You’ve probably slipped into a hypnotic state today. You just didn’t call it that.
Have you ever driven somewhere familiar and suddenly realised you have no memory of the last few kilometres? You weren’t asleep, your attention simply wandered while your brain handled it automatically.
We all experience periods of absorbed attention, which can also feel like daydreaming.
Hypnotherapy uses that same state, guided deliberately toward a therapeutic goal.
You may have heard of the lovely story about a man who asked his gardener what made his plants grow so beautifully.
The gardener replied: “I don’t force them to grow. I remove what stops them. I pull out the weeds that are strangling their growth, clear the space around them, and position healthy plants to better receive the sunlight they need.”
That is how I think about hypnotherapy.
Sometimes old patterns, beliefs and emotional responses have shaped the way we think, feel and behave for years. We may consciously know we want something different, yet still find ourselves responding in the same familiar way.
Hypnotherapy aims to explore what’s underneath those patterns, and may help loosen what’s no longer serving us, making room for new ways of thinking, feeling and doing.
So, what does hypnotherapy actually feel like?
You remain awake and aware. You can hear, speak, think and open your eyes at any time.
For many people, hypnosis is experienced as deeply relaxing and focused. The outside world may feel less important as attention becomes absorbed in the therapist’s voice and suggestions.
Depending on the goal, hypnosis might involve exploring a different perspective, rehearsing a new response, strengthening confidence or working with an unwanted habit or emotional pattern.
But isn’t that just meditation?
Not quite. Meditation helps us become still. Hypnotherapy uses that same focused, relaxed state and gives it direction and purpose.
Meditation generally aims to cultivate awareness, presence and calm. Hypnotherapy uses focused attention and suggestion towards a specific therapeutic goal, working with thoughts, feelings, behaviours and patterns.
What might people seek it for?
Stress, anxiety, sleep difficulties, pain management, confidence, self-esteem, unwanted habits and phobias, such as a fear of flying or emetophobia (a fear of being sick), are among the reasons people may explore hypnotherapy.
For an HSC student, that might mean a calmer relationship with exams, or reduced performance anxiety.
Hypnotherapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all intervention, and no ethical practitioner should promise a particular outcome.
What does the science say?
For years, some dismissed hypnosis as a parlour trick. Modern neuroscience has given researchers a new way to investigate what actually happens.
In a Stanford University study published in Cerebral Cortex, researchers used functional MRI to examine brain activity and connectivity during hypnosis. They observed changes involving networks associated with attention, cognitive control and self-awareness in highly hypnotisable participants.
The research doesn’t suggest hypnosis is a magic switch, or that everyone responds the same way. But it does add to growing evidence that something measurable is happening in the brain during hypnosis.
From athletes to celebrities and royalty
Hypnosis has moved a long way from its stage-show associations.
Athletes have explored hypnosis, visualisation and mental rehearsal as part of performance preparation. Dual Olympian Jodi Winter has spoken about her own experience of hypnotherapy, describing coming away feeling “deeply relaxed, clearer and lighter”, and the easing of anxiety she had carried for much of her life as “incredibly freeing.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales, has spoken about using hypnobirthing techniques to help her cope with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe pregnancy sickness condition, as well as during the birth of her three children.
Perhaps high performers understand something the rest of us are increasingly recognising: the mind isn’t separate from performance. It is part of it.
So why is hypnotherapy rising now?
We’re surrounded by notifications, screens and constant demands for our attention, yet many struggle to switch off, sleep, feel confident or simply feel like themselves.
Hypnotherapy offers something increasingly precious: deep, focused attention. For many women juggling work, family and everyone else’s needs, that kind of undivided attention on themselves is rare, and it can feel like coming up for air.
In a world of surface-level, instant dopamine hits, depth is becoming essential. If that’s something you’re drawn to exploring, who you choose to guide you there matters.
Choosing a hypnotherapist
When choosing a hypnotherapist, know that the profession, like counselling, is unregulated.
Look for the title ‘Clinical Hypnotherapist,’ and as a benchmark, ideally one who is a member of the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH) or the Australian Hypnotherapists Association (AHA), both of which ensure high educational standards, ongoing supervision and continued training.
With the right support, there’s a chance to learn something wonderfully new.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have a mental health concern, speak with your GP or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
