t symptom-free, her relationship with pain had changed — she felt empowered to manage stress, reduce flare-ups, and focus on living fully.
Client Testimonials
“Laura is warm, understanding and non judgmental. The space is calming and professional. She took the time to understand my needs, medication that might impact my experience.” — HR, Female, 24
“I didn’t realise how many things I was doing that were keeping me symptomatic. Laura’s knowledge of the brain and her ability to explain how it functions made me understand how little changes in my daily life can make big impacts in my physical and mental health. Hypnotherapy helped me change — and I finally feel confident that I will heal.” — KR, Female, 31
Flexible Sessions - in-person or remote
I understand that life is busy. Initial consultations and subsequent sessions can be in-person, remote or a combination of the two - whatever works best for you
In-person sessions in a relaxing private environment
Solution focused hypnotherapy in the local areas of Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea, Benfleet, Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, Canvey Island, Dunton, Laindon, Basildon, Horndon on the Hill, Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, Pitsea, Thundersley, Hockley, Hawkwell, Rochford, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wickford and Rayleigh.
The surrounding area includes Hadleigh Country Park and Hadleigh Castle.
There is plenty of off-street parking available and the nearest train stations are Benfleet (c2c line), Leigh-on-Sea (c2c line) and Rayleigh (Great Anglia line).
Therapy sessions work equally well over Zoom
Live too far away or struggle to fit in travel time? Do you not drive or just prefer sessions in the comfort of your own home?
As well as in-person sessions, Brighter Future Therapy Practice also offers online sessions anywhere in the world. Hypnotherapy has been shown to be equally effective in person or virtually.
To date Brighter Future have helped people in Australia, Canada and America. And virtual sessions have also been carried out with clients throughout the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy and Health Anxiety / Pain Management / Emetophobia
Is hypnotherapy safe alongside medical treatment?
Yes. Hypnotherapy is non-invasive and safe when delivered by a qualified practitioner. It complements medical care for chronic pain, health anxiety, or other conditions but does not replace diagnosis or treatment.
Will hypnosis make me lose control?
No. During hypnosis, you remain fully aware and in control at all times. Hypnotherapy cannot make you do anything against your will. It is a state of deep relaxation and focused attention that supports emotional and nervous system regulation.
Can hypnotherapy reduce anxiety about health monitoring and symptoms?
Yes. Hypnotherapy can help reduce constant checking, reassurance-seeking, and overthinking about bodily sensations. It trains the mind and body to feel safer, breaking the cycle of hyper-vigilance and stress.
How can hypnotherapy help with chronic pain?
Hypnotherapy can support pain management by helping the brain and nervous system respond differently to pain signals. It can reduce stress-related amplification of pain, improve relaxation, and help clients focus on daily activities instead of discomfort.