Hypnotic Suggestions: What They Are and How They Work

What Are Hypnotic Suggestions

So what are hypnotic suggestions? Simply, they are the words and phrases that form the therapeutic content of the hypnosis session. Learn more about what hypnosis is and how it works. For example if you are listening to a hypnosis download to help you to overcome a phobia you may hear suggestions in the hypnosis along the lines of:

You are overcoming this fear
You now feel calm and in control
You let go of those old habits and reactions and ways of thinking

What Are Hypnotic Suggestions Used For?

Hypnotherapy can be used for many things such as overcoming an addiction, curing a phobia or changing habits or thoughts. Whether you are listening to a hypnosis download or having a hypnosis session in person, the process is the same. The objective is firstly, to get the person into a hypnotic trance and secondly to work on the subject at hand. Learn more about this in my article how does hypnosis work.

The hypnotic suggestions are used to try to influence the subconscious mind to change its automatic reactions. It is important that a hypnotic trance is established before attempting to heavily influence with suggestion work.

How a Hypnotic Trance is Established

As a hypnotherapist you do not put someone in a hypnotic trance, they let themselves go into a hypnotic trance with your guidance. This is usually done through a relaxation process that helps the person focus on their feelings of calm, peacefulness and physical relaxation. Learn more about this in my article on what hypnosis feels like. The voice of the therapist ideally helps to reduce inner chatter and thoughts and gets the person focused on their comfortable feelings and the sound of the therapist’s voice.

This is the beginning of the process of going into a hypnotic trance. As you go inward even more, you mentally disconnect from ordinary life, your responsibilities, worries and even the passing of time. There are different levels of trance but it generally does not affect the outcome unless the hypnosis is being used in place of anesthesia, in which case a deep trance is essential. It is perfectly possible for most people to learn to get into a deep trance simply through practicing.

How and When to Use Hypnotic Suggestions

To get a good result from hypnosis (Hypnotherapy), ideally a trance is established and then the suggestion work begins. However, whether it is an in person hypnotherapy session or a hypnosis audio, there may often be occasions where the trance is very light as the suggestions begin. This can happen for many reasons, partly because while the process of hypnosis is sequential, it is rarely linear.

The trance state sometimes goes up and down. You may go deep initially and then be very alert and possibly even come out of trance during the hypnosis suggestions. Sometimes this occurs if you are particularly enthusiastic, as the conscious mind ‘wakes up’ to listen. Fortunately this is not a concern as it does not matter if you come in and out of trance during a hypnosis session. Find out how to get the most out of hypnosis in this article.

Why it Doesn’t Matter if You Drift in and out of Trance?

Because you decide yourself what you want to use hypnosis for, you are consciously on-board with the changes you are making. Consequently the conscious mind wants to be involved, as this part of the mind is usually in charge in wakeful daily life. It does not negatively affect the outcome if the conscious mind listens in on the hypnosis processes, in fact it can help to make you comfortable enough to relax even more next time because you are aware of the content and hopefully comfortable with it all.

The more you practice with hypnosis the easier you will go into a trance and go deep. An important thing to remember is that if the conscious mind is listening and you feel like you are “awake” the subconscious can still be influenced and affected in ways that can bring about the desired changes. Find out more in my article about why hypnosis may seem to not work.

Types of Hypnotic Suggestions

These are general hypnotic suggestions but many can be categorized in different ways such as:

If you would like to explore further you can visit the articles menu for many more informative articles. Or watch my hypnosis videos on my YouTube channel. Or browse Hypnosis Downloads.

Find Out More

If you would like to understand more about hypnosis you may find these helpful:

For more answers, if you still have questions, you can visit the hypnosis FAQ page.

Rachael Eccles Clinical Hypnotherapist

Rachael Eccles is an Advanced Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with over 20 years of experience. She is fully licensed and registered with the GHR GHSC and CNHC.

She specializes in helping people overcome anxiety, lose weight, break habits and build confidence using proven hypnotherapy and mindfulness techniques.

Rachael has created one of the world's largest collections of hypnosis downloads and meditation audios (700+), and has been featured as an expert on BBC radio, Hello magazine and Thrillist.

Start your transformation today Visit the Shop