What Does Being Hypnotized Feel Like?
Board Certified Hypnotist, Nicole Hernandez at the Spa at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
If you've ever wondered if hypnosis will feel like an out-of-body experience, you are not alone. When you think of hypnosis, you're probably imagining a hypnotist waving a pocket watch in front of someone's eyes, and suddenly, the participant begins clucking like a chicken on stage.
Hypnosis is most often misunderstood due to its use within stage hypnosis shows (hypnosis for entertainment) and Hollywood's misguided portrayals within horror movies. My new clients often expect that they will suddenly fall asleep during a hypnosis session. Others think that they will get stuck in a zombie-like trance. I get it! I used to think about hypnosis in this way as well before I finally gave hypnotherapy a chance.
In the simplest terms, hypnosis is a state of focused awareness that allows you to detach from your immediate environment and become absorbed in a state of calm alertness. What's interesting is that in this hypnotic state (or trance state), we are less critical, and we are open to suggestions. Therapeutically, we are utilizing language, visualization, and the suggestion of sensation to direct the nervous system toward a better outcome—like changing old narratives about yourself or reducing anxiety, stress or pain. Essentially, we are accelerating neuroplasticity, the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.
HYPNOTHERAPY CAN FEEL CALMING
You may be relieved to know that hypnotherapy (hypnosis for therapeutic purposes) is quite a calming experience. One of the top benefits of hypnotherapy is that it's scientifically proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is a fancy way of saying your body's natural ability to rest, digest, heal and restore.
HYPNOTHERAPY CAN BE CONVERSATIONAL
While many people associate hypnotherapy with lying down or closing their eyes, conversational hypnosis is used during a TTH Method Session, and it allows for us to combine focused attention with self-inquiry.
Clients have described conversational hypnosis as guided therapeutic daydreaming. You're awake and aware of what's happening as we use metaphors and symbolic language to unpack concepts and reframe unsupportive beliefs.
HYPNOTHERAPY FEELS SIMILAR TO MEDITATION OR YOGA NIDRA
Other parts of the session are conducted with the eyes closed or while lying down. Many of my clients describe what we'll call the "deep trance" portion of the session as being in a light state of dreaming (similar to how you feel when you're on the edge of sleep).
During this trance, you'll be asked to use the power of your imagination, and you're likely to see vivid colors, fantastical visions, a sense of lightness or floating, or a restful heaviness in your legs. Others experience this as a rather soulful and insightful experience similar to what you might experience during deep meditation or yoga nidra. It's also okay if you don't visualize anything. Some people are more attuned to sounds and words than others, and they will focus on the words.
HYPNOTHERAPY MAY REDUCE PAIN AND TIGHTNESS IN YOUR BODY
Within a hypnotherapy session or guided hypnosis audio, you may be asked to notice sensations within your body. This is a new practice for busy, go-getters, who may not stop until bedtime to notice their bodies -- unless there's pain. Shifting your focus to your body or breath brings awareness of the present moment, and this is helpful for those who tend to ruminate or worry.
Since you'll be naturally guided towards a calm state, it's common to sense the dissipation of any tightness in your chest and stomach, and your muscles will relax. This process is entirely normal as your body moves to rest and digest.
HYPNOTHERAPY IS AN INDIVIDUALIZED EXPERIENCE
In short, there's not one specific set of feelings or sensations that you should expect during hypnotherapy or clinical hypnosis session, but the overall aim is a state of calmness so that you can focus on your change and access your inner wisdom.
TAKEAWAYS
So what are our takeaways from what hypnosis feels like? Or better yet, what a hypnotherapy session feels like?
Hollywood has it all wrong. Hypnosis is not a zombie-like state. It’s a state of calm alertness In which neuroplasticity can be accelerated.
Hypnotherapy is proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to help you rest, digest, heal and restore.
As you relax, it's common to notice the release of tightness in the chest or stomach.
Each person will have a different experience based on their imagination and ability to feel sensations or visualize.
Are you interested in considering how hypnosis can help you, please see the services available. If you're not, I hope that this information was insightful and helpful as you change your perception of what hypnosis feels like. Do you have more questions about a hypnotherapy experience? I'd love to hear them too! (Just send me a message here.)