What is a Hypnotic Trance?

Hypnotic Trance

A hypnotic trance is a state of altered awareness. It feels different to different people, usually a little like daydreaming. You may be less responsive to external stimuli when in a trance. A light trance is commonly experienced when in a state of focus such as if reading a compelling book where you almost stop hearing outside noises. Deeper trance states feel more profound and often include deep relaxation. In a deep trance you may feel like you had been asleep once you come out of it.

What does it feel like to be in a trance?

It usually feels very pleasant to be in a hypnotic trance. You may feel very relaxed and calm. You may have vivid visualizations, but not everyone experiences this. In a deeper trance you may find that your arms and legs feel very heavy. How deeply you go into a hypnotic trance will affect your experience. Some people go into hypnosis easily but for many there is a bit of practice required to get skilled at it. Find out more in our article on what does hypnosis feel like?

Time Distortion in Hypnotic Trance

Many people find that time distortion occurs during hypnosis, so a 30 minute hypnosis might feel more like 5 minutes have passed. This happens when your subconscious mind is deeply distracted from everyday life and instead focused inward on visualizations, ideas and suggestions. Your perception of time can feel very different from the actual amount of time that has passed.

Levels of Trance

Light Hypnotic Trance

A light hypnotic trance can be quite subtle. It may feel just like being relaxed and listening. Your conscious mind usually hears almost everything in a light trance state. In this level you will be aware of where you are and what is going on and you should feel pleasantly relaxed.

Medium Hypnotic Trance

Getting into a medium hypnotic trance will feel a little different from a light trance. You may remain aware of your surroundings but feel deeply relaxed and perhaps experience a heaviness in your arms, legs or both. Usually some of the content of the session will go unnoticed, you may be aware that you have “zoned out” and then you bring your attention back to the hypnosis suggestions.

Deep Hypnotic Trance

In a deep trance you would experience a profound level of relaxation. During the hypnosis you may become so relaxed and inwardly focused that you pay little attention to your surroundings and remember little from the session afterwards, being less aware of the content, almost as if you were asleep. You may be convinced that you were asleep in fact. A short time later you may find that you remember certain suggestions, phrases or visualizations as if recalling a vivid dream.

Is Hypnotic Trance the Same as Sleep?

Some people may wonder if they were deeply hypnotized or simply asleep. It can be difficult to tell because a deep level of hypnosis does feel a lot like sleep. However, if you hear the prompt waking you up then it is unlikely that you were asleep. If you can’t remember anything about the hypnosis suggestions and missed the wake up prompt and subsequently remember nothing, then perhaps you were asleep.

Achieving the Ideal Level of Trance

Most people who try hypnosis want to experience a deep hypnotic trance because they believe that will bring the best results. The good news is that with practice most people can achieve this level of hypnosis but it can require regular practice in order to let go and trust in the process enough to go deep. Despite the belief that a deep trance brings better results I find that fantastic results can happen just from a very light trance, it partly depends on the conscious motivation of the individual and how much they trust the process.

Not Sure if You Can Be Hypnotized?

Try our hypnosis quiz to explore how easily you might be hypnotized.

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