What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, heightened concentration and increased responsiveness to suggestion.
You may already have experienced something similar without calling it hypnosis.
Have you ever become so absorbed in a movie that you temporarily lost track of what was happening around you?
Or driven a familiar route and suddenly realised you had travelled several kilometres without consciously noticing every turn?
Or become completely absorbed in a book, conversation or piece of music?
Your attention can naturally become very focused.
Hypnosis uses this capacity intentionally.
During a therapeutic hypnosis session, you are guided into a relaxed and focused state in which your attention is directed inward and you can engage more deeply with thoughts, memories, feelings, imagery and suggestions.
At Best Life Catalyst, hypnosis is used as a therapeutic tool — not as entertainment, mind control or a way of taking away your choices.
Is hypnosis the same as being asleep?
No.
The word “hypnosis” can create the impression that you are unconscious or completely unaware of what is happening.
That isn't what therapeutic hypnosis is.
You may feel deeply relaxed, your body may become still and your attention may become more inwardly focused — but you can generally still hear the practitioner and respond when appropriate.
Some people describe the experience as being somewhere between ordinary waking attention and deep relaxation.
Others simply feel very calm and focused.
There is no single way hypnosis has to feel.
The experience can vary from person to person and from session to session.
Are you conscious during hypnosis?
Generally, yes.
Hypnosis is not the same as losing consciousness.
You do not have to “switch off” your mind for hypnosis to take place.
In fact, therapeutic hypnosis involves focused participation.
You may hear the practitioner's voice, notice your thoughts, experience emotions or imagery, and remain aware of your surroundings to varying degrees.
You are not required to surrender control in order for hypnosis to work.
Can someone control you while you're hypnotised?
This is one of the most common concerns about hypnosis.
No one can simply take over your mind because you are hypnotised.
Therapeutic hypnosis involves suggestion, but suggestion is not the same thing as control.
You retain your ability to respond, make choices and reject suggestions that conflict with your values or intentions.
You are not handing your mind over to another person.
You are participating in a guided process.
This is one reason informed consent matters so much in therapeutic work.
Before hypnosis begins, you should understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and what the session involves.
Can you get stuck in hypnosis?
No.
Hypnosis is not a place that you can become permanently trapped in.
You naturally move between different levels of attention and awareness throughout the day.
A hypnotic state is not a separate world that you enter and then need someone else to rescue you from.
If a hypnosis session ends unexpectedly, you can return to ordinary alertness.
A practitioner may guide you out of the hypnotic state at the end of the session, but you are not dependent on them to remain conscious or safe.
Can everyone be hypnotised?
People differ in how responsive they are to hypnosis.
Some people find it easy to become deeply absorbed and respond strongly to hypnotic suggestions.
Others experience a lighter level of hypnosis.
Some may find it difficult to relax or focus during their first experience.
There is no requirement to experience hypnosis in a particular way for the session to be meaningful.
Hypnotic responsiveness is influenced by a number of factors, including attention, expectation, willingness to participate and individual differences in suggestibility.
Importantly, you cannot be hypnotised against your will.
A willingness to participate is an important part of the process.
What does hypnosis feel like?
There is no universal hypnosis experience.
You might notice:
- A feeling of physical relaxation.
- Heaviness or lightness in parts of the body.
- A sense that time is moving differently.
- Increased awareness of your thoughts or inner imagery.
- Memories or associations coming to mind.
- A quieter or more focused mind.
- A feeling of being deeply absorbed.
- Emotional responses.
- A sense of calm.
Or you may experience something much more ordinary.
You might think:
“I don't feel hypnotised at all.”
That doesn't necessarily mean that nothing is happening.
Hypnosis isn't measured by whether you feel dramatically different.
The experience is individual.
Will I remember what happened?
Hypnosis does not automatically cause memory loss.
Many people remember much or all of a therapeutic hypnosis session.
You may hear everything that is said and remember the experience afterwards.
Some people may become so absorbed that certain parts of the session feel less prominent in their memory, but this is different from being deliberately made to forget.
At Best Life Catalyst, the purpose of hypnosis is not to remove your awareness or control your memory.
It is to create a focused state in which you can participate in the therapeutic process.
Can hypnosis make me reveal secrets?
Hypnosis does not give someone magical access to your private thoughts.
Being hypnotised does not mean that another person can automatically read your mind.
You remain capable of choosing what you say and how you respond.
Hypnosis should never be presented as a truth serum.
Memory is complex, and hypnosis should not be treated as a guaranteed method of recovering perfectly accurate memories.
This is particularly important when exploring emotionally significant experiences.
The goal of therapeutic hypnosis is not to manufacture memories.
It is to work with your present experience, beliefs, emotions and responses in a safe and purposeful way.
Can hypnosis make me do something I don't want to do?
Hypnotic suggestion is not the same as having your values and decision-making removed.
You remain an active participant in the process.
If a suggestion is fundamentally unacceptable to you, hypnosis does not magically override your values.
This is another reason the relationship between practitioner and client matters.
Therapeutic hypnosis should be conducted with informed consent, clear boundaries and respect for the client's autonomy.
Is hypnosis scientifically recognised?
Yes — hypnosis is a legitimate subject of scientific and clinical research.
The American Psychological Association describes hypnosis as a state involving focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness and an increased capacity to respond to suggestion.
Researchers continue to investigate the psychological and neurological processes involved in hypnosis and its potential therapeutic applications.
Evidence for hypnosis varies depending on the condition being addressed, the specific intervention being used and the quality of the research available.
This distinction matters.
It is accurate to say that hypnosis has been studied scientifically and has clinical applications.
It would be inaccurate to suggest that every claim made about hypnosis has been scientifically proven.
At Best Life Catalyst, I prefer to be clear about that distinction.
What can hypnosis be used for?
Hypnosis may be incorporated into therapeutic work addressing a range of goals and experiences.
Depending on the individual and the approach being used, these may include areas such as:
- Stress and relaxation.
- Confidence and self-belief.
- Behavioural patterns.
- Habit change.
- Performance and preparation.
- Emotional responses.
- Pain management in appropriate clinical contexts.
- Anxiety-related experiences in appropriate therapeutic contexts.
The evidence and suitability of hypnosis differ depending on the specific concern.
Hypnosis is therefore not a universal treatment for every problem.
The important question is not simply:
“Does hypnosis work?”
A better question is:
“For this particular concern, in this particular context, what does the evidence suggest — and is this approach appropriate for me?”
How is hypnosis used in RTT?
In RTT, hypnosis is one part of a broader therapeutic process.
The hypnotic state can support focused attention and inward exploration.
This may make it easier to explore memories, associations, emotions and beliefs connected to the issue being addressed.
The session can then move beyond simply relaxing you.
The focus becomes understanding the pattern and exploring what you would like to change.
This is why I don't describe RTT as simply “being hypnotised.”
Hypnosis is a tool within RTT. It is not the entire therapy.
To understand the difference in more detail, explore:
What Is RTT?
Hypnosis isn't mind control
Perhaps the simplest way to understand therapeutic hypnosis is this:
You are not giving away your mind. You are learning to focus it.
Hypnosis works with something your mind already does naturally — the ability to focus attention, become absorbed and respond to meaningful suggestions.
The therapeutic setting simply uses that capacity intentionally.
And because you remain part of the process, the goal isn't to take control away from you.
It is to help you become more conscious of the patterns that have been influencing you and more intentional about the responses you want to develop.
What hypnosis isn't
Hypnosis isn't sleep.
You may feel deeply relaxed, but hypnosis is not simply falling asleep.
Hypnosis isn't unconsciousness.
You can remain aware and responsive during a session.
Hypnosis isn't mind control.
You remain an active participant and retain your ability to make choices.
Hypnosis isn't a truth serum.
It does not guarantee accurate memories or force someone to reveal hidden information.
Hypnosis isn't magic.
It is a psychological technique that has been studied scientifically and can be used within appropriate therapeutic contexts.
Hypnosis isn't a replacement for healthcare.
Hypnosis may form part of a therapeutic approach, but it should not be presented as a substitute for appropriate medical or mental-health assessment and treatment.
What can I expect from a hypnosis session with Best Life Catalyst?
Your experience will depend on the type of session you are having and what you are working towards.
We begin by understanding what you want to address and what you want to change.
I then guide you through a process designed to help you become relaxed, focused and inwardly attentive.
From there, the session is tailored to the purpose of the work.
You may be guided through imagery, therapeutic suggestions, exploration of thoughts or memories, and other techniques appropriate to the session.
You remain involved throughout.
There is no requirement for you to perform, “go deep” or experience something dramatic.
Your job isn't to hypnotise yourself perfectly.
Your job is simply to participate.
The most important thing to know about hypnosis
You don't need to be afraid of losing control.
You don't need to believe that hypnosis is mystical.
And you don't need to have a dramatic experience for it to be meaningful.
Hypnosis is best understood as a focused state of attention that can be used intentionally within therapeutic work.
At Best Life Catalyst, I use hypnosis as part of a broader process of understanding the mind behind the behaviour — helping you explore the beliefs, patterns and responses that may be influencing the way you experience yourself and your life.
Because the goal isn't to escape your mind.
It's to understand it.
And sometimes, understanding is where change begins.
Heal. Rise. Shine.