My experience with Dr. Hanakawa has been fantastic. I'm so grateful to have worked with her the last couple of years. Yuko is not just an exceptional listener, but genuinely compassionate and really helps draw things out emotionally that you wouldn't normally think to share/explain - all yielding an incredible healing/growing experience. In just a short period of time I noticed substantial improvement and it was in no smart part driven by the thoughtful work done with Dr. Hanakawa. I highly recommend Dr. Hanakawa to any future prospective patients. She's able to connect in a genuinely compassionate, healing manner. I'm so thankful for the experience of working with Yuko - and I'm a better person for it! read more

I had AMAZING THERAPY SESSIONS with Dr. Hanakawa to get rid of my PHOBIA and anxiety around it in just seven sessions! I just wanted to thank her and share this experience with others so that others like me feel easy to at least try it out instead of suffering through it. She is not only a skillful and knowledgeable therapist, but her personality is down to earth, genuinely sweet and kind. She also seems to take a good care of her own health, meditate, and study constantly to keep up to be a good therapist (I cannot listen to a doctor who looks unhealthy and tells me to be healthy, you know?) so that I can talk about both psychological (phobia and stress) issues as well as physical concerns (I do not like psychoanalysts who think every physical symptom comes from psychosomatic symptoms). I was surprised that it did not take much time for me to relax and trust her. I used to have very sever hemophobia (afraid of blood), and I tried all kinds of therapy to get rid of it over many years. I used to faint by just drawing out my blood; CBT and other psychotherapy reduced my symptoms and cognitive fear, but I was still physically shaky whenever I was around blood (even cooking meat was hard). Since I was working in the mental health industry for several years, I've worked with several top psychiatrists who also did psychotherapy, PsyD., counselors, and clinical social workers... I myself had a great psychoanalyst mentor (Ph.D., who went to the same school as Dr. Hanakawa) for 4 years, and I thought I had quite bit of insight. My ex-mentor figured out that my phobia started through some event during my childhood, so she recommended me to find a Japanese speaking psychologist who could do hypno-therapy (She said it is more effective to use the language that I was using as a child). There are many Japanese clinical social workers in NY, but not many Ph.D.s... It would have been fine with other people, but it was a problem for me because I know the difference in their training. Then, one of my friends, who works for a Japanese newspaper company heard good things about her, and introduced me to Dr. Hanakawa. So I went to see her. I am a very scientific thinker, so I must say I was a bit skeptical if this therapy would work or not after trying so many other things. I heard some phobias are innate (such as blood, heights and snakes, etc.), so I thought talking about traumatic views I evidenced (which was not that serious anyway, I thought) would not benefit me as much. Oh, Boy, I'm so glad I was wrong though. She guided me into a meditative state, and took me to my childhood event. It was a totally different experience to see the event from a 5-yr old's eyes, and it gave me a new perspective that I did not have before. We worked on it over a month or so, and I started to feel lighter almost immediately (of course, it put me up and down a bit as I was learning new things about my past that I was not facing, but Dr. Hanakawa was there to support me). One day, I was watching a bloody surgery video as part of CBT exposure therapy technique. I used to push myself to watch them more than 15 minutes, but I always got pale and felt sick. It became easier, and now I can watch them with absolutely no symptoms! She said the speed of therapy is really depending on the patient's condition, type of therapy, and previous exposure to psychotherapy. I assume it was very quick for me because I already had previous therapy experience, had some insights about myself, and meditate regularly (it helps to get hypnotized). So please don't get frustrated if your therapy takes little longer... you will be in good hands! :) read more

Yuko Hanakawa, PhD - Psychologist, Yuko Hanakawa, Ph.D. - Psychologists Near Me

I am profoundly grateful for Yuko. She worked with me for almost 10 years, and the person I am today is very different from who I was when we started. I'm much less anxious and self-critical, and I'm far more in control of my emotions. What I found in Yuko was genuine empathy, interest and acceptance. I never--ever--felt she was judging me, which I think was very important to me. And Yuko is a wonderful listener...she remembered small details that showed me she was actively listening and caring. She's also incredibly patient. The only reason I stopped seeing her was because I moved across the country. Yuko isn't just a great therapist...she's a model for how we should all treat one another--with care and attention. read more

I worked with Dr. Yuko Hanakawa for a few years at the St. Luke's Hospital outpatient clinic and she did a wonderful job managing our mutual patients with psychotherapy. She has a knack for connecting with a variety of patients and helping them through their issues. I'm glad to see she now has a private practice and would again feel confident referring her psychotherapy patients. read more

Dr. Hanakawa is a true gem of a therapist, and I am so grateful for the profound healing I have experienced since I started seeing her about 7 months ago. At the time, I was struggling with a myriad of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Having seen these issues resurface in cycles over the course of my life, I knew that they ran very deep and that I needed some serious cleaning work to do in the subconscious. I found Dr. Hanakawa after googling hypnotherapists in NYC. One phone call with her and I knew she was the therapist I was looking for--she is very sweet, gentle, and reassuring, and immediately put me at ease. Each of my hypnotherapy session with Dr. Hanakawa felt like a magical journey into my subconscious. Dr. Hanakawa was the ever gentle and helpful guide, following me along with an open mind and infinite patience. She created a safe space for me to share everything and anything that came up for healing. Each time, I experienced deep emotional release as well as profound moments of comfort and gratitude. Throughout our sessions, Dr. Hanakawa invited me to get in touch with what she calls my "inner wisdom", and I found this to be so effective in helping me learn to love and develop trust in myself. Dr. Hanakawa also offers a modality called neurofeedback, which I opted in to add to my hypno sessions. I found that it really helped me relax and enter deep meditative states quickly. Overall, Dr. Hanakawa is the best hypnotherapist I could have ever asked for. She is gentle yet effective; she has the most soothing bedside manners; her professional conduct is nothing short of impeccable; she is really dedicated to helping and empowering her clients; and above all, she helped me heal my mind at such a deep level. My heart feels much lighter, I am learning to love and accept myself, and I feel so much more gratitude and appreciation for everything my life. read more

I was amazed of the result when I took a Hypnotherapy from Dr. Hanakawa several years ago. I had had super chronic insomnia since I was a child that I could never reveal to my parents. I had been gradually addicted to drinking and smoking pot for falling asleep during my teenager to 30's, but at my 40's, I had to give up those because physically (and mentally) it was my limit. Couldn't move for a while, and had to get back to days I couldn't sleep, and met Dr. Hanakawa one day. She suggested to take her hypnotherapy though I was not motivated much and still reluctant to it at first, but decided to give it a try. She took me gently to my childhood. I was still conscious to the realistic world, but at the same time, I was living in my child time and found I was suffering. Dr. Hanakawa, softly spoken, suggested me to take a look at where I was, and slowly forgive myself to it. It didn't ring a bell to the conscious me actually, but I was totally in tears. Several days after the first session, I found myself that I was falling asleep without any drug 5 minutes after I lied on my bed. My long term issue was solved in one session! Since then I totally trusted Dr. Hanakawa, and when some problems emerged in my life, I asked her for a consultation. She suggested to try neurofeedback sessions. It was totally new to me, but I was willing to try it out. I've been practicing meditation for about 10 years, but at that time my life was stressful and distracted that I couldn't even sit for 10 minutes. The night I took the neurofeedback, I saw myself who could sit and meditate for 1 hour easily. Just amazed of my focused mind and calmness. Since then, I occasionally take neurofeedback sessions to manage my mental state. I truly recommend Dr. Hanakawa if you feel you need a support for your life. I'm sure she'll listen to you, and guide you to true yourself. read more

Dr. Yuko is a sweet, intuitive therapist. She cares about her patients. I went to her just for neurofeedback training. She would be doing a fine job if she just gets me settled and starts the audio. She wouldn't need to do anything else. But Dr. Yuko takes her time to chat with you and tries to help any way she can. I highly recommend her. read more