What is Clinical Hypnotherapy and What Does Hypnosis Actually Feel Like?

Sep 21

6 min read

People often come to hypnotherapy with an idea of what hypnosis is supposed to look or feel like.

Maybe you've seen stage hypnosis where someone appears to be completely under another person's control. Or you imagine you'll be asleep, unconscious or completely unaware of what's happening.

Clinical hypnotherapy is quite different.

You're still there. You're still aware. You can hear what's being said, you can speak, and you remain in control throughout the process.

Hypnosis is more about a shift in attention and awareness — and for many people, it feels much more familiar and natural than they expected.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention in which your awareness can become more absorbed in your internal experience.

We naturally move in and out of absorbed states in everyday life.

You might become completely engrossed in a book or movie and temporarily lose awareness of what's happening around you. You might drive a familiar route and arrive with very little memory of consciously thinking about each turn. Or you might become so caught up in thought that you don't immediately notice someone speaking to you.

Hypnosis isn't exactly the same as these experiences, but they can give you an idea of what focused absorption feels like.

In clinical hypnotherapy, we use this state intentionally and therapeutically.

So, what is Clinical Hypnotherapy?

Clinical hypnotherapy combines hypnosis with therapeutic techniques to work towards a particular goal or change.

Rather than only talking about something, hypnosis gives us another way of working with what's happening internally.

The work is tailored to you and the reason you've chosen to come for hypnotherapy, rather than following the same process for everyone.

What does hypnosis actually feel like?

This is probably one of the most common questions about hypnosis.

And the answer is: there isn't one particular way it's supposed to feel.

Some people experience a very deep sense of relaxation. Your body might feel heavy, light, warm or pleasantly still.

You might become less aware of the room around you or notice that my voice seems to become the main thing you're paying attention to.

You might experience imagery quite vividly. You might notice physical sensations or emotions. Your thoughts might slow down — or you might still have thoughts popping into your mind.

Some people feel as though they've been deeply absorbed for a long time and are surprised when they realise how much time has passed.

Others finish and think: “Was I actually hypnotised? I could hear you the whole time.”

And yes — you can hear me.

Hypnosis doesn't require you to lose consciousness or become unaware of what's happening.

What if I can't switch my mind off?

You don't need to.

This is something I particularly want people to know because the belief that you have to completely empty your mind can actually create unnecessary pressure.

You don't need to stop thinking or try to force yourself to relax. You don't need to concentrate perfectly. And you don't need to wonder whether you're “doing hypnosis properly.”

Thoughts can come and go while you're in hypnosis. You might notice them and then find your attention returning to my voice or to whatever you're experiencing internally.

The goal isn't to create a completely blank mind.

What if I can't visualise?

That's okay too.

Hypnosis is often described using visual imagery — imagine yourself walking along a beach... picture a staircase... see yourself in the future...

But not everyone experiences their internal world visually.

You might experience something through physical sensations, emotions, sounds, words or thoughts. You might just have a sense of something without being able to create a clear picture of it.

We can work with the way you naturally experience things rather than expecting you to visualise in a particular way.

Will I lose control?

No. Clinical hypnosis isn't mind control.

You're not handing control of yourself over to the hypnotherapist, and hypnosis doesn't remove your ability to make choices.

You'll remain able to communicate with me throughout the session. If something doesn't feel right, you can tell me. You can move your body, open your eyes or stop the process.

Therapeutic hypnosis is something we're doing together, not something I'm doing to you.

Stage hypnosis can understandably create a very different impression, but there's a big difference between entertainment and the way hypnosis is used within a therapeutic setting.

Will I remember what happened?

Generally, yes.

Most people remain aware of what is happening and remember the session afterwards.

Your sense of time may change, or you may not remember every single word I said — in much the same way that you probably don't remember every sentence from an ordinary conversation.

But the idea that you need to become unconscious or have no memory of hypnosis for it to have “worked” is a misconception.

What happens in a Clinical Hypnotherapy session?

Before we begin hypnosis, we'll talk about what has brought you in, what you're experiencing and what you would like to change.

Hypnotherapy isn't simply about getting you relaxed and then giving you a generic script or recording while you're lying there. What we do is connected to you and what we're actually working towards.

I'll guide you into hypnosis and, from there, the therapeutic work will be tailored to what we've discussed.

At the end, I'll guide you back to your usual level of awareness and we'll have time to talk about what you experienced.

Is hypnosis just relaxation?

No — although relaxation can certainly be part of it.

Hypnosis and relaxation aren't the same thing.

You can experience hypnosis while deeply relaxed, but relaxation itself isn't what makes hypnosis therapeutic.

There may also be parts of therapeutic work that involve emotion, energy, strength, confidence or other experiences that don't necessarily feel particularly sleepy or passive.

The point isn't simply to make you as relaxed as possible. We're using hypnosis for a therapeutic purpose.

What can Clinical Hypnotherapy be used for?

Clinical hypnotherapy can be used across a range of concerns and goals.

Depending on the individual and what we're working towards, this may include things such as:

anxiety and stress;
fears and phobias;
confidence and self-belief;
habits and unwanted patterns;
motivation and follow-through;
performance;
emotional responses;
beliefs and expectations;
preparing for situations or experiences ahead; and
supporting personal or behavioural change.

Hypnotherapy isn't appropriate for everyone or every concern, and it isn't a replacement for appropriate medical, psychological or other healthcare assessment and treatment where this is required.

We'll consider what's happening for you, what you're hoping to change and whether Clinical Hypnotherapy is an appropriate approach.

Do I have to be highly suggestible for hypnosis to work?

People differ in how they experience and respond to hypnosis.

Some people enter deeply absorbed hypnotic states quite readily. Others experience hypnosis more lightly. But there's no prize for going the deepest.

The therapeutic goal isn't to prove how hypnotisable you are. It's to create an experience that is useful for what we're working on.

Your willingness to participate, engage with the process and allow yourself to follow the experience is more useful to me than trying to judge whether you've reached some imaginary perfect level of trance.

Is one hypnotherapy session enough?

It depends on what you're coming for.

Some people notice meaningful changes following a relatively small number of sessions, while other concerns benefit from more time and therapeutic work.

Hypnotherapy also isn't a magic wand.

Change can involve what happens during the session and what you do differently afterwards.

We'll work out what makes sense for you rather than deciding in advance that everybody needs the same number of sessions.

A different way of working

For me, hypnotherapy isn't about taking control away from you. It's a collaborative process that involves working with your own experiences and responses.

Sometimes we can understand something really well and still find ourselves responding in the same familiar way.

Hypnotherapy offers a different way of working with that, using focused attention and therapeutic techniques to explore and support the changes you're wanting to make.

It's not the right approach for every person or every concern, but for some people it can offer another way to work towards what they want to be different.

As with all of my work at Balanced Connection Therapy, the person comes first. What we do is shaped by you, what you're experiencing and what you're hoping to get from the work.

S.W.