What does hypnosis feel like?

Hypnosis is subjective feeling - two people can be put into trance and can describe very different feelings and sensations. This can be because of many different factors including expectation and state of mind. Here is a list of commonly experienced phenomena that occurs when person is in hypnosis.

Muscular relaxation and stillness

By far the most common symptom of being in hypnosis is the relaxation that it causes. This has now been shown to be caused by the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) state that is associated with trance. People in trance often refer to the feeling of being so relaxed that it is too much effort to make any movement.

Although a person can be relaxed without the use of hypnosis, the relaxation of the body and mind is a good general characteristic that many people associate with hypnosis.

Muscular twitching

Neurological changes that take place due to the relaxation often cause involuntary spasms in different parts of the body.

Fluttering eyelids

As someone starts to enter hypnosis they will often experience fluttering eyelids. Rapid eye movements, which are commonly associated with the dream stages of sleep, are also common especially if there are suggestions of visualization during the hypnosis.

Change in breathing and pulse rate

Many peoples breathing and pulse rates become shallower and slower as they get absorbed into the hypnotic process.

Sensory shifts

The awareness of how a persons body feels in hypnosis can change in different ways, often by suggestions given by the hypnotherapist. Some people often experience changes in their weight, as though their limbs become incredibly heavy, or light as if they are floating weightlessly. People can also feel dissociated from their body's and or feelings.