While the hypnosis process is the same, the experience can vary. Everyone experiences hypnosis in a different way. Some people are reserved about going into a trance-like state. For these people, the overall experience of what hypnosis feels like tends to become more pronounced with each hypnosis experience. Once people release their ideas about what it should be, they are able to relax and enjoy the process.

What Hypnosis Feels Like

The actual experience varies from person to person. Some people feel a floating feeling or a sense of heaviness. Other people experience a numbness or tingling in the arms and legs. There is no right or wrong way to feel. Once you relax, hypnosis is an enjoyable experience.

The Hypnosis Process

During the process, you are brought to a state of total relaxation. You are still aware of what is going on, but you have a sense of detachment. In movies, it looks like the patient falls asleep. In reality, you have focused attention. You are in touch with reality and aware of everything going on around you.

People who are going through the process for the first time wonder what hypnosis feels like. They wonder about if it will work and how they can be sure that it will work. Often, patients will experience tingling or numbness in the hands, feet, legs or arms. Other people relax so much that they feel heavy. Meanwhile, other people feel a light, floating feeling like they are drifting on a cloud.

Time Distortion

One common feeling is about time. When you are in this relaxed state, you do not notice the seconds and minutes passing. After the session ends, you may be surprised to see the clock. You were so relaxed that you did not notice the minutes passing by.

Being hypnotized feels like a heightened state of focus and relaxation. Some patients are so relaxed that they do not notice their eyes fluttering. You might hear every word the hypnotist says, or you might let your mind daydream. Either way, your subconscious mind is still listening. It is processing the suggestions so that you can achieve your goals.

Sometimes, clients arrive with an idea about what hypnosis is. They think that they lose consciousness or fall asleep. When they emerge from hypnosis, they are bewildered about what happened. Hypnosis is not a loss of consciousness or sleeping. It is a relaxed state where you can focus more than normal. Some people have a very light trance. Other people have a deeper trance. Neither trance is more or less right than the other.

Some people have an idea about what hypnosis should be. In these cases, it generally takes several sessions before they relax and truly experience the process. Normally, these patients will start experiencing hypnosis fully around the third session. Once they let preconceived ideas go, they are able to reach a state of total relaxation. In this state, they can work with the subconscious, release bad habits and learn a better way of living.