Body Talk: The Physical Experience of Hypnosis

By Barrie St John

When you talk about the physical experience of hypnosis, it’s important to remember that everyone has his or her own unique experience. What one person feels may be entirely different from the next. So as I share these experiences, know that I am only speaking of the general feelings or indicators of hypnosis. If you feel something completely different, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you are doing it wrong, or that you are not hypnotised. It only means that the way you are experiencing your hypnosis is what is normal, natural, and comfortable for you.

Under hypnosis, many people feel as though their body or their limbs become heavy. On the flip side of that, some people feel light and like they are almost floating. In either case, people generally feel a deep physical relaxation in the body when they are hypnotised. Sometimes they might even be aware of rapid eye movement, or REM. This is a natural occurring stage that we go through at night and our eyes move and indicate when we have entered this stage of sleep. This is the time when we are most likely to dream. Because the imagination is activated and the body is quite relaxed, REM is an understandable and natural response for some in hypnosis.

Looking at a person in hypnosis is like seeing someone who is asleep. Their eyes are closed and you can see their breathing has slowed down, sometimes to as little as between 8-12 breaths per minute. The biggest generalisation people make with a pretty deep state of hypnosis is that they feel like their body is asleep, but their mind is awake and aware.

The thing is people don’t tend to toss and turn during hypnosis as much as they would in their sleep. Most people seem to stay pretty physically still. But the mind is another thing. Some people say they never stop thinking while they are in hypnosis. Their mind continues buzzing with thoughts about what they’re going to be doing later. They are in hypnosis, but their conscious mind continues to go over the day’s business.

Remember, whatever hypnosis feels like for you is okay. You might have a slightly different experience. People are unique and therefore their physiological experience with self hypnosis will be unique.

I suggest as you listen to our self hypnosis CDs or MP3 hypnosis downloads, that you just try to relax, close your eyes, and let your body’s natural response to self hypnosis take place.

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