Take control of your fear of the Underground, buses and trains to travel with ease
You've planned this journey three times in your head already. You know the route. You know the exit. You know exactly which carriage to get into to be near the doors.
But logic doesn't always help when you're standing on a platform, the train pulls up, its doors open and the heat hits you. Something is holding you back.
Maybe you feel it the moment the doors close. A tightening in your chest, quickening breath, perhaps a sudden,
overwhelming awareness that there is no way out until the next stop. Your feel your heart racing and palms sweating, as you grip the handrail and stare at the map, counting the stations and willing yourself to hold it together.
If you've been silently managing a fear of the Tube, trains, buses or lifts for months or years, working around it, finding alternative routes, making excuses, spending money on taxis you hadn't budgeted for, it’s surprisingly common.
Claustrophobia affects around 10% of the UK population1, while research by University College London found that 57% of people with anxiety specifically avoid the London Underground, with 58% citing claustrophobia as a primary barrier.2
It’s not your fault, and you don’t have to live with it for ever.
Photo credits: Dani Gruber
How many of these things do you recognise?
You deserve the freedom to move through your city feeling
calm, steady and in control
Hypnotherapy for fear of public transport
This is a personalised solution-focused hypnotherapy service designed to help you feel calm, steady and in control on public transport.
Whether your fear centres on the London Underground, trains, buses, lifts or the claustrophobic experience of being in a tunnel with no immediate exit, this work is tailored to you, your specific triggers, and the life you want to be living.
Most people find that around six sessions are helpful, though this varies from person to person. Some notice a shift earlier. Others prefer a slower, more gradual pace. Your programme will evolve with your journey.
How solutions focused hypnotherapy helps
Hypnotherapy works by guiding you into a deeply relaxed, focused state, where your mind is deeply receptive to positive suggestions and change. It’s not sleep, and you’ll remain conscious, as you enter into a quiet, receptive awareness in which your analytical mind settles and we can work directly with your subconscious.
In this state, we gently retrain the automatic fear response that public transport has come to trigger. We create new, calmer associations, build your body's capacity to feel settled in enclosed, busy spaces and prepare you, using your imagination, for the situations that have been causing you such disruption.
This process involves:
Exploring your specific experience
Fear of public transport is rarely simple. For some people, it's the enclosed space itself. such as the Tube carriage, the tunnel or the closed doors. For others, it's the loss of control, or the heat and noise of a busy commute. We begin by understanding exactly what is happening for you.
Retraining the nervous system's response
Using guided relaxation, visualisation, and solution-focused techniques, we work with your subconscious to create new associations with the spaces and situations that currently trigger anxiety. Your nervous system can learn that these environments are not threats and that you are safe.
Building grounding and somatic stability
You'll learn practical tools for settling your body when anxiety rises, including breathing techniques, grounding practices and in-the-moment strategies you can use anywhere: on a platform, in a carriage or waiting in a lift.
Mental rehearsal of calm, confident scenarios
In the safety of hypnosis, you'll rehearse being on the Tube, the train, or in a lift, feeling steady, breathing easily, arriving at your destination without the usual dread. Your mind begins to encode this experience as possible.
Real-world integration
As your confidence builds, we'll work together on the specific journeys, situations, or routines you want to face. Whether that's the morning commute, a cross-city meeting, or simply being able to jump on the tube without that sense of dread and fear.
You remain fully in control throughout every session. Hypnotherapy is a collaborative process, and you are an active participant in your own progress.
Photo credits: Dani Gruber
What to expect
This programme is designed to help you:
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Feel calmer about the idea of travelling – reduce anticipatory anxiety around any fears of feeling trapped
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Manage your physical response – learn to settle your body when panic rises
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Travel with confidence – step aboard feeling prepared
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Stay steady en route – use practical tools to remain present and calm, whatever mode of transport
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Regain your freedom – say "yes" to invitations, days out and experiences you've been avoiding
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Recognise your capability – feel proud of the progress you've made
What's included
A typical six-seek Hypnotherapy programme.
This is a bespoke programme, tailored to your specific fears and triggers. We work at your pace, with your comfort and safety as the priority.
Consultation
30-minute conversation to understand your specific experience and create a personalised plan
Personal recording
I will create a special audio self-hypnosis recording just for you so that you can practise at any time.
6 personal sessions
Weekly hypnotherapy sessions (online or in-person) using gentle techniques, guided relaxation and practical strategies
Practical anxiety tools
Simple breathing exercises, grounding techniques, and visualisation practices for in-the-moment calm
Customised packages
Weekly activities
Consolidate learnings with specially chosen "homework" activities to maintain progress between sessions.
Email support
Ongoing email support between sessions during your 6-week programme.
FAQs
I've been avoiding the Tube for years. Can that really change?" Yes. Research shows that people with specific phobias wait an average of 19 years before seeking support. Many never do. The length of time you've been living with this doesn't determine how well you'll respond. Your subconscious is always capable of learning new patterns.
What if I panic during a session? Hypnosis is a state of deep, safe relaxation. You remain fully aware and in complete control. If anything feels uncomfortable, you can simply open your eyes and that's that. We work entirely at your pace, and your comfort is always the priority.
My fear feels physical. Is that different to anxiety? The physical sensations of a panic response are real (such as a racing heart, tight chest, difficulty breathing or dizziness). Hypnotherapy is particularly effective because it works with the nervous system directly rather than trying to reason with a fear that lives below the level of logic.
Is this just for the Tube, or can it help with trains, buses, and lifts too? All of the above. The underlying mechanisms are the same, and your programme will be built around your specific triggers, whether that's the Underground, mainline trains, buses, lifts or any combination of enclosed transport situations.
Personalised for YOU
Life comes with ups and downs, so your programme will be unique to you, built on evidence based hypnotherapy techniques, supported with mindfulness and integrated therapy tools.
Your plan will evolve and adapt with your own journey, to reflect the course of real life and pace of personal growth
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Flexibility around your busy schedule
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Small digestible steps that are easy to fit in daily life
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Confidentiality and discretion
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Flexible therapeutic approach including talking therapies, hypnotherapy, desensitisation and Hypno-EMDR.
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Hybrid online and in person options
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Invest in life-skills
Why choose Elizian Days?
When we work together, I promise you will enjoy the following benefits and so much more
Let go of stress
Feel more relaxed
Get your energy back
Manage tiredness and fatigue
Enjoy better sleep
Reclaim your confidence
