Phobias · Adelaide and online
Hypnotherapy for Claustrophobia in Adelaide
It isn’t the size of the space. It’s the feeling that you couldn’t get out if you had to. Claustrophobia hypnotherapy in Adelaide works on that feeling. By video, you can start from a room where the door stays open.
At a glance: a 4-session program with me. By video anywhere in Australia, or in person in Adelaide by arrangement. $1,000 for the program when you pay at the start. Paying session by session comes to $1,200.
Or call 0427 218 092
A short phone chat, no pressure to book. I ring back within 24 hours. See the prices
- 14 years in practice
- 4.6 ★ from 30 Google reviews
- ThreeBest Rated listing, Adelaide 2018 to 2026
- Fellow, ASCH
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAdelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, fourteen years in practice. Sessions by video anywhere in Australia, or in person in Adelaide by arrangement.
Where claustrophobia catches you in Adelaide and beyond
It can show up anywhere the exit feels far away, from a city lift to a scanner.
- You take the stairs in a city office tower rather than squeeze into a full lift.
- Traffic stopping in the Heysen Tunnels is one of your worst fears.
- On the train or tram you stay near the doors, even when there are seats.
- You always book the aisle seat, and you’d pay more for it.
- A tight jumper over your face, or a stiff toilet lock, sets off a jolt of panic.
- Your doctor ordered a scan, and you’ve rescheduled it more than once.
If a few of those hit home, read on. If a scan is booked, please don’t wait for this program to be over. More on that in the safety section.
Why claustrophobia is about exits, not small rooms
A tiny storeroom with the door propped open is fine. A train stuck between stations is not. Your alarm is asking one question: how fast could I get out?
Logic doesn’t settle it, because the alarm moves faster than thought. And each time you take the stairs, the relief teaches it the stairs were needed. That’s why it often grows over the years and spreads to new places. Much of the suffering is anticipatory anxiety: days of dread before the scan, more than the scan itself. The same pattern often sits behind a fear of flying or a fear of heights, and it can bring on panic attacks.
How hypnosis helps with claustrophobia
In hypnosis you picture the lift, the tunnel or the scanner while your body stays calm. You’re relaxed, focused and aware of everything, and you can stop at any time. We take it in small pieces. You also learn a long, slow out-breath and a few simple relaxation techniques, so you have something to do when the doors shut. In that deeply relaxed state, your subconscious mind gets to practise the calm version many times before real life asks for it.
Alongside hypnosis I use Rewind, a gentle technique for taking the sting out of a frightening memory or fear. Sometimes I use Symbology, which works with the pictures and metaphors your mind already uses. NLP and Time Line Therapy come in where they fit. These are some of the tools I’ve found useful.
Between sessions you try small real steps at a pace we agree on. One floor in a quiet lift. Then two. Then a busier time of day.
How claustrophobia hypnotherapy works: video or Adelaide
The program is four sessions, and it begins with a free 15-minute phone call.
- Free phone call, 15 minutes
Tell me where the fear shows up. Is something coming up, like a scan, a flight or a new office? I’ll be honest about whether I can help. You can also ask me anything about hypnosis, like what it feels like or whether you stay in control.
- First session
We list the places that set you off and how you cope now, and choose what to tackle first. Then we begin, with hypnosis and a first small step.
- Sessions two to four
We build on each step and check how you’re going. For this fear, a room you can walk out of at any time is a good place to begin. You take a recording home and learn quick self-hypnosis. Both can come with you to the waiting room before a scan.
For video you need a quiet room, a steady connection and headphones. We use Google Meet. If the call drops, I ring you straight back. If you’re in Adelaide and would rather sit in the same room, we can arrange that.
If you have an MRI coming up, tell me on the free call and we’ll plan around it. I’ll also suggest a few things to ask the imaging centre. Do they have a wide-bore or open scanner? Can you go in feet first? Can someone stay in the room with you?
Still weighing it up?Ask me anything on a free 15-minute phone call. If I don’t think I’m the right fit for you, I’ll say so.
Or call 0427 218 092
What the research says about hypnosis for claustrophobia
A 2016 review by Pelissolo found the evidence for hypnosis with phobias “negative or insufficient”. There’s very little research on hypnosis for claustrophobia itself.
What does have strong support is gradual exposure, meaning step-by-step practice facing the fear. A 2008 review by Wolitzky-Taylor and colleagues pooled 33 randomised studies on specific phobias. Exposure did better than no help, than placebo, and than other talking therapies. So small real steps are the core of this program. Hypnosis is there to make each one easier, alongside your doctor’s care, not instead of it.
Is hypnotherapy for claustrophobia safe?
For most adults, yes. No medicine is involved. You might feel a little drowsy or emotional for a short while afterwards.
If a doctor has asked for a scan, please don’t put it off until we’ve finished. Ask your GP or the imaging centre about options now, including sedation. Breathlessness or a tight chest away from closed spaces needs a medical check. If the fear began after you were truly trapped, and the memory keeps coming back, start with a psychologist. If you live with psychosis, or a serious mental illness without support yet, see your GP first. Keep seeing your GP while we work.
What claustrophobia hypnotherapy costs in Adelaide: $1,000
One session at a time is $300. Most people take the four-session program: $1,000 paid at the start, which is $250 a session and $200 less than paying as you go ($1,200).
Most people choose: the 4-session program, $1,000 in total
- That covers a 90-minute first session and three 60-minute sessions, by video or in person in Adelaide, with a recording to keep after each one, a follow-up from me and 12 months of support.
- Prepaid sessions last 12 months. If you do not need them all, use them for another issue or give them to someone you know.
- Card or bank transfer, no surcharge. Prices in Australian dollars, no GST. Not covered by Medicare; some health fund extras pay a small benefit, so check with your fund.
You work with me, Ernest McLeod, start to finish: 14 years in practice and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists.
Book my free 15-minute callOr call 0427 218 092
Your GP is part of this tooYour GP can help you plan a scan, and can arrange a psychologist with a Medicare rebate through Better Access. Hypnotherapy can sit alongside that. Chest pain or trouble breathing: call 000 now.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod, Adelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, so fourteen years now.
I grew up near Vienna and have called Adelaide home since 1991. Before hypnotherapy I wrote software for twenty years. I still like things to be clear, simple and useful. Many people now see me by video on Google Meet, wherever they live in Australia.
- Fellow, ASCH
- Certified NLP Practitioner
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered health profession here. I’m not AHPRA-registered, and I’m not a psychologist. My memberships are voluntary. I also teach other hypnotherapists. The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association has approved my smoking, vaping and gambling cessation courses for professional development (CPD). Read more about me
What clients have said
Clients write a short note after their sessions, and these two agreed to share theirs.
“I’m feeling relaxed and very calm. I’m ready to embrace my inner energy”
MF, phobia
“Great relaxation process. Wonderful voice to listen to with emphasis that suits my requirements. Feel wonderful at the end.”
CS
Written by clients after sessions with Ernest in Adelaide, shared with their written permission. Individual experiences vary. Read the Google reviews.
Questions about claustrophobia hypnotherapy in Adelaide
These are the questions people ask me on the free 15-minute call.
Does hypnotherapy work for claustrophobia?
It can make the step-by-step practice easier. On its own, the evidence is thin, as the research section shows. That’s why we pair it with small real steps. Some clients feel calmer straight after a session. That’s welcome, but it is not a success rate.
What’s the success rate for claustrophobia hypnotherapy?
I don’t quote one. Almost no studies test hypnosis for this fear, so a figure would be a guess. We track your own steps instead, like the next floor in the lift. The research section above has what is known.
Could I get stuck in hypnosis?
No. There’s no state to get trapped in. You stay aware, you can speak, and you can open your eyes and stop whenever you like. I say that clearly here, because feeling unable to get out is the heart of this fear.
Can hypnotherapy help me get through an MRI?
It can help you prepare. We rehearse the scan in advance. You practise the breathing and self-hypnosis for the day. You go in knowing what to ask for. If it’s still too much, sedation is a normal thing to raise with your doctor.
How many sessions will claustrophobia hypnotherapy take?
The program is four sessions: a 90-minute first session and three of 60 minutes, $1,000 in total. Some people feel a change sooner. If you have a scan booked, we space the sessions so the last one falls close to it.
Can it help with panic attacks in tight spaces?
Often, yes. The panic in a lift or scanner is the same alarm we work on in sessions. If you have panic attacks in other places too, or they come out of the blue, see your GP first and ask about professional support alongside our work.
Does online hypnotherapy work for claustrophobia?
Yes. What matters is your attention, and a screen doesn’t get in the way. Many Adelaide clients still choose video, because there’s no drive and no parking. Tell me on the free call if you’d like to meet in person.
Is it covered by Medicare?
No, and you don’t need a GP referral to see me. Some health funds pay a little back under extras, so check with yours.
What happens if it isn’t helping?
Say so. We check in at the start of every session and change tack when something isn’t working. If hypnotherapy isn’t right for you, I’ll tell you, and suggest where to go instead. Unused prepaid sessions are still yours for a year.
Let’s have a chat
Leave your number and a good time to ring. I’ll call you within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, free, and no pressure to book.
Book a free 15-minute callOr call 0427 218 092
Or email info@thehypnocoach.org
Related
- Phobias in AdelaideThe full list of fears, and how my program works.
- Agoraphobia hypnotherapyWhen it is anywhere hard to leave, not only tight spaces.
- Fear of flying hypnotherapyWhen a closed cabin is the real sticking point.
- Fear of heights hypnotherapyWhen a glass lift is about the drop as much as the box.
- The Hypno Coach homeHypnotherapy in Adelaide and by video with Ernest McLeod.
Free and confidential, open now. Tap to call.
Where these numbers come from
Pelissolo A (2016). Hypnosis for anxiety and phobic disorders: a review of clinical studies. La Presse Médicale 45(3): 284-290. doi.org/10.1016/j.lpm.2015.12.002. Written in French with an English abstract. A systematic review of papers from 1980 to 2015, which found only three controlled studies across all anxiety disorders.
Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Horowitz JD, Powers MB, Telch MJ (2008). Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review 28(6): 1021-1037. doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.007. Pooled 33 randomised studies. Exposure-based approaches did better than no treatment, placebo and other psychological approaches, whatever the type of phobia.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It is not medical care, a diagnosis, or a replacement for your doctor or a psychologist. If your symptoms are strong or don’t ease, please see your GP. Sessions are for adults 18 and over. Last updated 7 October 2026.