What Hypnosis Actually Is (and the Myths That Keep People From Trying It)
By Dr. Linh | Doctor of Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture, Licensed Acupuncturist, Somatic Practitioner, Hypnotherapist
If you've ever driven a familiar route and arrived without remembering the last ten minutes — you've been in a hypnotic state.
If you've ever been so absorbed in a book that you didn't hear someone call your name — you've been in a hypnotic state.
If you've ever cried at a film, or laughed without meaning to, or felt your chest open at a piece of music, this is your subconscious mind being accessed and moved, the same way it is in a hypnotherapy session.
Hypnosis is quite a common experience. It is something your brain naturally moves in and out of. Hypnotherapy is simply makes that state intentional and therapeutic.
What Hypnosis Is
Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of focused, inward attention. In hypnotherapy, it is guided intentionally, usually through relaxation, breath, and imagery into a receptive quality of awareness in which the critical, analytical mind relaxes its vigilance and deeper patterns become accessible. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, because it is our brain naturally moving into another brainwave state.
In this state, the brain shows measurable shifts in activity. The nervous system moves toward coherence. Suggestibility increases, but in the sense of being more open to new associations, new possibilities, and new ways of relating to old experiences.
This is the state in which meaningful change becomes possible.
Hypnotherapy is the clinical application of this state. A trained hypnotherapist uses the hypnotic state purposefully, to work with anxiety, specific conditions, psychosomatic symptoms, limiting beliefs, pain, purpose, and identity. It is a well-researched modality with decades of evidence supporting its efficacy for a wide range of mental and physical health concerns.
What Hypnosis Is Not
Hypnosis is not mind control. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You have control at all times and you cannot be made to do, say, or believe anything against your will. Your critical mind is present throughout. Hypnotherapy is about relaxation with a therapeutic focus.
Hypnosis is not sleep. In hypnosis, you are typically aware of your surroundings, can hear clearly, and can respond and communicate. Your brain is shifting into a deeper brainwave. Many people describe it as feeling like "the space between awake and asleep"; deeply relaxed but present.
Hypnosis is not only for highly suggestible people. Research consistently shows that most people can enter a workable hypnotic state. You don't have to believe in it for it to be effective, you simply have to be willing to relax and follow your trained hypnotherapist.
Hypnosis is not stage performance. What you've seen on television or at a show where people dancing or forgetting their names. Hypnotherapy is about invoking a state of deep relaxation to help access the subconscious mind where change can happen.
What Hypnotherapy Can Help With
Hypnotherapy has research support for helping with:
Anxiety and chronic stress
Psychosomatic symptoms and medically unexplained physical conditions
Insomnia and sleep disruption
Chronic pain and tension
Burnout, low motivation, and disconnection from purpose
Limiting beliefs and patterns that haven't responded to conscious effort
In my practice, I integrate hypnotherapy with Chinese medicine and somatic principles, because the body, the subconscious mind, and the energetic system are not three separate things. They are one conversation, in different registers.
What to Expect in a Session
Hypnotherapy session with me typically begins with a conversation, just to understand what you're navigating, what you've tried, and what you're hoping to shift. From there, I guide you into a session using guided imagery, breath and relaxation techniques.
What happens within the session depends on what you're working with. Some sessions work with sensation and the body. Some work with inner imagery or parts. Some work with a belief that's ready to be released. You are always an active participant.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnosis
Can I get "stuck" in hypnosis? No. Hypnosis is a natural state you can exit at any time. If a session ended abruptly, you would simply return to regular awareness, similar to waking from a nap.
Is hypnosis safe? When practiced by a trained, ethical clinician, clinical hypnotherapy is considered safe for most people. It is contraindicated in some cases of active psychosis or severe dissociation, a thorough intake conversation helps determine whether it's appropriate.
How many sessions does it take? This varies widely. Some people notice significant shifts in one to three sessions. Others benefit from longer-term work, especially when addressing complex trauma or deep-rooted patterns. We discuss this together based on your goals.
Who This Approach Supports
Hypnosis may be a fit for you if you are experiencing:
Psychosomatic health conditions or physical symptoms connected to stress or anxiety
Anxiety, chronic stress, or nervous system dysregulation
A sense of emotional stuckness
Burnout, disconnection, or loss of sense of self
Traumatic stress held in the body that you're ready to gently understand
You need only to be curious about what your body has been trying to tell you.
Begin Here
If you're ready to learn more or experience somatic work rooted in Chinese medicine, I'd love to support you. My practice integrates Chinese medicine, somatic principles, and hypnotherapy in a whole-person approach that meets you exactly where you are.
Dr. Linh is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, licensed acupuncturist, hypnotherapist, and somatic practitioner. She works with women navigating psychosomatic health conditions, anxiety, burnout, and stress through a nervous system-informed, slow, gentle and nature centered approach.
