Mental Health, and the Hidden Costs of Recovery – A Hypnotherapists' Perspective

As a practising hypnotherapist, I work daily with people who are living with the realities of anxiety, depression, PTSD,  and other long-term mental health conditions. Many of my clients receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – a UK government benefit designed to help with the additional costs of living with a disability or health condition.
PIP is not about income or savings, nor is it a compensation payment. It is support: a recognition that managing everyday life with long-term physical or mental health challenges often requires extra help, whether that’s with food preparation, washing and dressing, mobility, or even being able to socialise.

PIP is divided into two parts – Daily Living and Mobility – and it has been a lifeline for millions of people.
But the current picture is concerning.

The Numbers Behind the Reforms Between its introduction and July 2025, out of 8.7 million PIP claims cleared, 4.0 million were disallowed. And the government is now proposing reforms that will see an estimated 800,000 people lose entitlement to the Daily Living component of PIP by 2029/30.

The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that 430,000 existing claimants will lose their entitlement during reviews scheduled between late 2026 and 2030. Crucially, people with mental health conditions are among those most at risk.

The Impact on Recovery From my vantage point as a therapist, this isn’t just a numbers game – it’s about people. I am already seeing clients lose their support systems, often suddenly and without appropriate alternatives in place.
For many, PIP helps cover the cost of:

• Private therapy sessions (not all effective therapies are available on the NHS).
• Nutritional supplements that support mental health.
• Yoga, mindfulness, and meditation classes that reduce stress and anxiety.
• Holistic and alternative approaches that have been carefully built into recovery routines.

These are not luxuries – they are lifelines. They are the things that keep people afloat when panic attacks are frequent, when PTSD is triggered, when phobic anxiety feels crippling, and when depression makes getting out of bed seem impossible.
When this safety net is pulled away, the consequences can be devastating.
The Contradiction at the Heart of PolicyThere is a painful contradiction in the way mental health is being approached. On the one hand, we are told to celebrate recovery, to return to work, to reclaim our lives. On the other, the very supports that make recovery possible are being stripped away.
The unspoken message seems to be:

• Stay heavily medicated and inactive, and your support continues.
• But if you find strategies that work for you, invest in your recovery, and start rebuilding your life, your support is taken away.

To many, it feels less like encouragement to recover and more like punishment for progress.
What This Means for the Future Mental health recovery is rarely linear. It requires time, patience, and often a patchwork of therapies, practices, and resources – many of which fall outside NHS provision. PIP has been central in making this possible for thousands.
Removing PIP from people who are still vulnerable – who may have found ways to cope but remain at risk of relapse – threatens not just individual wellbeing but also wider public health. Without the scaffolding that PIP provides, more people may end up in crisis, reliant on emergency NHS interventions, or unable to sustain employment.
As a hypnotherapist, I see the incredible resilience of my clients. I also see the fear in their eyes when they talk about losing access to the very things that keep them stable.
Recovery should be supported, not penalised. Mental health is not black and white, and the reforms risk turning hard-won progress into yet another barrier. Either way it demonstrates the need for more effective interventions like hypnotherapy and a move away from the current pharmacological solution and an NHS that is struggling.