Hypnosis has a naming problem similar to the Native Americans. Native Americans were called Indians because the explorers thought they were in India. And hypnosis was named after the word “hypnos”, which means “sleep”.
But Native Americans aren’t from India, and hypnosis isn’t sleep either.
These naming problems have probably led to many people being confused about what hypnosis actually feels like.
Certain clients in my hypnosis practice tell me they came “just to try out hypnosis”. Because so much is said and written about hypnosis, they want to experience it for themselves.
That is also my recommendation: You can read a lot, but experiencing hypnosis yourself is the best way to understand it.
Often, the question arises: “How do I know that I’m in hypnosis?” and “What does hypnosis feel like?”.
In my experience, this question mostly stems from an idea of how hypnosis should feel. These ideas sometimes deviate very strongly from reality.
So we’ll start with this question:
What does it mean to be “in hypnosis”?
“Being in hypnosis” mostly means “being in a hypnotic trance”. It’s important to know that this trance is not “sleeping”. That means the conscious mind is usually present.
Trance is something between awake and asleep, and it also occurs in everyday life. If you know what to look out for after reading this article, you will surely recognize some trances in your everyday life too. You don’t even have to have your eyes closed, as certain studies have already proven.
What we do know is that in trance, the unconscious is more active than in the conscious state. Otherwise, most people experience hypnosis as a kind of “half-sleep”.
The fact that you aren’t passed out in hypnosis often triggers the question, in my experience, of whether it’s even “real hypnosis”. The answer is: “Yes, it is still real hypnosis even if you consciously notice things.”
So “being completely gone” is not an indicator for the existence of a trance or for being “in hypnosis”.
On the contrary, with certain clients I have to intervene if they tend to slip from trance into full sleep at my words.
Trance is therefore a state between awake and asleep, where unconscious processes come more to the forefront. And this is exactly what helps us notice best whether we are in hypnosis.
Trance phenomena
Have you ever twitched right before falling asleep?
Most people know this twitching, or the feeling as if they are falling when they lie in bed.
What most don’t know is that this is a so-called trance phenomenon.
As we said, the unconscious is more active in a hypnotic trance. And this activity then shows itself in exactly such trance phenomena.
These phenomena take on different forms. We know most of them from everyday life without knowing that they are an indication of increased unconscious activity. Here are a few examples: There is, of course, the mentioned twitching (e.g., dropping something), but also amnesia (forgetting what you were just about to say or do) or even hallucinations (daydreams).
Noticing hypnosis
For these trance phenomena to happen, we have to be in a certain trance. The reverse is even more important for the question of noticing it.
Because if we experience these trance phenomena, that also means we are in a trance.
The answer to the question: “How do I know if I’m in a trance?” can therefore be answered with: “If you experience trance phenomena, then you are in a trance.”
So you don’t have to pass out or feel completely different somehow to notice that you are in a different state. Often, an unconscious twitch of a finger, the corners of the mouth, or the eyebrows is enough to notice that you are connected with your inner self.
What does hypnosis feel like?
Some clients who come to me in Zurich for hypnotherapy expect that they will pass out when I start the hypnosis. Still others expect to be overcome by their emotions or to be helplessly at the mercy of my words.
Even if such extreme reactions can sometimes occur, it mostly remains comparatively harmless. And that is a good thing.
Most people know the trance-like feeling of daydreaming. Also, shortly before waking up or falling asleep, everyone goes through this kind of half-sleep.
This is the fundamental feeling of the hypnotic trance. It is also described as concentrated creativity or as the so-called “flow state”.
This being “centered in yourself” and “in the flow” is what most people experience in trance.
Ego-reduced
What also belongs to the feeling of hypnosis is that certain inhibitions and blockages disappear. This allows most people in trance to perceive things as they are, instead of distorting them the way they would like them to be. Often, an inner honesty spreads, making it possible to follow one’s sensations and inner images both strongly and smoothly.
How do you know if someone is hypnotizing you?
If you know how to notice hypnosis in yourself, then it is also possible to answer this question. Because someone is hypnotizing you if their words trigger these sensations. So if you notice trance phenomena in yourself, that is an indication that the words are speaking to your unconscious.
With professional hypnotists, you will also find certain hypnotic language patterns during hypnosis that are intended to encourage the unconscious to participate. For example, sentences are left unfinished or only nominalizations are used. The emphasis usually changes too, because for the unconscious, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
Hypnotizing by no means has to happen consciously. I would even say that most people who speak hypnotically do so unconsciously.
Anyone who has learned to speak persuasively may also have developed a similar language from experience.
Perceiving yourself
If you want to notice hypnosis, whether to find out if you are in a trance, or to notice if someone is hypnotizing you, the most important thing is: Pay attention to yourself.
In my experience as a hypnotherapist, I can say that most people do not have a good sense for their unconscious processes.
So if you want to notice hypnosis, you should practice perceiving yourself and what is happening inside you.
