Becoming a parent is supposed to feel joyful — and the gap between that expectation and how you might actually be feeling can be one of the loneliest parts of postnatal depression and anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tearful, anxious, or like you’ve lost your sense of yourself since having your baby, please know this: it’s common, it’s not your fault, and support is available.
I’m Jonathan Garside, an Associate of The Royal Society of Medicine and a member of The National Hypnotherapy Society, with 30 years’ experience as a clinical hypnotherapist practising in London, Singapore, Sydney and New York, now based on Regent Street. Before anything else, I want to be clear about where hypnotherapy fits: it isn’t a diagnosis, a screening tool, or a substitute for the medical and psychological care that postnatal depression and anxiety need. It can be a genuinely valuable complementary support for overwhelm, anxiety and loss of confidence — but the right starting point is always your GP, midwife or health visitor.
If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or you’re worried about a loved one’s safety, please contact your GP or midwife urgently, call the Samaritans free on 116 123, or call 999 in an emergency. The PANDAS Foundation also offers a free helpline on 0808 196 1776, and you can text PANDAS to 85258 for 24/7 text support.
Postnatal Depression and Anxiety Are Far More Common Than You Might Think
In England, an estimated 26% of women experience a mental health disorder during the perinatal period, with depression and anxiety being the most common. Postnatal depression specifically affects more than 1 in 10 women within a year of giving birth, and it can affect fathers and partners too. Despite this, many people don’t seek help — often out of fear of judgement, or worry that admitting how they feel means something has gone wrong with their bonding or their capability as a parent. Neither is true.
NICE guidance recommends that all new parents are asked about their mental health at key points during pregnancy and after birth, using simple screening questions. If nobody has asked you, that doesn’t mean nothing’s wrong — it’s worth raising it yourself.
Why the Postnatal Period Hits the Nervous System So Hard
Beyond the obvious sleep deprivation, the postnatal period brings a huge hormonal shift, a complete change in identity and routine, and often intense pressure — real or self-imposed — to appear to be coping. For many people, this creates a specific pattern: constant low-level anxiety, difficulty switching off even when the baby is finally settled, and a creeping loss of confidence in their own judgement and instincts.
This is the territory where hypnotherapy tends to be most useful — not treating depression as a clinical diagnosis, but working with the anxiety, exhaustion and self-doubt that so often sit alongside it.
How Hypnotherapy Can Support New Parents
Working alongside the care recommended by your GP or health visitor — whether that’s guided self-help, talking therapy, or medication — hypnotherapy sessions with new parents often focus on:
- Calming an overactive nervous system, so it’s easier to rest even in the small windows of time available.
- Rebuilding confidence, addressing the self-doubt and “am I doing this right” anxiety that can chip away at how capable you feel.
- Reducing anticipatory anxiety, for the racing, worst-case-scenario thinking that often intensifies at night.
- Processing overwhelm, helping the enormity of new parenthood feel more manageable in smaller, less frightening pieces.
- Supporting sleep quality within the sleep you do get, since poor sleep quality on top of low sleep quantity compounds everything else.
What to Expect From a Session
Hypnosis is a state of calm, focused relaxation — you remain fully aware throughout, and many new parents find the experience itself is the first proper rest they’ve had in weeks. We’ll start with an unhurried conversation about how things have been since your baby arrived, what support you already have in place, and where you’d like some extra help. Sessions are entirely tailored to you and can be arranged around your baby’s routine.
A Client’s Story
“I wasn’t sure hypnotherapy was ‘allowed’ when you’re breastfeeding and running on no sleep, but Jonathan reassured me straight away and it turned out to be exactly what I needed alongside seeing my GP. The anxious spiralling at 3am eased noticeably after just a couple of sessions, and I started trusting my own instincts again instead of second-guessing every decision. It didn’t replace the support I was getting elsewhere, but it made the whole period feel far less frightening.” — L.W., Fitzrovia
Getting the Right Support
If you recognise any of this in yourself or someone you love, please speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor — they can assess what’s going on and guide you towards the right care, whether that’s talking therapy, medication, or both. The PANDAS Foundation is an excellent UK charity dedicated entirely to perinatal mental health, offering a free helpline, text support, email support and peer support groups for parents and their families. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable addition once you’re connected with the right care — never a replacement for it.
Ready to Feel More Like Yourself Again?
If overwhelm, anxiety or loss of confidence are making early parenthood feel harder than it should, I’m based on Regent Street, London — a short walk from Oxford Circus. Your initial consultation can be held either in person or via Telehealth video call, whichever suits you best; therapeutic sessions themselves always take place face-to-face at the clinic. You can book an initial 30-minute consultation completely FREE of charge No pressure, no obligation — just a conversation about how hypnotherapy could support you on your journey. To find out more, visit our ADHD and Neurodivergence page.