Mind and Emotions · Online across Australia
OCD Treatment and Hypnotherapy: How They Can Work Together
When a thought gets stuck and the only thing that quietens it is checking, washing, counting or asking one more time, you want OCD treatment that works. The strongest option is CBT with exposure and response prevention. Hypnotherapy can help with the anxiety and stress around it.
At a glance: usually 6 to 12 sessions, agreed together in your first session. $1,500 to $3,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,800 to $3,600 session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
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- 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 thought arrives that you don’t want, and it won’t leave you alone.
- You check the door, the stove or the message again, knowing you already did.
- Things have to feel “just right” before you can move on.
- You ask the people close to you for reassurance, and an hour later you need it again.
- Rituals are eating into your time, your work or your sleep.
- You keep most of this hidden, because it’s hard to explain.
If intrusive thoughts or rituals take up real time or cause real distress, please talk to your GP. It’s a recognised condition with effective treatment, and there’s nothing embarrassing about asking.
Why OCD doesn’t respond to logic
OCD is more common than people think. In the ABS National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020 to 2022, 3.6% of Australians aged 16 to 85 had obsessive-compulsive disorder in the previous 12 months. It isn’t about being tidy. It’s a loop: an unwanted thought brings anxiety, a compulsion brings brief relief, and the relief teaches your brain to do it again.
Logic doesn’t break the loop. You can know the stove is off and still feel you have to check. The treatment that breaks that loop most directly is cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention, usually called ERP. With a psychologist, you face the things that trigger you in small, planned steps while holding off the compulsion, until the anxiety settles on its own. healthdirect lists CBT, ERP and medication as the treatments used in Australia. If you haven’t had ERP yet, that’s the first step, and I’ll say so on our call. Hypnotherapy’s job here is support.
How hypnosis helps with OCD
Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. In a session you’re aware of everything and in charge. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do. ERP is hard work, and background stress makes everything harder. We work on lowering that background anxiety, building a calm you can call on during exposure practice, improving sleep, and easing the self-criticism that often comes with OCD.
What I won’t do is use hypnosis to argue with intrusive thoughts or hand out reassurance, because reassurance tends to feed the loop. What you take home instead is simple self-hypnosis and an audio recording to use between appointments, so you can settle your body before exposure practice or at the end of a hard day.
How hypnotherapy for OCD works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s going on and what treatment you’ve had so far. I tell you honestly whether I think I can help. No obligation, and no hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first session: the treatment plan
A full session where we map when the anxiety peaks, what support you already have, and what you want instead. You leave with a plan and the number of sessions I recommend. The $300 for this session comes off the plan.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
Most plans run 6 to 12 sessions. You join from home. All you need is a quiet room, a reliable connection and a pair of headphones. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments, and you’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too. Progress doesn’t have to wait for the next session.
Video suits this work well. You’re in your own space, and there’s no travel to fit around your day.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
Very little. Research on hypnotherapy for OCD is mostly individual case reports. There is one randomised trial, published in 2026 by Çınaroğlu and colleagues, which compared online hypnotherapy with CBT and a waiting list and found both therapies helped. That’s encouraging, but one trial from one research group isn’t enough to change the advice. It needs repeating by other researchers first.
So think of hypnotherapy as a complement to ERP, not a substitute for it.
Is hypnosis for OCD safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and side effects are mild and short: you might feel a little drowsy or emotional afterwards. It isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis or a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. If that’s you, talk to your GP or treating clinician first, and I’ll tell you honestly in the free call if someone else should help. If intrusive thoughts or rituals take up real time, see your GP about ERP as well. Please don’t stop or change any medication without talking to your doctor.
What hypnotherapy for OCD costs
Your first session: $300
This is where we build your treatment plan. The $300 is credited towards the plan.
- Most plans run 6 to 12 sessions. We agree the number together in your first session.
- Paid upfront: $250 a session. 6 sessions: $1,500 in total. 12 sessions: $3,000 in total.
- Session by session: $300 each. 6 sessions: $1,800. 12 sessions: $3,600.
- 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
Please see your GP as wellYour GP can assess what’s going on, talk through medication if it’s appropriate, and refer you to a psychologist who offers ERP, with a Medicare rebate through Better Access. Hypnotherapy sits well alongside that. Please don’t stop or change any medication without talking to your doctor.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years, with an Adelaide practice and clients right across Australia by video. Before that I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer, which probably explains why 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 OCD
Does hypnotherapy work for OCD?
There’s very little research on hypnotherapy for OCD, and most of it is individual case reports. One randomised trial, published in 2026, compared online hypnotherapy with CBT and a waiting list and found both therapies helped. One trial from one research group needs repeating by others before it changes the advice. For now, hypnotherapy is support that sits beside ERP and your GP, not a replacement for them.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for OCD?
I don’t quote one. Advertised success rates usually come from small or unchecked studies, or from a practitioner’s own records, so they rarely tell you much. I’d rather you look at the published research on this page and choose knowing the real picture.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. Hypnosis is relaxed, focused attention, a bit like being absorbed in a good film.
Can hypnosis stop intrusive thoughts?
I won’t promise that. Many people have odd or unwanted thoughts; in OCD the trouble is how stuck they get and what you feel you must do about them. ERP works on that directly. Hypnotherapy can help lower the anxiety that keeps the loop running.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention and on what we do together, and both come through a video call well.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for OCD?
Most plans run 6 to 12 sessions. We set the number together in your first session. It’s a typical range, not a promise, and we review it as we go.
Can I do this alongside ERP or medication?
Yes, and that’s how I’d prefer it. Let your psychologist know, and keep taking any medication as prescribed. Hypnotherapy is designed to support that work, not replace it.
What if it isn’t helping?
Tell me. We review progress as we go and change the approach if something isn’t working. If hypnotherapy isn’t right for you, I’ll say so and point you towards what might be. Any prepaid sessions you haven’t used stay yours for 12 months. You can use them for something else, or pass them on to someone you know.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
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
Related
- Mind and emotionsEvery mind and emotions issue I work with, in one place.
- AnxietyWhen the worry runs on a loop.
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- Hair pulling and skin pickingWhen a repetitive habit is hard to stop.
- Stress and burnoutWhen the background pressure never lets up.
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Where these numbers come from
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023). National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020 to 2022. abs.gov.au. The 3.6% is the share of Australians aged 16 to 85 who had obsessive-compulsive disorder in the 12 months before the survey.
healthdirect Australia. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). healthdirect.gov.au. Source for the treatments used in Australia.
Çınaroğlu M, Yılmazer E, Odabaşı C, Ülker SV, Tan S, Hızlı Sayar G (2026). Comparing cognitive behavioral therapy and Ericksonian hypnotherapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 74(1): 66-92. doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2025.2608846. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy, not 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.