Habits
Nail biting, late night snacking, reaching for a cigarette or the phone, and other routines you would like to change.
A calm, practical way to work on habits and nerves
Hypnotherapy for adults who want help with a habit, exam or performance nerves, or confidence. Start with a first consultation, then a short course of three to five sessions if it feels right for you.
50 minfirst consultation
3 to 5sessions in a usual course
Adultsaged 18 and over
What clients come to work on
Hypnotherapy here is a relaxed, focused state used alongside conversation and practical techniques. It is a complementary approach rather than a medical treatment, and nobody can promise how it will go for you.
Exam and interview nerves
Worry that builds before tests, interviews or a driving test and gets in the way on the day.
Performance and sport
Nerves before a match, a recital or a pitch, worked on with the routine you already use.
Public speaking
Getting through a speech, a meeting or a toast with steadier breathing and clearer focus.
Confidence
Self doubt in particular situations, such as speaking up at work or meeting new people.
Relaxation and self hypnosis
A short self hypnosis routine you can use on your own between sessions and long after them.
Stillwater works alongside the care you receive from your doctor, never instead of it. If you take medicines or see a mental health professional, carry on and let them know you are coming here.
When to see your doctor instead
Some problems need medical or specialist care, and hypnotherapy is no substitute for it. If any of these apply to you, please speak to your doctor first.
| If you are living with | Please turn to |
|---|---|
| Depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis or another serious mental illness | Your doctor or mental health team, because Stillwater does not work with these conditions |
| Thoughts of hurting yourself | Crisis support straight away, through a crisis line or the emergency number where you live |
| An eating disorder | Your doctor, who can refer you to specialist help |
| Dependence on alcohol or drugs | Your doctor or a specialist addiction service |
| Pain or symptoms nobody has checked yet | Your doctor, so the cause is looked into first |
From first consultation to last session
First consultation
Fifty minutes on what you want to change, what hypnotherapy can and cannot do, and a few health questions.
A short course
Usually three to five sessions of an hour, a week or two apart, each building on the last.
How it feels
Most people describe a relaxed, focused state. You hear everything, stay in control and can stop at any time.
Between sessions
A short relaxation recorded for you, to practise at home for ten minutes a day.
Looking back
At the last session you review what has changed and what has not, with no pressure to book more.
What hypnosis is, and what it is not
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, a little like being absorbed in a book or a long, quiet drive. It is not sleep, it is not mind control and it has nothing in common with stage shows.
Sessions pair that relaxed focus with conversation and practical steps you choose. Some people notice a change quickly, some gradually and some not at all, which is why the first consultation is open about the limits.
- You stay aware and in control throughout
- Nothing happens that you have not agreed to
- Sessions in the room or by video
- Training, insurance and membership details on request
Fees
Courses are paid session by session, so you can stop whenever you choose.
First consultation
from$85
A conversation about what you want to change and whether hypnotherapy suits it.
- Health questions asked first
- A plan agreed together
- No obligation to continue
Course of three
from$300
Three sessions a week or two apart, with a relaxation recorded for you.
- Paid one session at a time
- Review at the last session
- Stop at any point
Single session
from$110
One session on a focused goal, for clients who have already had a consultation.
- For an exam, a match or a speech
- Self hypnosis steps to keep
- Room or video
Please give two working days' notice to move a session, or the full fee applies. Payment goes to Stillwater directly after each session.
The room by the canal
One quiet room on the first floor, with a reclining armchair, a window onto the water and nothing on the walls to distract.
Shared by clients (example reviews)
Written as examples, and everyone's experience is different.
Went in expecting something like a stage show and found a quiet room and a lot of sensible questions. The first consultation was frank about what it could and could not do.
The recorded relaxation became part of the evening routine. Three sessions, paid as they went, with no pressure to book a fourth.
Clear from the start that the doctor stays in charge of anything medical. That made the rest much easier to trust.
Questions about hypnotherapy
Is control lost under hypnosis?
No. You hear everything, can speak, and can open your eyes and stop at any time. Nothing happens in a session that you have not agreed to beforehand.
Can hypnotherapy cure an illness?
No, and Stillwater makes no medical claims. Hypnotherapy is a complementary approach for habits, nerves and confidence, and it sits beside medical care rather than replacing it.
Who is hypnotherapy not suitable for?
People living with a serious mental illness such as psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe depression, and anyone in crisis. Please speak to your doctor or mental health team instead, and in a crisis ring a crisis line or your area's emergency number at once.
Is hypnotherapy regulated?
That depends on the country. In many places the title is not protected by law, so ask any practitioner about their training, their insurance, the professional body they belong to and how complaints are handled.
How many sessions are usual?
Many clients choose a course of three to five, but you decide after the first consultation and can stop at any point.
Can sessions take place by video?
Yes. Follow up sessions work well by video from a quiet room at home, though many clients like to have the first consultation in person.
Request a first consultation
Choose a session, a date and the part of the day that suits you, and say in a line or two what you would like to work on. Stillwater answers within two working days to confirm the time or offer another.
This inbox is not watched out of hours and cannot help in a crisis. If you are thinking of harming yourself, contact a crisis line or the emergency number where you live right away.
- First consultation $85, 50 minutes
- Paid directly, one session at a time
- In the room or by video
Finding the room
A quiet first floor room above a bookshop, ten minutes on foot from the station.
Get in touch
A quiet room above a bookshop by the canal, ten minutes from the station
Session hours
| Monday to Thursday | 10:00 to 19:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 to 15:00 |
| Saturday | By arrangement |
Before you come
Arrive five minutes early and wear something comfortable. There is no couch, just a reclining armchair by the window.