Phobias ยท Online across Australia
Hypnotherapy for Claustrophobia, by Video Anywhere in Australia
Claustrophobia isn’t measuring the size of the room. It’s measuring how fast you could get out. Hypnotherapy is designed to quieten that question, working with you by video from home, door open if you like.
At a glance: 4 sessions 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?
- You’ll climb six flights rather than share a full lift.
- On a crowded train you stand by the doors, even with seats free.
- You pay extra for an aisle seat, every time.
- Stopped traffic inside a tunnel is close to your worst moment.
- A jumper stuck over your head, or a sticky toilet lock, brings a rush of panic.
- A scan your doctor ordered has been moved, and moved again.
If two or three of those landed, read on. If a scan is waiting, please don’t let this page delay it. I explain why further down.
Why claustrophobia doesn’t listen to logic
Claustrophobia is less about small spaces than about exits. A storeroom with the door wedged open is fine. A packed hall, a train stopped between stations, or a scan that can’t be interrupted is not. Your alarm system is tracking one thing: how quickly you could get out.
Knowing you’re safe rarely changes that, because the reaction runs faster than reasoning. It fires first and checks later. And each time you take the stairs instead, the relief teaches it that the stairs were necessary. That’s why claustrophobia so often gets worse with the years rather than better. Willpower and reassurance struggle to keep up with something that quick. That automatic reaction is the part hypnotherapy is aimed at.
How hypnosis helps with claustrophobia
Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. You stay fully aware and in control throughout. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything against your wishes. Hypnotherapy works with that fast, automatic reaction. We rehearse the lift, the tunnel or the scanner in small steps until your body starts to expect something calmer.
You practise a slow, long out-breath that gives you something to do when the doors close, and you learn simple self-hypnosis to use on your own, with an audio to take home. Between sessions you try graded steps in real places, at a pace you’ve agreed to. If there’s an MRI waiting, tell me on the free call and we’ll shape the sessions around it. I’ll also suggest what to ask the imaging clinic when you book: whether they have a wide-bore or open scanner, whether your scan can be done feet first, and whether a support person can be in the room. Radiographers would much rather know in advance.
How hypnotherapy for claustrophobia works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me where the fear shows up and whether anything is coming up: a scan, a flight, a new office. 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 start of your program. We map the places that set you off, what you do to cope, and what you’d most like to manage first. Then we begin, with hypnosis and your first small steps.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
The program is four 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. You can use it in the waiting room before a scan.
Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. And for this fear in particular, doing the work from a room you can leave whenever you like is a good place to start.
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
Research on hypnosis for claustrophobia specifically is limited, and I won’t pretend otherwise. A 2016 review of hypnosis for anxiety disorders by Pelissolo, in La Presse Médicale, concluded that the evidence for phobias was “negative or insufficient”.
What does have strong support is gradual exposure. A 2008 meta-analysis by Wolitzky-Taylor and colleagues in Clinical Psychology Review pooled 33 randomised studies of specific phobias. Exposure-based treatment did better than no treatment, better than placebo, and better than other talking therapies. So exposure is the backbone of this program, and hypnosis is how I make each step easier to take.
Is hypnosis for claustrophobia 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 a doctor has asked for a scan, don’t put it off for the program. Ask your GP or the imaging clinic about your options now, including sedation. Breathlessness away from enclosed spaces needs a medical check.
What hypnotherapy for claustrophobia costs: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Four sessions by video, with an audio recording to use between them.
- Paid upfront: $1,000 in total. That’s $250 a session.
- Session by session: $300 each. $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
Please see your GP as wellIf a doctor has asked for a scan, please don’t put it off until the program is finished. Talk to your GP or the imaging clinic now about your options, including sedation if you need it. If breathlessness or chest tightness comes on away from enclosed spaces, get that checked. And if the fear began after being genuinely trapped, and the memory keeps returning, a psychologist is a good first step; your GP can refer you with a Medicare rebate through Better Access. Chest pain or trouble breathing 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, 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 claustrophobia
Does hypnotherapy work for claustrophobia?
Honestly, research on hypnosis for claustrophobia itself is limited. A 2016 review of hypnosis for anxiety disorders found the evidence for phobias was negative or insufficient. What has strong support is gradual exposure, which did better than no treatment, placebo and other talking therapies across 33 randomised studies. So hypnotherapy for claustrophobia here is built on exposure, with hypnosis there to help you take each step.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for claustrophobia?
I don’t quote one. The success rates you see advertised usually come from small or unchecked studies, or from a practitioner’s own records. I’d rather show you the published research, and where every number on this page comes from.
Will I lose control, or feel stuck in hypnosis?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. I want to be plain about that on this page, because feeling unable to get out is the heart of claustrophobia. There’s no state to get stuck in. It’s focused, relaxed attention, like being absorbed in a good film.
Can hypnotherapy help me get through an MRI?
It’s designed to help you prepare. We rehearse the scan ahead of time, you practise the breathing and self-hypnosis you’ll use on the day, and you go in knowing what to ask for. If it’s still too much, sedation is a normal thing to discuss with your doctor.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention and on what we do together, and both travel perfectly well over a video call.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for claustrophobia?
The program is four sessions, and we review progress at each one. If a scan is booked soon, tell me on the free call and we’ll be honest about what’s realistic before then.
Why has my claustrophobia got worse over the years?
Usually because avoidance compounds. Every lift you skip feels like proof it was dangerous, so the rule gets stronger instead of being tested, and it spreads to new places. Nothing has gone wrong with you. A learning process has just been running unopposed.
What if it isn’t helping?
Tell me. We review progress at every session 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
- AgoraphobiaWhen it’s anywhere hard to leave, not just small spaces.
- Fear of flyingWhen the sealed cabin is the sticking point.
- Fear of heightsWhen the glass lift is as much about the drop as the box.
- All phobiasEvery phobia I work with, and how the program runs.
Free and confidential, open now. Tap to call.
Where these numbers come from
Pelissolo A (2016). Hypnosis for anxiety and phobic disorders: a review of clinical studies. La Presse Médicale 45(3): 284-290. doi.org/10.1016/j.lpm.2015.12.002. In French, with an English abstract. A systematic review of papers from 1980 to 2015; it found only three controlled studies across anxiety disorders.
Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Horowitz JD, Powers MB, Telch MJ (2008). Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review 28(6): 1021-1037. doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.007. 33 randomised treatment studies; exposure-based treatment outperformed no treatment, placebo and other psychological approaches, and the result didn’t depend on the type of phobia. 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.