Hypnotherapy for Intrusive Thoughts
Calm Your Mind, Reduce Overwhelm, and Feel in Control Again
Learn to quiet your mind, stop overthinking, and regain control through evidence-based, solution focused hypnotherapy
How Hypnotherapy Helps Stop Intrusive Thoughts
Hypnotherapy can help you to control your obsessive thoughts by retraining your thinking patterns…
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps calm overthinking and shift the mind toward clearer, more balanced thinking. By combining neuroscience with gentle hypnosis, it reduces mental rumination and supports a greater sense of control and emotional calm.
Hypnotherapy can help by:
Reducing overthinking and mental chatter
Easing rumination and worry
Improving focus, confidence, and emotional balance
Why choose Solution Focused Hypnotherapy to Manage your intrusive thoughts?
Unlike traditional talk therapy, solution focused hypnotherapy focuses on what’s working and helps you move forward quickly. Sessions are structured, evidence-based, and designed to create measurable change — often within a few weeks.
Who Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Can Help
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help clients who experience intrusive thoughts, persistent mental loops, unwanted images or urges, overthinking, and stress-related sleep difficulties.
It is an effective alternative to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for managing intrusive thoughts and associated anxiety.
There is less focus on discussing distressing content and no requirement to analyse the past. Instead, the focus is on calming the nervous system, reducing mental overload, and building a greater sense of control through structured, time-limited sessions.
How It Works
Over our sessions, we’ll work together to help you:
Understand how the brain creates and maintains overthinking patterns
Learn tools to calm and reframe intrusive thoughts
Develop a more positive, solution-focused mindset
Reinforce calm and confidence through relaxing hypnosis
Each session is structured as follows:
A discussion of “what’s been good?” to focus your brain on the positives and put you into your intellectual brain. These do not need to be big things - perhaps the sun is shining, the traffic was light on your journey or someone complimented you at work…
Brain revision to remind you of the neuroscience behind our work and the importance of having good sleep, doing things that you enjoy, interacting with people who make you feel good and having positive thoughts
A simple scaling exercise to determine how you are feeling this week and what would move you slightly up the happiness scale
A visualisation exercise to expand on what your preferred future would look like, how you will feel when you get there and what small step you can take to move in that direction
A guided sleep relaxation to cement your preferred future into your subconscious
Many clients notice a real difference after just a few sessions.
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 therapy. 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.
I am a registered member of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH), fully insured, and hold an enhanced DBS certificate — so you can be confident you are working with a qualified, professional, and ethical practitioner.
Before retraining as a therapist, I spent 20 years working in the London corporate world as an insurance broker. With an Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) and a Level 3 Diploma in Management and Leadership, my approach is practical, grounded, and evidence-informed.
You’re In Safe Hands
Membership Number: 2625
The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists (AfSFH) maintains the only dedicated register for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists. All members are fully qualified, insured, and required to follow a strict Code of Conduct and professional standards. AfSFH also sets and monitors best-practice standards, with members completing at least 21 hours of ongoing professional development each year, including regular supervision and further training.
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.
CASE STUDY: How Sarah Overcame Her Intrusive Thoughts Using Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
(Details changed for confidentiality reasons)
Sarah was a successful young lady with her own business and 2 small children. Her friends and family viewed Sarah as happy and confident however, Sarah was plagued with negative and intrusive thoughts.
When Sarah would attend social events she would be unable to fully enjoy them as her brain was constantly intruding: “I bet people are thinking you are really boring…….you just smiled at that man, I bet he thinks you fancy him, what would your husband think? You are a bad person……..Everyone here is looking at you……..you don’t fit in………you shouldn’t be here”
Over the course of 12 sessions Sarah learnt to control her intrusive thoughts using Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. She achieved this by:
Increasing her cognitive control by strengthening her pre-frontal cortex
Reframing her negative thoughts
Emptying her stress bucket
Focusing more on her strengths and the positive aspects of her life
Visualising a future without intrusive negative thoughts
Client Testimonials
“I used to be trapped in constant, intrusive thoughts and found myself over-analysing everything. After working with Laura’s solution-focused hypnotherapy I can actually pause my mind, feel calmer and approach situations with real clarity. I feel like I’m finally in control instead of being controlled by my thoughts.” — AB, Female, 29
“I came to see Laura to overcome negative thoughts. I gained an understanding on how the brain processes thoughts, this helped me to refocus my mind.” — TP, Male, 57
Next Steps…
Ready to quiet your mind and find calm again?
Book an initial consultation or learn how solution focused hypnotherapy can help you overcome obsessive and negative thought patterns.
I service 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. Or anywhere in the World via Zoom.
An initial consultation is £35 and takes up to 45 minutes. It can take place online via Zoom or in-person in my relaxing therapy room at 96 Westwood Gardens, Hadleigh, Essex, SS7 2SJ.
During the initial consultation I will take some basic information from you - including what you are looking to achieve from sessions. I will then explain how the brain works including why it is negatively biased and what causes our intrusive thoughts. We will discuss the format of further sessions and you will leave with a sleep audio to listen to at home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy for Stress and Anxiety
How do I stop obsessing over a thought?
Think of your thoughts like monsters. The more attention you give them the more they are fed and the monster will keep coming back getting stronger and stronger.
Once you distract yourself and let the thoughts pass by, the monster will become weaker and eventually go away.
How to stop obsessing over things you can’t control?
Accept the worries you cannot control and move on. Focus on the things that you can control and take action accordingly.
How to stop negative thoughts?
Challenge the thought - ask if there's evidence for it, what other explanations exist, and what you'd tell a friend.
Then reframe it to a more balanced, helpful thought, like "I'm prepared" instead of "I'll fail".
Why do I have negative thoughts?
The primitive brain does not care if we are happy or successful - it is only concerned with our survival. On this basis it is very negative, always looking out for danger - a hole in the floor or a speeding car….
The primitive brain is like our Health & Safety officer - always thinking of the worst possible scenario in order to stop us taking risks.