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Hypnotherapy for Nightmares and Night Terrors, by Video
The same dream, most weeks, sometimes for months. You wake at 4am with your heart going, then put off bed the next night. Recurring nightmares are more workable than they feel, and we can do the work while you’re at home.
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 know how the dream ends while it’s still playing.
- You wake with your heart pounding and the covers kicked off.
- You stay up later than you mean to, because you’re half expecting it.
- The dream follows you into the day: in the shower, on the drive to work.
- You haven’t told anyone, because “bad dreams” sounds like a small thing.
- Someone has told you that you scream or thrash in your sleep, and you remember none of it.
If the first few fit, this page is for you. If it’s the last one, read the part on night terrors below, because that’s a different thing.
Why the same nightmare keeps coming back
A recurring nightmare is less a message than a well-worn track. Every time it plays, and every time you go back over it in daylight, it gets a little more practised. That’s also why it tends to arrive in the early hours: nightmares come from dreaming sleep, and those stretches get longer towards morning.
That’s why trying to push the dream out of your mind rarely works, and why dread grows around it: you start bracing before you’ve even turned the light off. Changing the track, and easing the dread, is the part hypnotherapy is aimed at.
How hypnosis helps with nightmares
Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. You’re aware the whole time and in charge of what happens. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do. Hypnotherapy works on two fronts. The first is the dream itself. In a relaxed, focused state we change how it goes, any way you like, and rehearse the new version until it feels familiar. You can’t stop the rehearsing, but you can change what gets rehearsed.
The second is the dread: the bracing at bedtime, and the racing heart when you wake at 4am and can’t settle again. You take home an audio recording and simple self-hypnosis for those moments, and you practise the new version of the dream between sessions.
Nightmares or night terrors?
They’re different events. A nightmare wakes you properly, and you can usually say what happened in it. A night terror comes out of deep sleep earlier in the night. The person may scream or sit bolt upright, but isn’t really awake, and usually remembers little or nothing. In adults, night terrors, sleepwalking or acting out dreams deserve a doctor’s check first. Once that’s done, I can help with the worry around bedtime that comes with living with them.
How hypnotherapy for nightmares works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s going on. 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 program starts here. We talk about the dream and when it began, then do the first piece of work together. You leave with something simple to practise that week.
- 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. Progress doesn’t have to wait for the next session.
Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. That’s why video works: you’re in your own space, with no drive home afterwards.
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
In 2018 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine published a position paper on treating nightmare disorder, which it says affects about 4% of adults. Only one treatment was “recommended”: image rehearsal therapy, where you rewrite a nightmare while you’re awake and practise the new version. Hypnosis was listed among the treatments that “may be used”, meaning the evidence is less clear either way.
So my sessions are built around rewriting and rehearsal, with hypnosis as the calm, focused state we do it in. You’ll also practise the new version between sessions, which is the part that matters most.
Is hypnosis for nightmares 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. Nightmares that replay something real can be part of post-traumatic stress, and deserve proper assessment. We’d then go at your pace, alongside your psychologist. Acting out dreams needs a medical check. Don’t stop any medicine without your GP.
What hypnotherapy for nightmares costs: $1,000
The 4-session program: $1,000 upfront
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, plus an audio to take home and simple self-hypnosis.
- 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 your nightmares replay something that really happened to you, they can be part of post-traumatic stress, and that deserves proper assessment. Your GP can refer you to a psychologist with a Medicare rebate through Better Access, and hypnotherapy can sit alongside that. Some medicines can bring on vivid dreams, so take your list to your GP rather than stopping anything. Loud snoring, gasping or waking unrefreshed can point to sleep apnoea. Screaming, thrashing or acting out dreams needs a medical check too.
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 nightmares
Does hypnotherapy work for nightmares?
The evidence is mixed. In its 2018 position paper on nightmare disorder, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended image rehearsal therapy, and listed hypnosis among treatments that “may be used”, meaning the evidence is less clear either way. So hypnotherapy for nightmares here is built around rewriting and rehearsing the dream, with hypnosis as the calm state we do that in.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for nightmares?
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?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention, a bit like being absorbed in a good film. Nothing can be made to happen that you don’t want.
Do I have to relive the nightmare?
No. We don’t need to go through it in vivid detail. Most of the work goes into the new version of the dream, and you set the pace.
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. Plenty of people find it easier to relax in their own home.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for nightmares?
The program is four sessions. That’s a typical plan, not a promise, and we review progress as we go.
Can hypnotherapy help with night terrors?
The research is about nightmares, not night terrors, so I won’t claim more than that. After a doctor has checked things over, I can help with the stress and the uneasy bedtimes that often come with them.
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
- Hypnotherapy for sleepAll the sleep problems I work with, in one place.
- Sleep and insomniaWhen getting to sleep, or staying there, is the problem.
- Trauma and PTSDWhen the past keeps replaying, awake or asleep.
- AnxietyWhen the dread spills into your days too.
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Where these numbers come from
Morgenthaler TI, Auerbach S, Casey KR, et al. (2018). Position paper for the treatment of nightmare disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position paper. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 14(6): 1041-1055. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7178. The 4% is the paper’s estimate of how many adults have nightmare disorder. “Recommended” and “may be used” are the paper’s own categories. 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.