Is RTT Therapy legit?
I'm pleased you asked — 'Is RTT therapy legit?' is exactly the right question to ask before starting. Anyone starting therapy should understand how it may address their issues and how it can change the way they think and feel. It is an investment in your life. Any time we buy something, we want to know how it will benefit us and how we can tell it works. RTT therapy is my go-to tool for many of my clients facing anxiety and the unknowns that stop them from moving forward in life.
What RTT actually is
RTT is a type of therapy that helps people find and change subconscious beliefs that lead to unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
RTT therapy combines methods from traditional talk therapies like Gestalt, solution-focused, and cognitive behavioural therapy, along with hypnotherapy and mindfulness. It uses a mix of these techniques in every session.
This personalised approach helps clients change negative beliefs, values, habits, and emotions. Many of these may have started in childhood.
Often, these beliefs and feelings are so deeply hidden in the subconscious that clients do not realise past issues are affecting them.
By helping clients change how they think and stop negative self-talk, RTT allows them to face life more positively and move forward.
The origins of RTT
Different from traditional hypnotherapy, RTT is not only about positive reinforcement. It also focuses on finding out how, where, and when unhelpful beliefs and behaviours started.
Marisa Peer, a therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience, developed RTT. Rather than relying on theory alone, she built RTT's methods from what she observed actually creating change in the room with clients.
RTT draws on the science of neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to form new pathways.
Does RTT work?
RTT is mostly supported by personal success stories, not large scientific studies. Many clients and practitioners say it helps resolve issues like anxiety, low confidence, and various bad habits more quickly. RTT combines psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) — and CBT itself is one of the most well-evidenced talking therapies available.
What RTT isn't
Let's clear up the stage-hypnosis image first, because it's usually the real reason people hesitate.
RTT is not stage hypnosis. Nobody clucks like a chicken. Nobody loses control of what they say or do. You're not "under" in the way films love to portray it: asleep, unaware, at someone else's mercy.
What actually happens is closer to deep relaxation with intense focus. You remain fully aware throughout the session. You can hear everything, respond, and stop at any point. Nothing is done to you; the work happens with you. You are in charge.
RTT also isn't a quick fix built on affirmations. Positive thinking has its place, but RTT does something different: it looks for where a belief or pattern started, not just papering over how it shows up now. It removes the old beliefs and helps imprint new positive beliefs that you, as the client, align with.
And it isn't a replacement for medical or psychiatric care. RTT is not recommended or suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe mental illnesses such as psychosis, schizophrenia, or severe personality disorders. As with any therapeutic approach, it's worth discussing your specific needs with a practitioner before starting.
Is it right for you?
In my practice over the past ten years, I've found that it helps people whose conscious minds are exhausted by constant overthinking. It also helps those with limiting beliefs about what they can and cannot achieve in life. Often, people know that the issue stems from childhood, but no rational thinking can help them translate that knowledge into a shift in behaviour.
It is also very helpful for those with irrational fears, where an immediate shift occurs because the protective mechanism built up over time is seen for what it is. Unwanted habits are also very treatable, as it addresses the emotional vacuum the habit is trying to fill.
RTT bypasses the analytical mind to find the root traumatic or stressful triggers, allowing the nervous system to reset. This is often what's happening beneath imposter syndrome, too — read more about how RTT helps with imposter syndrome here.
Ready to find out if RTT is right for you?
You don't have to take my word for it, and you don't have to decide anything today. If you're still weighing it up, the easiest next step is a conversation, not a commitment — a free consultation call where we talk through what's actually going on for you and whether RTT is the right tool for it.
No pressure, no script. Just an honest conversation about where you are and what might help.
Book your free consultation call.