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Hypnotherapy for Health Anxiety, by Video Anywhere in Australia
The relief of a clear test result can fade within days, and then the checking starts again. Hypnotherapy for health anxiety works on that cycle. It targets the jolt of alarm at a body sensation, and the pull to check. We work on it in four sessions by video, from wherever you are.
At a glance: a 4-session program by video. $1,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,200 paid session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- A headache is never just a headache for long. Your mind goes straight to the worst explanation.
- You press, feel or look at the same spot on your body several times a day.
- You search symptoms late at night and end up reading about serious illnesses.
- A normal test result helps for a day or two, then the doubt comes back.
- You avoid the doctor altogether, because you’re afraid of what they might find.
- The people close to you are tired of reassuring you, and you’re tired of asking.
If some of those sound familiar, you’re in the right place. Please keep your regular GP appointments as well. I explain how the two fit together below.
Why reassurance never seems to last
Reassurance fades because health anxiety runs in a circle that feeds itself. You notice a physical sensation and read it as a sign of illness. The worry makes you notice it more. Checking behaviour brings a moment of relief, and that relief teaches your brain to check again.
It isn’t a lack of common sense, and you’re far from alone. Australian research by Sunderland and colleagues found about 5.7% of people met the criteria at some point in their lives. About 3.4% did at the time they were interviewed. When the worry takes over your days, some people call it crippling health anxiety. Clinicians may use the term illness anxiety disorder.
Knowing the odds rarely helps for long, because the alarm fires before logic gets a say. Hypnosis aims at that fast, automatic part of the loop.
How hypnosis helps with health anxiety
Hypnosis helps by letting you practise a calmer response to body sensations, in a safe and settled state. Hypnosis is focused attention with a relaxed body, a little like being absorbed in a good book. In a state of hypnosis you’re aware and in charge throughout. It isn’t sleep.
In my practice, I ask what you check, how often, and what you tell yourself just before you do. Those small details shape what we rehearse together.
In that focused state, we practise noticing a physical sensation and letting it pass without the frightening story attached. We rehearse the moment the urge to self-diagnose online arrives, and a different way through it. We also turn down the constant worry in the background. You learn self-hypnosis techniques that take a few minutes, at home or at your desk. That gives the urge somewhere to go besides a search engine.
How hypnotherapy for health anxiety works online
The program is four video sessions from home, after a free phone call to check it suits you.
- A free 15-minute call
You describe the worries and the checking. I tell you honestly whether this suits you, or whether someone else should help first. No hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first hypnotherapy session, up to 90 minutes
We look at which worries come up most and what you do when they arrive. We also talk about what life would look like with less checking. Then the work begins in the same session.
- Sessions two to four and practice between sessions
Up to 60 minutes each, spaced to suit you. We review as we go, and adjust what we rehearse. You receive an audio recording for home, plus short techniques for the moments the urge to check shows up.
Bring a quiet room, a reliable connection and headphones. If the video drops, I ring you back. Working from home also means no waiting room full of coughing strangers.
Want to talk it through first?The free call takes fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
The clearest research finding is that more tests rarely settle health worry. Rolfe and Burton pooled 14 randomised trials covering 3,828 patients with a low chance of serious disease. Their 2013 review appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine. Having diagnostic tests did little to reduce illness worry, anxiety or symptoms.
On hypnosis itself, I’m not aware of good clinical trials for this kind of worry. So I won’t claim any. The treatment with solid evidence is cognitive behavioural therapy, which your GP can help you access. I offer hypnosis as a calm, practical companion to that, alongside your GP or psychologist.
Is hypnosis for health anxiety safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine. The possible downsides are mild and short, such as feeling drowsy or emotional afterwards. It won’t teach you to ignore your body. New, changing or worsening symptoms still need a doctor.
It isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis or a severe, untreated mental illness. If that’s you, talk to your GP or treating clinician first. Keep seeing your GP and any psychologist or counsellor you work with. In the free call I’ll tell you honestly if someone else should help you.
What hypnotherapy for health anxiety costs: $1,000
The 4-session program costs $1,000 in total when you pay upfront.
The 4-session program: $1,000
Four sessions, designed to help you loosen the grip of the checking, the searching and the need for reassurance.
- 4-session program: $1,000 paid upfront, which is $250 a session. Or pay $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Session length: your first session runs up to 90 minutes, and follow-up sessions up to 60 minutes.
- Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
Your GP stays part of thisThis work never means ignoring your body. New or changing symptoms, a lump, unexplained weight loss, bleeding, or anything that’s getting worse still need a doctor. Many people find it helps to see one regular GP. Together you can agree which symptoms to bring in, and when. Your GP can also refer you to a psychologist with a Medicare rebate through Better Access. New or severe chest pain is a 000 call, straight away.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years. I have an Adelaide practice and see clients right across Australia by video. Before that I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer. So I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists. My courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy for health anxiety
Does hypnotherapy work for health anxiety?
I can’t promise it works, because I’m not aware of good controlled trials of hypnosis for it. What research does show is that more tests rarely ease illness worry for long. Talking therapy with a psychologist is the approach with solid evidence. Some people find hypnosis helps with the checking and the urge to search, alongside that.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for health anxiety?
I don’t quote one, and there isn’t a published figure for this. Advertised rates usually come from small, unchecked studies or a practitioner’s own records. I’d rather show you the research that exists, gaps and all.
What is the best therapy for health anxiety?
CBT with a psychologist has solid evidence behind it. Your GP can refer you through Better Access. Hypnosis can run beside it, but not in place of it.
Will this make me ignore real symptoms?
No, and it shouldn’t. The aim is to respond to your body in proportion. See the doctor when something new or worrying turns up, without the constant checking in between.
Will I lose control in hypnosis?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can stop whenever you like. Nothing happens that you don’t agree to.
Can I do this over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention and on what we practise together. Both come through a video call well.
How many sessions will I need?
The program is four sessions, and we review as we go. Some people choose a few more, and some don’t need all four. Prepaid sessions you don’t use stay valid for 12 months.
Isn’t this just hypochondria?
That older word is still around, but it’s often used as a put-down. Health anxiety is a recognised pattern, and there’s good help for it. You don’t need a diagnosis to book a free call.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
No Medicare rebate applies to hypnotherapy, and you don’t need a GP referral. Extras cover varies between funds, so check with yours first.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
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Where these numbers come from
Sunderland M, Newby JM, Andrews G (2013). Health anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use. British Journal of Psychiatry 202(1): 56-61. doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.111.103960. Lifetime 5.7%, current 3.4%, from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Rolfe A, Burton C (2013). Reassurance after diagnostic testing with a low pretest probability of serious disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine 173(6): 407-416. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2762. 14 randomised trials, 3,828 patients. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It isn’t medical treatment, a diagnosis, or a substitute for care from your doctor or a psychologist. If your symptoms are severe or persistent, please speak to your GP. Last updated 9 October 2026.