What Happens in Your Brain During Hypnosis – And Why It Works

Alright, let’s just be honest right from the jump: hypnosis has a reputation. You say the word, and most people picture a pocket watch swinging in front of someone’s eyes while they slowly melt into a puddle of obedience. Or maybe it’s stage shows—people clucking like chickens and forgetting their own names while an audience howls with laughter.

But real, clinical hypnosis? The stuff that actually helps people change their lives? That happens inside the brain—and it's far more fascinating than fiction.

So what is going on in your brain during hypnosis? What makes it work? Why does it help with things like anxiety, grief, stress, insomnia, confidence, and even stuff you don’t want to talk about out loud?

Let’s peel back the curtain.

First, picture your brain like a busy office. During a typical day, it’s absolute chaos in there. Phones ringing, people talking over each other, papers flying. Your conscious mind—the part that analyzes, solves problems, and worries about what you said in that one email three years ago—is the boss pacing around with a clipboard.

Hypnosis? It's like turning the volume down in that office. The phones stop ringing. The chatter fades. That clipboard-holding boss takes a coffee break. And now, the subconscious—the part of your mind that handles memories, emotions, habits, and all the stuff you do without really thinking—finally gets a moment to speak up.

In technical terms (don’t worry, I’ll keep it light), hypnosis shifts your brainwaves. Normally, in your day-to-day life, your brain’s in something called Beta. That’s the fast, alert, multitasking wave. But when you start to relax—like when you're daydreaming or about to fall asleep—you drift into Alpha. That’s the sweet spot for hypnosis. Some folks even dip into Theta, a slower wave associated with deep meditation, creativity, and, weirdly enough, the kind of state you're in during a great shower thought.

That shift isn’t just a neat party trick—it’s a doorway. Because in those slower waves, your subconscious is more open. More receptive. Less guarded. And that’s where the magic happens.

Now, let’s bust a myth real quick: you’re not unconscious in hypnosis. You’re not asleep. You’re not under anyone’s control. You’re aware—sometimes even hyper-aware—but your critical, overthinking, skeptical part takes a little nap. Not gone, just quiet enough that we can sneak past it and talk to the parts that actually run the show.

So instead of having a wrestling match with your willpower—trying to force yourself to stop overthinking, or stop stressing, or stop replaying painful memories—hypnosis gently nudges your brain into a state where it can actually change the program behind the scenes.

Think of it like this. If your mind were a smartphone, most of your thoughts and behaviors are apps. Hypnosis? That’s getting into the settings. Not the surface-level tweaks, but the deep ones. The ones that affect how everything else runs. And when you adjust those settings, suddenly the apps work better. They crash less. The battery lasts longer. You feel clearer, calmer, more you.

Now here’s where it gets even cooler. Studies using brain imaging (yes, science is watching your brain in real time—wild, right?) have shown that during hypnosis, certain areas light up differently. The anterior cingulate cortex (involved in decision-making and emotional regulation) gets extra active. The connection between different brain regions shifts. It’s not just a vibe—there’s actual neurological change happening. Like your brain is rearranging the furniture to make the space more livable.

And no, it’s not placebo. Although even if it were, that’s still the brain healing itself, which is kind of the goal anyway. But research shows that hypnosis can measurably reduce pain, lower anxiety, change how memories are stored, and even influence your physical health. It's used in surgery prep, in trauma therapy, in sports performance, and yes—in everyday life stuff like feeling stuck, lost, or emotionally fried.

Here’s a moment I’ll never forget. A client came to me after losing their dog—the kind of grief that doesn’t just hit hard; it alters you. Talking made it worse. Friends meant well, but nothing helped. They didn’t want affirmations or advice. They just wanted the ache to stop dictating every breath.

We didn’t need to talk about the details. That’s one of the most powerful parts of how I work: content-free hypnosis. You don’t have to spill your story if you don’t want to. We let the subconscious do the work—quietly, gently, respectfully. And within a few sessions, their nervous system had softened. The grief was still there (because love doesn’t vanish), but it had changed shape. It stopped holding them hostage.

That’s the kind of thing hypnosis makes possible. It isn’t erasing pain. It’s allowing the mind to process what it hasn’t been able to. To let it move through, instead of being stuck on repeat.

And it doesn’t have to be big grief, either. Maybe your brain’s just been spinning its wheels. Maybe you’ve been snapping at people without meaning to. Or laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying your to-do list for the 90th time. Hypnosis is like hitting “pause” and giving your inner world a reset. A way to let the noise settle so something wiser can rise.

You might notice during hypnosis that your body feels heavy—or light. That time gets a bit stretchy. That your breath deepens all on its own. You might hear every word I say, or drift in and out like a lazy river. You don’t have to “do” anything. Your brain already knows how to go there. In fact, it wants to. Most people are in a light hypnotic state multiple times a day—like when you’re lost in a good movie or realize you’ve driven ten miles and can’t remember the last few turns.

The difference is, in a hypnotherapy session, we use that state with intention. We direct it. We give your subconscious something helpful to work with—something nourishing, clearing, or recalibrating.

And no, I don’t “make” you do anything. There’s no control. No weird mind tricks. I guide. You follow—if it feels right. Your mind knows what it’s ready for. My job is to open the door. Your job is to walk through it.

That’s why my Mental Detox is so popular—it gives your brain that reset button it’s been quietly begging for. Not by forcing change, but by making space for it to happen naturally. You can check that out here if your nervous system could use a long exhale.

So, what’s happening in your brain during hypnosis? A lot. And most of it is happening beneath the surface—where the good stuff lives. The old stories, the stuck emotions, the habits that don’t serve you anymore. Hypnosis helps you loosen the grip, rewrite the scripts, and clear the static.

But it’s not magic. It’s you. It’s your brain doing what it’s designed to do—when it finally gets a quiet moment to do it.

Give it that moment.

You’ll be amazed what changes.

Ready when you are.