How Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Hypnotherapy Training or Career (and what to do about it)

"Just one more tweak and then I'll be ready..."

I've worked with hundreds of trainee therapists over the years, and have supported hundreds more as their coach during the early days of setting up their practices, and this (or a version of it) can mean that students are months late handing in their assignments or never get beyond seeing a handful of clients in a year. I fully understand. Some of us - myself included - seem to be born perfectionists and it's a trait often associated with autism. As a kid, I could only see one way to do something, and it had to be the best. If I didn't come first, I was devastated and suffered stress-induced migraines from age 5. There was no pressure to succeed in this way from home, it was just the way I was made.

When I've worked with students and clients, the drive for perfecitonism is sometimes rooted in a feeling of not being good enough, or being raised in a pressured environment, where love and praise were dependent on achievements.

Perfectionism isn't all bad. I've had research-based jobs where being a perfectionist has been a great skill. But when you're trying to wear several different hats and running your own business, or doing your hypnotherapy training and working with real-life people, none of whom behave "perfectly" or make life easy (which is the point of working with case-studies!), it can severely hamper you. It often chokes a practice before it can even get off the ground and some students never make it through their training.

The idea that you will ever feel 100% confident, prepared and ready to take on clients is a complete illusion. Those of us who have been doing this for years still rarely feel that way. Or, if we do, it only takes a difficult client or a slip-up to knock our confidence. This isn't a bad thing. It keeps us on our toes and trying our best. The important thing is, we keep getting out there.

Here are five tips to stop it holding you back from Hypnotherapy Training or Creating Your Practice

1. Approach Perfectionism with Compassion—But Set Firm Limits

I find it helpful to think of my perfectionist as my child self—well-meaning but needing boundaries. Like any child who is scared of getting things wrong, my perfectionist self believes that staying in the safety of endless preparation is the best way to avoid failure. But just as we wouldn’t let a child dictate that they can only go to school once they’ve mastered the entire curriculum, we can’t let perfectionism convince us that we must be flawless before we begin.

Perfectionism might feel like a reasonable way to ensure success, but in reality, it’s a form of illogical thinking that keeps us stuck. The truth is, hypnotherapy training, working with real people, and managing multiple roles in a business requires flexibility, not perfection. Trying to do everything perfectly while learning, practicing, and running a practice will lead to exhaustion and self-doubt. The goal isn’t to eliminate high standards but to apply them in a way that supports growth rather than stalling it. Like a kind but firm parent, we need to acknowledge the fear behind perfectionism while also refusing to let it take control.

2. Stop Waiting for the Moment You’ll Feel “Completely Ready”

One of perfectionism’s most convincing lies is that, one day, you will feel 100% prepared and confident. That you will finally know enough, be experienced enough, be skilled enough—and only then will it be time to take action. But this moment never comes. Confidence doesn’t appear fully formed out of nowhere; it grows through action. If perfectionism were truly the key to success, the people who waited until they were “perfect” before starting would be the most accomplished. But they aren’t—because they never start. The ones who succeed are those who take imperfect action, who acknowledge their fears but don’t let them dictate their choices, and who understand that learning on the job is part of the process.

3. Set Boundaries with Your Perfectionism

Perfectionism will try to convince you to do just one more thing before you move forward—one more course, one more script revision, one more website tweak. It will tell you that if you just fix this one last thing, you’ll be ready. But this cycle never ends. You can interrupt it by setting clear, compassionate boundaries with yourself. If you find yourself endlessly preparing, challenge those thoughts. Do you really need another week of studying before practicing a technique, or do you just need to start? Would a potential client even notice the tiny detail you’re obsessing over? When you catch yourself delaying action because something isn’t perfect, ask: Is it functional? Is it effective? Is it enough for now? If the answer is yes, move forward.

4. Accept That Growth Comes from Doing, Not Just Preparing

Perfectionism often convinces us that the safest path is to avoid action until we feel fully prepared. But real growth—the kind that builds skill, confidence, and expertise—only happens through experience. This means you will make mistakes. You will have sessions that don’t go perfectly. You will learn things after you start, not before. And that’s not a problem; that’s how mastery actually works. The goal is not to be a flawless hypnotherapist but to be a human one—one who learns, adapts, and trusts that progress comes from action, not endless preparation.

5. Acknowledge Your Perfectionism—Then Take Action Anyway

Perfectionism isn’t something you “get over” or switch off overnight. It will still show up, whispering that you’re not quite ready, that you should wait a little longer, that there’s more to refine. Instead of fighting it, acknowledge it. Recognize that it’s just a protective instinct trying to keep you safe. Then, gently but firmly, take action anyway. Whether it’s practicing hypnosis with a real person, launching your business before it feels perfect, or charging properly for your services despite self-doubt—remind yourself that you don’t need to feel ready to be ready. Because you are enough, exactly as you are, right now.