what is a trance?

Many people believe that hypnotic trance is something they are ‘put under’, and by giving someone permission to do this means giving up all control. They fear they will be entirely unaware of what’s happening, and the hypnotist has some power over them that can force them to do things they might not want to do. Scary thought.

It’s not true!

If you drive, think about an everyday journey that you make. You will be unaware of what happens during your journey; it might feel like being on auto-pilot. You are so used to the route that your brain switches off, and you will unlikely remember much about the drive once you arrive at your destination. That is an everyday trance.

Maybe you remember your thoughts drifting to think about something else in a boring lesson or meeting. You could be staring into space, thinking about your next holiday or what you will have for lunch. That’s also an everyday trance.

We are in a trance several times a day, every day.

When you realise that, the thought of being hypnotised is quite ordinary. And all we need to do is get you to do a bit of light daydreaming that you can stop at any time by opening your eyes. You are always in total control.

Some people claim they can’t be hypnotised.

That’s not true, either. The reason why some people resist relaxing and just letting go is usually out of fear.

Working with a professional cognitive hypnotherapist does require trust. It is up to us to build a good relationship that creates that trust. If you can’t trust the process, it can’t help you.

Your logical mind can try to get in the way.

We all have different parts to our personalities. The part of you that blocks you from imagining something and feeling your emotions is often a part we call “The Manager.

The Manager is your internal organiser. It helps you to judge, consider things, make lists, get organised, and get things done. It doesn’t have any feelings. It’s entirely logical.

To get the most from a cognitive hypnosis session, give your manager some time off for a few minutes. I often ask clients to let their logical brain take a break and nap while we investigate the emotional mind, your unconscious.

Your unconscious mind knows and records everything.

That’s why we use hypnosis to tap into that knowledge once we have your Manager mind taking a break. Your unconscious mind remembers everything.

And those long-buried memories are the source of what gets in your way today.

My next blog will tell you more about how Cognitive Hypnosis works. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.