My Method
Hypnosis Method: Permissive, Not Authoritarian
how I work with your unconscious
My hypnosis method works with suggestions rather than commands, and always goes one level below the symptom – to the cause. That is why 2 to 5 sessions of 60 minutes each are usually enough, not months.
Core stance
Permissive, Not Authoritarian
I don’t identify with a named school ("hypnosis according to…") and I usually decline the question when asked. My method is permissive – inviting. I work with suggestions, not commands. That isn’t a style choice. It’s a safety one.
Cigarette smoke is harmful, barbecue smoke is not – change has to stay adaptable to the circumstances of a life. A suggestion lets the unconscious take what fits and leave what doesn’t. The skill lies in being clear enough for it to work, and loose enough that this never happens.
A client had previously seen another hypnotist to quit smoking. He had effectively commanded her unconscious to make her feel sick at the smell of smoke. It worked – and it generalised. Nausea hit whenever the neighbours had a barbecue. She came to me after nearly dying in a house fire: the smoke made her so ill she couldn’t leave the building, and a firefighter had to carry her out. Undoing that link was the first thing we did together.
— from my practice
Two stances
Command or suggestion – the difference matters
Hypnosis broadly splits into two approaches. Both can work in the short term. Only one stays adaptable to your life.
Command-based hypnosis
- Rigid scripts and commands – the unconscious is told to do exactly one thing.
- Effects can generalise in uncontrolled ways, even onto harmless situations.
- Often works quickly on the surface, but rarely holds long-term.
My permissive method
- Suggestions the unconscious can accept or adapt – to fit your actual life.
- Deliberately open-ended, so the change stays exactly where it belongs.
- Starts one level deeper – at what the behaviour is actually doing for you.
Why it often doesn’t last
Not the Symptom — the Cause
You can stay on the surface and talk about smoking and how unhealthy it is. That can help for a few weeks, and then it usually stops working. My starting premise: the unconscious never does anything without a reason. So the question isn’t "how do we stop the smoking" but "what is the smoking for" – calm, reward, something else. Once that’s clear, it can be turned into something positive: developing calm from within, or pride in one’s own work, without the cigarette as the reward. That replaces the problem and makes it unnecessary at the unconscious level.
This replacing of the problem with something positive and meaningful is also what brings my biggest and most lasting results.Does hypnosis really work? →
My core belief
Back to Your Own Nature
I’m firmly convinced that every person already carries almost everything they need to be content and to do what needs doing. So in almost every case, I’m not adding something new – I’m letting out what’s already there, and guiding someone back to their natural, well-functioning state. Dr. Erich Zulauf, under whom I trained, has a phrase for it: "aus einem Fluss und Guss" – all of one piece, flowing from a single source.
Because the unconscious is grounded in nature, it understands nature. "Being confident in presentations" is abstract to the unconscious. "Standing like a cat before mice" works emotionally.
"Hypnotherapy with Jan was a surprisingly enjoyable journey to myself. With his animal metaphors, sharp humour and a lot of empathy, he touched on things I hadn’t really been able to grasp before – and did it with a lightness that feels good." (translated from the original German review)
My role
Interpreter Between Conscious and Unconscious
Every part of us means well. Clients often find that hard to believe, because the problem feels hostile. It’s never malice – it’s a desperate attempt to cope in a modern world the unconscious wasn’t built for. There’s no school, no deadline, no tax return in nature, so the unconscious sometimes lands on very inefficient solutions. The harder we push one way, the harder the unconscious pulls the other way to hold balance. A surgeon’s scalpel is my favourite illustration: it exists to help, but in nature it’s a threat. Some clients conclude "I sabotage myself" or "I’m my own worst enemy". That’s a classic misunderstanding, not a truth about the person. Much of my work is acting as translator, so every part pulls in the same direction.
Ending self-sabotage →Structure
Shorter Sessions, More of Them
The field splits into long-session and short-session camps. I’m firmly in the second. The more intense a session, the faster absorption is used up – even school lessons run 45 minutes, because more doesn’t really land. Sitting for three hours "hypnotising at" someone, hoping something sticks, makes little sense to me. What matters isn’t what sounds good in the session, but what actually works in everyday life. You go back into your week, we see what’s already working, and the next session optimises the rest. I equally don’t want to run too many sessions – that suits most clients neither financially nor in terms of time. A session can be intense; the whole design is built for efficiency.
Working together
Teamwork Makes the Difference
Successful therapy is collaboration. In hypnotherapy, you have to do something too – above all, self-hypnosis. The reason: neural connections consolidate through intensity and repetition. I can create the intensity in session; the repetition makes more sense at home. I don’t give classic "homework", but I do press the point clearly. And: change demands change. You can’t develop more self-confidence while still refusing to say "no" to anyone. The decision to do what needs doing is one I can’t and won’t take off your hands – but I’m there with you at every step.
My practice isn’t a garage where you drop off your unconscious, I "repair" it, and you drive home again.
Who you’ll work with
Jan Mion, Hypnotherapist EZC
EZC Hypnosis Trainer and EZC 3 Star Advanced, trained under Dr. Erich Zulauf.
- Hypnotherapist EZC
- 1500+ hours of training
- 5000+ individual sessions
- In private practice since 2015
How we work together
Online or In Person
I work primarily online, by video, across Switzerland – the method doesn’t change because of it. For anyone who prefers an in-person setting, there are two practices in Zürich.
- Online, Switzerland-wide — By video, from the comfort of home – the same method, the same process.
- In Person in Zürich — Zürich Enge (Breitingerstrasse 21) and Zürich Hottingen (Ilgenstrasse 4).
Frequently Asked Questions About My Method
Why didn’t hypnosis work for me last time?
Usually for one of two reasons: only the symptom was treated instead of the cause behind it, or the repetition at home (e.g. self-hypnosis) was missing. Both can be approached differently in a new round of work together.
What sets your method apart from classic command-based hypnosis?
I work with suggestions rather than commands. A command can generalise in uncontrolled ways; a suggestion lets your unconscious take what actually fits your life.
How many sessions do I need?
Usually 2 to 5 sessions of 60 minutes each. The difference lies more between individual people than between topics.
What does a session cost?
A session costs CHF 200 and lasts around 60 minutes. I don’t offer a free initial consultation.
Do I need to do anything myself for it to work?
Yes – above all, self-hypnosis between sessions. The intensity happens in session, the repetition at home; together, they make the change last.
Am I without will in hypnosis?
No. You remain responsive and in control throughout every session. That’s exactly why I work with suggestions instead of commands – your unconscious only accepts what actually fits you.
Does the method also work online?
Yes, just as well as in person. I work primarily online, by video, across Switzerland; the two practices in Zürich are the alternative.
A session lasts around 60 minutes and costs CHF 200 – real work on the root cause from the very first session.
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