Hypnotherapy Training

Neurodivergent hypnotherapy is a specialist approach to therapeutic hypnosis that is adapted to meet the unique cognitive, sensory, and emotional profiles of neurodivergent clients — including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and related conditions.

Neurodivergent hypnotherapy draws on an understanding of how neurodivergent brains process information, regulate emotion, and experience the world. Sessions are designed to be sensory-aware, communication-adjusted, and genuinely affirming of neurodivergent identity.

A neurodiversity-affirming hypnotherapy practice starts from the perspective that neurodivergence is a natural variation in how people process things and act. Rather than thinking that neurodivergent people should adjust themselves to “fit in” with a world that isn’t inherently designed for them, it explores how we can adjust our practices to fit in with neurodivergent people’s needs. We affirm that there are other ways of doing things, help clients find unique solutions, and ensure our therapy practices adapt to our clients’ sensory, communication and other needs and preferences.

People with neurodivergent conditions, including autism and ADHD, have often been talked about in terms of “deficit”, using words and phrases that come from a medical perspective which sees difference as something that should be overcome or which is “less than” the norm. It’s important that we use words that are commonly used by the neurodivergent community themselves, which respect and value their experience.

Neurodivergence is not a medically diagnosed, single condition. Instead it’s an umbrella term that covers several conditions including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia, dyspraxia and Tourettes Syndrome and tic conditions. Many of the clients we work with are autistic or have ADHD. There’s often an overlap of conditions and clients might be AuDHD, or have dyslexia alongside dyspraxia and autism. What unites them is an appreciation of having brains and bodies that differ from most people (or what is considered “neurotypical).

Many people have spent their entire lives realising there was something “different” about their experience. However, particularly with females and those with more subtle presentations, they were labelled as “shy”, “disruptive” or “weird”. It’s only with a growth in recent awareness that both adults and children are being diagnosed as autistic, ADHD and with other neurodivergent conditions.

No. Whilst it’s an important part of neurodivergent hypnotherapy, it’s only one part. As hypnotherapists, we rely heavily on language and if we’re essentially “talking a different language” to clients who process things differently, it’s impossible to effectively work with them. Neurodivergent hypnotherapy  explores different processing styles and how to ensure we are working with those processing styles.

Neurodivergent clients tend to come for hypnotherapy with similar issues to most clients. They want help with confidence, anxiety, weight loss, menopause support, IBS support – and many other issues. They might also be looking for help with burnout, fatigue and relationship issues that are connected to their neurodivergent experience, as well as assistance with “unmasking”.

No. Many people choose to self-diagnose or self-identify and are welcome to access neurodivergent hypnotherapy on that basis.

The Academy of the Inner Mind offers a fully accredited Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy with Advanced Certification in Neurodivergence. This is the first dedicated training of its kind, developed by Dr. Claire Jack.

No. Whilst being neurodivergent offers a great insight into what your clients may be experiencing, it is not a prerequisite for training. 

In addition to an overlap between neurodivergent conditions, the needs of neurodivergent clients do differ depending on their unique experiences. During training you learn how to be aware of differing needs and preferences and how to respond to them. For more information about autism and hypnotherapy, click here. For more information about ADHD and hypnosis, click here.