Can Autistic People Be Hypnotised?

Why we need to reframe the question to: how can we help autistic people gain the most from their hypnotherapy sessions?

Key points:

• Hypnotherapy is often a very effective approach for autistic people

• Stereotypes about autism sometimes mean people think hypnosis won't work for them

• Creating the right sensory and communication environment matters

• Learning about autistic processing styles means we can adapt hypnotic language

I was diagnosed as autistic in my late forties, and now identify as AuDHD. The single most effective therapeutic approach for me has always been hypnotherapy (and as a hypnotherapist and coach, it’s how I work with my clients). The short answer to the question “Can autistic people be hypnotised?” is, then, yes. But there’s still a lot of confusion as to whether hypnotherapy works well with autism. Rather than asking whether or not autistic people can respond well to hypnosis, we need to ask how we can adapt our practice so that they get the most out of their sessions.

Creating the right sensory environment

A fundamental starting point is to create an environment which allows autistic people to fully engage with their hypnotherapy sessions. Autistic people often have very different sensory responses to others – feeling an intense emotional and physical response to certain noises, visual input and textures – and these can be distracting to the extent they make it impossible to engage in a hypnotherapy session.

Adapting our communication

Autistic people can have very different ways of communicating. For some, this might mean struggling with metaphorical and indirect language, requiring things to be said in a very concrete, clear manner. Remember though, this is not true of all autistic people, and many love the creative use of language. Many autistic people find it hard to express their emotions or what’s going on for them, they might have difficulty letting you know if they need something. They might not display emotion in their faces or voices in the same way as most people. We need to do a thorough intake at the start of our work together and establish whether there are communication differences we need to adapt to.

Changing hypnotic language

Along the same lines, we need to use hypnotic language that fits with how autistic people process the world. Aphantasia, a condition where it is hard (or impossible) to visualise, is far more prevalent in autistic people than the general population. Hypnotherapists often rely on creating rich, visual worlds – but when we’re working with some autistic clients we need to be very aware that this approach might just not be landing. Likewise, for some clients who need to understand things in a more detailed, structured way, if we’re too vague with our use of language we can risk causing anxiety.

Using permissive language

Like me, many of my clients have a PDA profile. PDA (traditionally called Pathological Demand Avoidance, and more recently referred to as Pervasive Demand for Autonomy) means that it can be very hard to accept advice or suggestion. It’s not that we don’t want to. It’s more that we have a strong emotional response, which can feel stressful, scary and powerful, to being told what to do – even when we are open to doing that thing. Hypnotherapists who use more direct language – such as “you’ll feel relaxed” can risk setting up an immediate barrier with their clients, when a more permissive phrase such as, “it might be that you feel some relaxation, or perhaps something else entirely”, feels much more accessible to the autistic person.

Don’t assume anything!

Autistic people lack empathy…autistic people don’t have imaginations…autistic people struggle with metaphor…

These are just some of the stereotypes you’re likely to come across. Autism is a huge spectrum, and the above – or some of the above – fit with some autistic people’s experience. But many autistic people are highly empathic, they have rich imaginations, they don’t struggle with complex language use. Spend time chatting with your autistic client and avoid making any assumptions, many of which are based on limited and outdated research.

Where can I train to work with autistic hypnotherapy clients?

As more and more autistic people are realising just how effective hypnotherapy is, there’s a growing demand for hypnotherapists who are skilled in working with this client group.

The Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy with Advanced Certificate in Neurodivergence provides you with everything you need from a fully accredited hypnotherapy diploma, but with the added skillset to work confidently and ethically with autistic clients.

For a prospectus, click here.

Can Autistic People be Hypnotised - Q&A

Can autistic people understand metaphors?

Yes. Whilst some autistic people struggle with metaphors, many don't have any problems understanding metaphorical language.

Are autistic people imaginative?

Yes. Many autistic people are highly imaginative and have rich inner worlds. This means they respond very well to hypnotherapy.

Are there some autistic people who can't be hypnotised?

There are aspects of some people's experience of autism which can make it harder to be hypnotised. These include clients with a PDA profile, clients with aphantasia and clients who might need very concrete or literal descriptions. With simple adjustments, all of these needs can be easily met and hypnotherapy can be completely inclusive.