How Much Does a Session Cost?
The average price for hypnotherapy in Melbourne price varies from practitioner to practitioner because there’s no governing body that decides on a set price.
That’s why when you’re looking for a therapist, you want to be sure you’re getting good value for your money.
In every industry, there are products that are overpriced and driven by market hype, and then there are those which are reasonably priced.
Just as an inflated price doesn’t guarantee quality, the cheapest price isn’t always the best option either.
It’s important to find a good balance between price and value, and that requires a little bit of detective work on your part.
This page is a basic guide to the cost of hypnotherapy services such as smoking hypnosis and hypnotherapy for anxiety, and how to tell if you’re getting the best deal possible.
Hypnosis – Definition and Effect
Hypnosis is an altered state of awareness that prepares the subconscious mind for the therapeutic suggestions offered, which facilitate powerful and positive changes for the client and allows them to break the habit.
Being in a hypnotic state allows you, the client, to absorb, focus and concentrate on the words your therapist says.
Hypnotherapy is a safe and effective modality, during which time the client’s brainwave frequency begins to drop. A hypnotherapist uses vocal tone, pace and semantic language to assist the client to enter a deep relaxation state.
It is legal in Australia, and there are many governing bodies that address the most common questions about hypnosis. It’s always best to work with a therapist who has a government accredited qualification.
All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis
It should be noted that while a client uses the sound of the therapist’s voice to go into trance, the process is actually self-hypnosis. In other words, as the client, it’s your decision as to whether or not you allow yourself to go into trance.
Once you’re in trance, your therapist can apply suggestions that allow you to change unwanted beliefs and behaviour patterns, replacing these with new beliefs and behaviour patterns that will benefit your life.
For example, you may be on a weight loss journey or trying to stop smoking but you’re sabotaging yourself. A hypnotherapist can find out why you’re doing this and help you to stop.
Questions about Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy Pricing FAQ
Here are the most common questions clients ask me about the cost of sessions:
As a general rule, the average fee for a single session in the Melbourne area ranges from $170.00 to $250.00.
Prices depend on a number of factors, including location and how long the hypnotherapy service has been in business. A more expensive fee schedule does not necessarily equate to a better service.
If the price for an individual session is greater than $300.00, there’s a good chance you might be being dazzled by marketing hype.
Of course, ask me again in 10 years’ time and my opinion will be different because of inflation; things get more expensive as the years go by, and hypnotherapy is no exception.
Not necessarily.
Some practitioners charge a lot of money for a single session, with the promise that your problem will be ‘fixed’ in fewer sessions.
But the truth is, no hypnotherapist can predict how many sessions you will need. This depends on many varying factors and clients themselves, so don’t assume paying lots of money for a single session will guarantee that it will be more effective.
You can only claim hypnotherapy on Medicare if your hypnotherapist is a doctor.
That depends on the type of private health insurance you have. Some private health funds in Australia offer rebates for hypnotherapy.
If your fund does offer rebates, be sure to ask your hypnotherapist if she has a provider number; many hypnotherapists do. If she doesn’t, then you will not be able to claim a rebate.
So….does that mean you should shop around and find the cheapest hypnotherapy sessions in Melbourne?
Not so fast.
Choosing your therapist based on price alone could end up costing you more in the long run.
You might be wondering why hypnotherapists cost so much more than a hypnosis MP3 you can buy online.
The reason is that in the first instance, when you download and listen to a hypnosis MP3, you are receiving a generic one-size-fits-all approach.
On the other hand, when you book in for one-to-one therapy you’re working with a qualified hypnotherapist who (provided you make your selection carefully) has an accredited qualification, many years of experience treating clients, and undergoes ongoing training.
If she’s doing her job properly she will ask you lots of questions so she can customize the session for you and she will treat not only the symptom but the cause of your problem.
Most importantly, she will never perform the same therapy twice. Each session should be individual, unique and customized for you; that is why you’re paying more.
Consider the Cost of NOT Changing
Some people think hypnosis is too expensive. To those people, I say: ‘too expensive compared to what?’
Most people often don’t think about the long-term medical costs of addictions like smoking, drinking or eating too much day after day; they only think of the costs in terms of the ‘here and now’.
Buying a session isn’t the same as buying a bag of groceries at the supermarket. When you pay for your stuff, you can see the value immediately, because the items are right there in front of you.
On the other hand, with hypnotherapy, you’re paying for a service, so the value may not be immediately obvious.
The Cost of Smoking
So… let’s consider the habit of smoking. The average pack-a-day smoker spends $8000.00 a year on cigarette packs. Let’s say you invested in 4 sessions at $200.00 each; that’s a one-off cost of $800.00 to quit smoking for good versus $8000.00 per year.
When you look at it this way and ask yourself how much does hypnotherapy cost, the truth is that it isn’t as high as you might have originally thought.
What My Client Rachael Said…
When I first got on the phone with Rachael, she didn’t mince words. She straight out told me: ‘I think this is all bulls**t, but it’s my last resort and I’ve got nothing to lose.’
Rachael was a pack a day smoker who had tried all the usual avenues to stop smoking. She said: ‘I’m an intelligent and successful person, I know I’m killing myself with this habit – my dad died of lung cancer, so you’d think I would know better!’
What Rachael didn’t understand was that ‘knowing’ she needed to stop smoking wasn’t the same as actually doing it. Since I was the last stop, it wasn’t hard to convince her to book in for an initial consultation with me. When she arrived, she took out an envelope from her bag that contained two hundred dollars in cash and handed it to me.
I said to her: ‘Before I accept your payment, are you willing to throw your cigarettes away today?’
She hesitated….thought maybe it was a trick question. It wasn’t. I just needed to be sure she was committed.
I continued: ‘If you don’t throw away your cigarettes, then you may as well just throw these two hundred dollars away and prove to yourself that this is all bulls**t.’
With that conversation out of the way, we went ahead and did the session.
Rachael didn’t quit cold turkey in one session, but she did cut down her smoking significantly. More importantly, she didn’t freak out or throw her hands up in the air and say: ‘that’s it! hypnosis doesn’t work!’. She was willing to come back and invest in herself to finish the job properly.
It took three sessions to put the final nail in the smoking coffin for her and based on all the referrals I get from her, I presume she hasn’t touched a cigarette since.
For Rachael, it was worth paying the money for hypnosis, but she also had her head screwed on properly and realised that if this treatment was going to work, she needed to be ‘all in’.
Is Hypnosis Worth It?
If you choose the right hypnotherapist, then yes, it is definitely worth it. Just make sure you go into it with your eyes open.
To give you an example of marketing hype, these days there’s a big trend for ‘gastric band hypnosis’ to treat weight loss.
It’s marketed as a whizz-bang panacea for all weight problems, yet there’s no difference in principle between the techniques used in this ‘program’ to the techniques that may be used by a qualified professional hypnotherapist who has developed her own methodology.
Don’t believe the hype! When it comes to solving your problem, there are many ways to skin a cat and a good therapist will choose the approach that is right for you – without charging you an arm and a leg for the privilege.
If your therapist is asking more than $250.00 per individual session, you need to ask the following questions:
How to they measure the success of their programs?
Does the price include free-follow-up sessions?
This last question is incredibly important because it will tell you whether or not the hypnosis is customized to your needs.
A hypnotherapist who performs the same therapy for multiple sessions is almost certainly reading from a generic script, which means you’re better off buying hypnosis MP3 for around fifteen dollars..
When you’re researching the average cost for a hypnotherapy session in Melbourne, asking the right questions is paramount. Do your homework and you will find good value for your money.