One of the most common questions people ask before their first session is simple:
Am I hypnotizable?
Often people ask cautiously, as though the answer might reveal something about them. Others ask it almost like a challenge.
Either way, what they are really wondering is this:
Is this going to work… and will I lose control?
The good news is that therapeutic hypnosis does not take control away from you. In fact, most people discover they remain aware the entire time and can choose whether or not to follow any suggestion.
Most people already experience trance every day
Most people experience trance every day — they just don’t realize it.
Everyone naturally passes through hypnotic brainwave states as they fall asleep and again as they awaken. It is a natural state of being.
Waking hypnosis can happen in everyday moments too. Think about driving a familiar road on the way home. Sometimes it almost feels as though the car is driving itself.
You might suddenly think:
“Oh wow, I was so busy thinking about what I’m fixing for dinner tonight that I don’t even remember if I stopped at that light.”
The mind was simply focused elsewhere.
Trance is also very common in the kitchen. Cutting vegetables becomes rhythmic and automatic. Many chefs enter a light trance while cooking.
Or consider watching a sporting event on television and becoming so absorbed that you are barely aware of what is happening around you.
These are all examples of the mind focusing deeply.
What hypnosis actually feels like
Many people are surprised to learn that hypnosis itself does not necessarily feel like anything dramatic.
Hypnosis does not create a particular sensation. However, many clients report feeling deeply relaxed afterward.
Some people go so deeply into trance that they believe they may have fallen asleep. If that happens, lucky you!
Others hear everything happening in the room and remain aware throughout the process. When that happens, they sometimes worry the hypnosis isn’t working.
But I watch for physical signs that the mind has entered trance, and those signs allow me to reassure clients that the process is working beautifully.
Because clients expect something to happen in my office, many begin drifting into trance the moment they walk through the door.
Recently a client was stunned to discover he had been with me for an hour. To him, time had simply flown by.
In hypnosis, time perception often changes.
Signs someone is naturally hypnotizable
If you are curious by nature, you may be an excellent candidate for hypnosis.
People with a good imagination also tend to do very well.
The ability to focus helps too. If you have ever become absorbed in an activity and temporarily forgotten about the world around you, you already have that ability.
My clients often demonstrate a willingness to explore their inner experience.
Many people are surprised to discover they already possess these traits.
A note about stage hypnosis
Stage hypnosis often gives the impression that the hypnotist controls the mind.
In reality, the people who remain on stage are usually the ones most willing to allow their imagination to participate in the experience.
That same ability to use imagination becomes a powerful tool in therapeutic hypnosis, where the goal is not entertainment but positive change.
Why hypnosis works best as a partnership
Hypnosis is not something done to you.
It is something we explore together.
In my experience, most people discover something unexpected.
The ability to relax their mind was already there.
If you have ever wondered whether hypnosis might work for you, curiosity is often the perfect place to begin.
If you are curious about how hypnosis works in more detail, you can learn more about it here.
