People are often curious about how hypnosis works and why it is effective for helping people change habits, overcome anxiety and phobias.
While hypnosis is often misunderstood, the actual process of hypnosis is quite simple and straightforward. It involves guiding your mind into a relaxed and focused state where it becomes easier to adopt new ways of responding, feeling and thinking.
How Does Hypnosis Work?
Hypnosis works by helping you to enter a state of focused attention and relaxation. In this state your mind becomes quieter and calmer and is less distracted by thoughts or worries.
When your attention is directed like this, it is easier to engage with the positive ideas and hypnotic suggestions that help you change in the way you want to.
This is certainly not about losing control or being under the power of someone else, instead, it is about being more focused and receptive to new ways of thinking and reacting, while still remaining aware and in control.
The Role of Relaxation and Focus in Hypnosis
Physical and mental relaxation are a key part of hypnosis.
As you allow your body to relax, your breathing slows and becomes easier and gentle. Simultaneously your thoughts may become more settled, calmer, and quieter.
This combination of relaxation and focus helps to create a trance state where your mind is more open to new ideas and new perspective. Read more about hypnosis in my article – what hypnosis feels like
The Subconscious Mind
Much of our behavior is influenced by habit patterns and automatic reactions and responses that operate below conscious awareness.
Hypnosis works by helping you access this level of your mind, called the subconscious. In this state, it becomes easier to influence habits, emotional responses and patterns in a more positive and helpful way.
The Role of Suggestions
Hypnotic suggestions are used during hypnosis to guide your thoughts in a more helpful and beneficial direction. These suggestions are designed to influence your subconscious mind in a way that aligns with your goals, whether that is overcoming a habit, easing anxiety or improving your sleep.
Because in hypnosis your mind is more focused and relaxed, the positive suggestions can feel more natural and easier to accept as you hear them.
The Conscious Critical Faculty
Even when you are in hypnosis your mind is still evaluating what you are hearing.
This is called the conscious critical faculty, it is the part of your mind that filters information, ensuring that suggestions are suitable, appropriate and acceptable to you.
This is why it is impossible for hypnosis to make you do anything against your will.
Repetition and Practice
Using a hypnosis download or CD is more effective with repetition. Listening to it regularly helps you reinforce those positive messages, change reactions or patterns, and makes it easier for you to achieve your goals.
Your experience of hypnosis may vary depending on how you feel on a particular day. Even though the audio is the same, it may feel different in some way each time. This is perfectly normal, the positive suggestions are still working on your subconscious mind.
Why Hypnosis Can Be So Effective
Hypnosis can be very effective for a wide range of problems, challenges and goals. Combining relaxation, mental focus and positive hypnotic suggestions makes it easier for you to:
- Reduce anxiety
- Break habits
- Change unhelpful emotional responses
- Overcome regrets
- Build confidence
Final Thoughts
Hypnosis works by guiding you into a calm, relaxed focused state. In this state, your mind becomes quiet and calm and more receptive to positive suggestions. Hypnosis is a natural and enjoyable cooperative process where you remain in control.
Regularly practicing using a hypnosis recording is a really simple and easy way to support your wellbeing, your personal development and self improvement.
Perhaps you would like to try hypnosis for yourself? You are welcome to try my free hypnosis audio and see how it feels for you.
FAQs
Why does hypnosis make it easier to change habits?
Hypnosis can make it easier for people to change habits because it works with the subconscious, the part of the mind responsible for automatic patterns and behaviors. Using hypnosis makes it easier to influence these habit patterns and replace them with more helpful and beneficial responses.
How does hypnosis work in the brain?
Hypnosis guides your mind into a calm, focused and relaxed state. Your attention is directed inward and your thoughts becomes quieter. In this state of hypnosis, it is easier to engage with positive suggestions and ideas that support your desired changes in habits, thoughts and behaviors.
Do you have to believe in hypnosis for it to work?
Although you do not have to believe in hypnosis for it to work, having an open mind helps. You need to be willing to engage with the process in order for it to help you. Hypnosis is a cooperative process and the more you follow the guidance and let yourself relax and go with it, the more effective it is likely to be for you.
How many sessions of hypnosis does it take to work?
This varies depending on the individual and on the issue that is being addressed. While some people notice positive change quite quickly, others may find they need to repeat the session a few times. Regular practice with a hypnosis recording help reinforce the process through repetition of the hypnotic suggestions. Repetition is often key to achieving significant and lasting results, especially when you are working on changing established patterns or habits.
Rachael Eccles is an Advanced Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with over 20 years of experience. She is fully licensed and registered with the GHR GHSC and CNHC.
Rachael specializes in weight loss hypnosis, anxiety reduction, habit change, phobias and confidence hypnosis. She has created one of the world's largest catalogues of hypnosis downloads and meditation audios (over 700).
Rachael has been featured as an expert on hypnosis and behavioral change on BBC radio, Hello Magazine, Thrillist and many more. Her approach combines clinical hypnotherapy, mindfulness and NLP principles to help create lasting powerful change. Go to the Shop