Contents
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. Many people find that time distortion occurs, so a 30 minute hypnosis might feel more like 5 minutes have passed. 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.
Levels of Trance
A light trance may feel just like being relaxed and listening but your conscious mind is usually still hearing everything in a light trance state. Getting into a medium trance will usually mean that some of the content of the suggestions went unnoticed, you may be aware that you have “zoned out” and then you bring your attention back to the hypnosis suggestions. In a deep trance you will miss much of the content as if you were asleep. You may be convinced that you were asleep in fact.
Was I Deeply Hypnotized or Was I 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 then perhaps you were asleep.