What Is Therapeutic Hypnosis? Definition and Practice in Quebec
Therapeutic hypnosis is a natural state of focused attention : a relaxed concentration in which the mind becomes more receptive to helpful suggestions. It is used by a trained practitioner to work on what willpower alone struggles to reach: automatic patterns, emotions, and beliefs. You remain conscious and in control from start to finish: this is neither sleep, nor a loss of control, nor magic.
This page answers the questions we're asked every week in Quebec : how it works, what a session looks like, what the science says… and what we do — and don't do — within the Quebec framework.
Hypnosis: Definition and How It Works
You already know hypnosis — you already practice it every day
Let's start by demystifying it: the hypnotic state is nothing exotic. You may have experienced it absorbed in a book to the point of not hearing someone speak to you, or arriving home "on autopilot" down the highway with no memory of the last few kilometres. These everyday trances are exactly the state a hypnotherapist helps you return to : deliberately, more deeply, and aimed at a goal. Hypnosis invents nothing new : it uses an ability your brain already exercises several times a day.
For the full mechanism : the brain under hypnosis, the history, the detailed evidence, see our guide on solutionshypnose.com.
Nothing like what you see on TV
Stage hypnosis — the chicken on stage, the finger snap — is the number-one reason people hesitate to seek help, and it looks nothing like a session. The show selects the volunteers who are most receptive and most willing to play along, then leans on the pressure of the crowd. In our office : no audience, no selection, your goals, your pace, and one absolute principle: nothing can be suggested to you against your values. You hear everything, you can speak, refuse, or stop at any time; no one gets "stuck" (the hypnotic state is natural, and you come out of it the way you would a daydream); and no one can be hypnotized against their will.
The Quebec framework, in plain terms: what we are, and are not
In Quebec, psychotherapy is a reserved act : it is practiced by psychologists (OPQ members), physicians, and holders of a psychotherapist permit.
We are neither psychologists nor psychotherapists, and we do not offer psychotherapy. Our services fall under relational support and well-being : helping with stress, sleep, habits, confidence, big fears, exam preparation…
Why say this so directly? Because it's a mark of seriousness : if your situation calls for a psychologist or a physician (significant psychological distress, worrying symptoms), we will tell you at the very first contact and refer you accordingly. The two approaches actually complement each other very well : many of our clients see us alongside medical or psychological follow-up, with their professional's agreement. Relational support isn't a "lesser form of care" : it's a different profession, with its own scope — and ours, we know well.
Why trust the Solutions Hypnose team
A standard of competence : each partner goes through a professional hiring process, takes part in ongoing training and collective supervision, and will tell you frankly when another professional should come first.
Code of ethics : we follow the code of ethics of RITMA (Regroupement des Intervenants et Thérapeutes en Médecine Alternative) and of the ICF (International Coach Federation), notably on client information and respect, confidentiality, and conflict of interest.
The Benefits of Therapeutic Hypnosis
What a session actually looks like
- The intake conversation first : your situation, your goal. And the honest screening described above.
- The induction next : the practitioner guides you into the hypnotic state through voice and focus in a few minutes, no swinging pendant or staging involved.
- The work : suggestions, metaphors, and visualizations aimed at your goal, always with absolute respect for your values.
- The return : gradual and gentle. Most people feel rested, as though after a nap without actually sleeping.
- Self-hypnosis : from your very first sessions, you learn to recreate the state on your own — the tool that extends the work into everyday life, since your independence is the goal.
A session lasts 50 to 60 minutes (sometimes up to 90 for the first one, depending on the practitioner), in-office or by video call — both formats produce equivalent results, since the hypnotic state depends on voice and attention, not physical presence.
What the science says, honestly
The best-documented area is pain, where the U.S. National Institutes of Health recognize hypnosis among the useful complementary approaches (NIH — NCCIH). For other areas : stress, sleep, phobias, preparation for medical procedures, habits, results are encouraging but of uneven scientific maturity. What this means for you : hypnosis is serious support with real but variable effects depending on the person and the topic. Anyone who guarantees you a result is lying to you, and our topic guides go into detail area by area, with sources.
What hypnosis can help with
Stress & Anxiety
Emotional Regulation
Self-Confidence
Habits & Behavior
Health & Quality of Life
Performance
Relationships
Ready to try real hypnosis?
In Office or Online Across Canada
Offices in Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Montérégie…
And if you live far away or elsewhere in the world, online sessions work very well. Evening slots available.
All areas
Annie Mayrand
Gatineau - Cumberland (ON)
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Christian Rocher
Beloeil
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David Veilleux
Montréal - Anjou
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Florence Aton
Sutton
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Jessica Reid
Sherbrooke
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Julie Rocque
Montréal - Jean-Talon
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Nuria Pérez de León
Montréal - Rosemont - Saint-Lambert
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Romain Rastoin
Bromont
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Réjeanne LeBlanc
La Prairie
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Frequently asked questions about therapeutic hypnosis
No. We are relational-support and well-being professionals. Psychotherapy is a reserved act in Quebec. If your situation calls for a psychologist (OPQ) or a physician, we will tell you at the very first contact ; that's our mark of seriousness, not an awkward limitation.
No. You remain conscious, you hear everything, you can speak, refuse a suggestion, and stop at any time. Suggestions that go against your values are simply rejected. The puppet-like subject is an image from stage shows, not from the therapy room.
Impossible : the hypnotic state is a natural state you come out of spontaneously, like a daydream. If the practitioner stopped talking, you would emerge on your own within a few minutes, or slip into an actual nap, from which you would wake up normally.
Very likely, to your own degree : most people reach a state that's more than sufficient for therapeutic work, and receptivity develops with practice. The three real conditions : being willing (no one is hypnotized against their will), feeling trust, and letting it happen rather than "testing" it. Being receptive is neither a weakness nor gullibility — it's instead correlated with concentration and imagination.
It depends on your group plan : our practitioners issue receipts (relational support, naturopathy, or hypnotherapy depending on their affiliation), but not every insurer accepts them. Check your policy before your first session, and check your EAP too.
Two to six for most topics, with one constant principle : no endless sessions. Self-hypnosis, learned from the start, makes you self-sufficient. That's the goal, and we say so from the very first meeting.
Hypnotherapy under Quebec's Bill 21
Since June 2012, practising psychotherapy in Quebec — including through hypnosis — requires being a psychologist, a physician, or the holder of a psychotherapist permit. As we are not psychologists, physicians, or permit-holding psychotherapists, we do not use hypnosis techniques within the practice of psychotherapy.
As a reminder, psychotherapy is defined under section 187.1 of Quebec's Professional Code as follows :
"A psychological treatment for a mental disorder, for behavioural disturbances, or for any other problem resulting in psychological suffering or distress, intended to promote significant changes in the client's cognitive, emotional, or behavioural functioning, in their interpersonal system, in their personality, or in their state of health. This treatment goes beyond assistance aimed at meeting everyday difficulties, or a relationship of advice or support."
Hypnosis practitioners may therefore use hypnosis within the following types of interventions :
- Supportive meetings, aimed at supporting the person through regular or occasional meetings that let them express their difficulties. In this context, the professional or practitioner may offer advice or recommendations.
- Supportive intervention, aimed at maintaining and reinforcing the person's existing coping skills and strategies by focusing on their strengths and resources, through regular or occasional meetings or activities — notably reassurance, advice, and information related to the person's condition or situation.
- Couple and family intervention, aimed at promoting and supporting the optimal functioning of a couple or family through meetings that often involve several family members, in order to change elements of the couple's or family's functioning that stand in the way of their fulfillment, or to offer help and advice in facing everyday difficulties.
- Psychological education, aimed at learning through information and education. It can be used at any stage of care and services, and consists of teaching specific knowledge and skills to maintain or improve the person's autonomy or health — notably to prevent health or social problems, including mental disorders, or the deterioration of mental health. This teaching may cover, for example, the nature of a physical or mental illness, its manifestations, its treatments (including the person's own role in maintaining or restoring their health), as well as stress-management, relaxation, or assertiveness techniques.
- Rehabilitation, aimed at helping the person cope with the symptoms of an illness or improve their abilities. It is used, among others, with people experiencing significant mental health difficulties, to help them reach an optimal degree of autonomy toward recovery. It may be part of supportive or accompanying meetings and include, for example, managing hallucinations and training in daily and social skills.
- Clinical follow-up, consisting of meetings that carry out a disciplinary intervention plan. It is intended for people with behavioural disturbances or any other problem causing psychological suffering or distress, or health problems including mental disorders. It may involve several professionals or practitioners working in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams. This follow-up may be part of an intervention plan under the Act respecting health services and social services or the Education Act, may take place through supportive or accompanying meetings as defined above, and may also involve rehabilitation or psychological education. It may also aim to adjust pharmacotherapy.
- Coaching, aimed at unlocking potential through the development of talents, resources, or skills in people who are neither in distress nor suffering, but who express specific needs related to personal or professional achievement.
- Crisis intervention, consisting of an immediate, brief, and directive intervention adapted to the type of crisis, the person's characteristics, and those of their circle. It aims to stabilize the person's condition or environment in relation to the crisis situation. This type of intervention may involve exploring the situation and estimating possible consequences — for example, the potential for danger, suicide risk, or risk of decompensation — as well as defusing, support, teaching coping strategies, and referral to the most appropriate services or care.
Source : Agreement between the École de Formation Professionnelle en Hypnothérapie du Québec and the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec — 2015.
We are neither physicians, psychologists, nor psychotherapists. Our services fall under relational support and well-being : they do not constitute treatment or psychotherapy (a reserved act in Quebec), and never replace medical or psychological care. If you are experiencing physical or psychological distress, please consult a doctor or psychologist.
Page written by Nuria Pérez de León
hypnotherapist and NLP coach
partner at Solutions Hypnose.
English version reviewed by David Veilleux
Updated .