The Best Female Hypnotherapists in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s leading hypnotherapists debunk myths about hypnosis.

Contrary to popular belief, hypnotherapy has nothing to do with being hypnotised and surrendering your consciousness and mental control to a hypnotherapist. In fact, hypnotherapy works the same way as meditation. Being fully in control and aware of what is happening, you are just in a state of modified consciousness, much like when falling asleep at night. Neurologists even say that this state is necessary for a good mental and psychological balance. In hypnotherapy, you learn to regain control, change unhelpful thought patterns, and welcome useful and motivating thoughts.

We spoke with four hypnotherapists in Hong Kong and found out more about why they chose to pursue hypnotherapy, what typical sessions are like, and what advice they would provide anyone who is struggling with anxiety or pain. Read on to learn more about how these wonderful women are empowering Hong Kongers and liberating their minds (in no particular order).

Sonia Samtani

Since university, Sonia Samtani has been working in the mental wellness industry. She volunteered in a safe space support group, worked for one of America’s top self-help entrepreneurs, Tony Robbins, and then set up All About You Centre, her own life coaching and image consulting company in Hong Kong. She loved learning about the mind and was always curious about why we do what we do, so she started learning hypnotherapy and regression therapy. As her true calling, hypnotherapy has brought her and her clients great satisfaction with its results.

During Samtani’s 90-minute sessions, she identifies her client’s objective and understands the background of the issue. Then clients learn about how their mind works and discover self-sabotaging beliefs. Following this, she walks her client through a hypnotic process involving healing techniques and visualisations that guides them to the root of their issue. Here, people see where their issue has started. With breathwork, clients release emotional charges and get the opportunity to reinterpret events. To end, she gives them exercises or a tailor-made meditation to listen to for the next few weeks.

“If you are struggling with anxiety, know that you are not alone and also know that it is possible to move through the pain,” Samtani encourages. Anxiety rises from thinking of the future, imagining the worst, freezing that moment, and acting as if it’s happening right now. A more useful tip would be to unfreeze the tape that’s already playing in your mind, and continue playing that movie until the crisis is over. Imagine that you are moving to a moment of calm. Then you will realise that even if the process was difficult, you have the tools to move beyond your perceived crisis.

Laree Te Kanawa

Laree Te Kanawa chose to pursue hypnotherapy because it reaches the root cause of one’s issue. Hypnotherapy peels away all the layers by accessing the subconscious mind and finds the very first time a limiting belief was weaved into the subconscious mind.

Te Kanawa offers a complimentary discovery chat to discover the client’s issue. The hypnotherapy sessions themselves involve several tools to relax the client and get them into a calm and meditative state, welcoming the subconscious mind. Together, Te Kanawa and her client explore and interpret the subconscious thoughts and limiting beliefs. Then she sends her clients off with a bespoke recording to uplift, empower and excite the mind over a few weeks.

Anxiety stems from a time in one's childhood where change occurred, and the mind and body didn't like it. From this event, the child carries this incorrect belief into their adulthood and feels anxious when change is happening or when things are unfamiliar. Te Kanawa explains that “when you are in an anxious state of mind, you are creating unnecessary stress on the body. When you are in the experience, you can actually manage and handle it better because you know what to do. A response will come to you.”

Sybille de Klebnikoff

After graduating from business school in France, Sybille de Klebnikoff actually worked in the marketing field. Thanks to expatriation and her love for helping people, she redefined her career and explored another path as a career and life coach. As she was looking for powerful tools to help people, she began training in neuro-linguistic programming and hypnotherapy. Today, she works as a hypnotherapist at Central & Stanley Wellness.

A hypnotherapy session involves de Klebnikoff asking specific questions to understand the problem, finding what the client wants and identifying the limiting beliefs or major experiences that led the person to ask for help. After, she hypnotises the client and works with them in the modified state of consciousness to solve the problem. 

As for advice, de Klebnikoff suggests to “consult a medical doctor to check whether there is any medical reason for your anxiety or the pain.” If not, hypnotherapy could help by identifying the root cause of the problem. Through several sessions, you will release the root cause and begin your healing journey.

Christine Deschemin

Prior to beginning her hypnotherapy journey, Christine Deschemin was an aeronautical engineer turned banker. She discovered hypnotherapy by chance but never intended to become a hypnotherapist. However, she followed the full training, took in her first client, then decided after this experience to become a hypnotherapist. Her antecedent education and careers have always stressed the importance of data and research, which came in handy when she set up the Renewed Edge Hypnotherapy Centre and launched UpNow digital hypnotherapy. As some people associate hypnotherapy with non-evidence based practices and are not educated about the benefits of this therapeutic tool, she sheds light on what hypnosis can and cannot do through her work. 

During her sessions, Deschemin gets to know the client and understands the client’s objectives. Then she chooses the most suitable method of hypnotherapy and tailors her approach so that the client makes the most of the session. While the structure of the sessions can look similar, the actual nature of the session differs between clients and even for the same client, from one session to the other.

For people struggling with anxiety or pain, Deschemin strongly believes that hypnosis can assuage your troubles. “Know that there are solutions,” she reassures. “[The benefits of] hypnosis have been documented by medical institutions and research studies. The fact that it is the only mind-body technique used during surgery says it all.” You can even find help from the comfort of your home through digital hypnotherapy.