Mind and body

In-Person vs. Remote Sessions: Which Works Better?

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For hypnotherapy, a direct comparison found remote sessions about as effective as sessions in the room. A 2024 review of gut-directed hypnotherapy in Frontiers in Psychology reports that hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome delivered by video consultation achieved response rates similar to face-to-face treatment. For practices built on touch or equipment, the question is different, and the answer depends on what the session involves.

Why does hypnosis translate well to video?

Because its working parts are attention, a voice and suggestions, all of which can travel over a call. A 2025 review of pediatric clinical hypnosis notes that the option of delivering hypnotherapy in person or remotely through telehealth has increased its accessibility, and describes preliminary work on “telehypnosis” by secure video as promising, especially for families in remote areas or with mobility problems.

Patients seem willing. In the same Frontiers review, of 52 people who completed a 12-session course of gut-directed hypnotherapy over Skype during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half said they would have chosen remote treatment regardless of the pandemic.

Where does remote fall short?

One limit the review names is support. It cautions that remote gut-directed hypnotherapy without a therapist’s support may be limited by low adherence. A live video session with a practitioner is different from an app or recording you work through alone.

You may also prefer a session in the room for:

  • A first assessment, when the practitioner needs to understand a complex history.
  • Sessions likely to bring up strong emotion, where it helps to have someone physically present to slow things down.
  • People who find it hard to stay focused at home, with children, pets or work nearby.

What do you need for a remote session to work?

  • A private, quiet room where you will not be interrupted or overheard.
  • A stable connection and headphones, so the voice is clear and steady.
  • A comfortable chair, rather than a bed, if you tend to fall asleep.
  • A plan for interruptions: agree with the practitioner what happens if the call drops.
  • A way to reach help if you feel unwell during or after the session, since the practitioner cannot see everything on screen.

What about Reiki at a distance?

Reiki is described by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health as a practice in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person, with the goal of directing energy to help the person’s own healing response. Some practitioners also offer “distant” Reiki, given from another location.

On the evidence, NCCIH states that Reiki hasn’t been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, and that there’s no scientific evidence supporting the existence of the energy field thought to play a role in it. A 2022 systematic review of placebo-controlled Reiki trials reported that Reiki may be more effective than placebo for some mental health symptoms, while calling the findings inconclusive; it deliberately excluded distant Reiki, because its mechanisms might differ from hands-on sessions.

If you are considering distant Reiki, ask what the session involves, what it costs and what you are expected to do during it, and do not use it in place of care for a health condition.

What about biofeedback?

That depends on the equipment. Ask whether a home device measures the same signal, with the same accuracy, as the clinic’s equipment, and how the practitioner will review your readings.

A measure for choosing

Choose the format you will actually attend and engage with. If you are trying remote hypnotherapy, judge it after a few sessions by the same measure you would use in person: has the problem you came with changed? If it has not, and you suspect the format, try a session in the room before giving up on the approach.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.

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