Hypnosis FAQ
Here are clear answers to the questions people ask most about self-hypnosis: what it is, what it feels like, how to practice safely at home, what research says, and how it fits with your doctor and your medicine.
Will this teach me to hypnotize other people?
Hypnosis on Arcana Mentis is for your own mind only. You won’t find a stage act, a script for a partner, or any way to hypnotize, persuade, or control another person. Every page in this room is about the sentences you choose for yourself and the few calm minutes in which you say them. If you’re hoping to help someone you love who struggles with nerves or a habit, the kindest step is to encourage them to talk with their doctor, who can point them toward a licensed professional. You can also share what’s helped you, in your own words, and leave the choice with them.
What is self-hypnosis?
Self-hypnosis is a few calm minutes of focused attention in which you offer yourself a helpful sentence. You settle your body, rest your eyes on one point, let your attention narrow, and then say a sentence you chose earlier, such as “My feet are on the floor, and this room is only a room.” Public health researchers describe hypnosis as focused attention with less awareness of your surroundings and more readiness to respond to suggestion. You’ve likely been in a mild version of that state while lost in a good book. The glossary defines both hypnosis and self-hypnosis.
What does self-hypnosis feel like?
For most people it feels like being very relaxed and a little absorbed, similar to the moment before you drift off for a nap. Your arms may feel heavy, your breathing may slow, and your jaw may loosen. Some people feel a pleasant tingling in their hands, and others notice almost nothing in their body. You’ll probably still hear the refrigerator and the cars outside, and you may think about your grocery list halfway through. That’s normal. The sounds move to the edge of your attention, and the sentence gets the middle. Many people say time seemed to pass faster than they expected, and that the sentence came back to them later in the day on its own.
Will I lose control or get stuck in a trance?
You stay in charge of your own mind the whole time. You can open your eyes whenever you like, answer the phone if it rings, and get up if someone knocks. Nobody can get stuck in self-hypnosis. The worst that usually happens is falling asleep, and then you wake up the way you would from any nap. Stage shows give a misleading picture, because performers choose the most responsive volunteers and the evening is built for laughs. Self-hypnosis can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. Coming back takes a minute or two, and closing the practice explains how to do it well so you don’t feel foggy afterward.
Is self-hypnosis safe, and who should check with a doctor first?
For most people, a short, relaxing self-hypnosis practice at home is low risk when it’s done in a safe place. Talk with your doctor before you start if you’ve ever had psychosis or a seizure disorder, or if you’re being treated for a serious mental health condition. The same goes if you sometimes lose track of time or feel detached from your body, or if painful memories come back to you in vivid flashes. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that hypnosis may not be suitable for people with some serious mental illnesses. If a practice ever makes you feel worse, stop, come all the way back to the room, and tell your doctor.
May I practice while driving, or while using machinery?
You should never practice while driving or using machinery. Wait until you’re settled, safe, and not responsible for a vehicle, a machine, a hot stove, a bath, or anyone else’s safety. That includes recordings: never play a relaxation or hypnosis recording in the car. After a practice, give yourself at least 15 minutes before you drive, and longer if you feel at all foggy. Stand up slowly and hold the arm of the chair, since some people feel lightheaded after resting. A good rule is to wait until you feel as alert as you do on an ordinary morning before you do anything that needs your full attention.
How do I do self-hypnosis at home?
Choose a sturdy chair, put your feet flat on the floor, and keep a glass of water nearby. Write your sentence on a card first. Then let your shoulders drop and take three slow breaths, each one out longer than in. Rest your eyes on one spot until your eyelids feel heavy, and close them. Count slowly down from 10 to 1, picturing yourself walking down a familiar staircase. At one, say your sentence slowly about five times, with a few breaths between. Then count up from one to five, open your eyes, feel the chair and your feet, name three objects in the room, and wait a minute before you stand. The hypnosis room walks through each step in detail.
How long and how often should I practice?
10 minutes, once a day, for two weeks makes a good first trial. Some people prefer two practices of five minutes each, one mid-morning and one in the early evening. Use the same chair at roughly the same time for the first two weeks so your body learns the pattern. Keep one sentence for at least a week before you change it, so you can tell whether it’s helping. Late morning and early evening suit many people, while right after a big meal or late at night tends to make people too drowsy. A wall calendar with a calm number from 1 to 10 after each practice will show you, after a couple of weeks, what time of day works best for you.
What makes a good sentence to say to myself?
A good sentence is true, small, about the present or the near future, and written in your own words. Your body will accept a sentence it believes and argue with one it doesn’t. “I can say the next true sentence, and then I can stop” works better than “I’m never afraid.” Sentences that name an action or a part of your body tend to help most, such as “My shoulders can come down while I wait” or “When the news ends, I’ll stand up and rinse my cup.” Phrase it as what you’ll do rather than what you’ll avoid, keep it under about 15 words, and choose one you wouldn’t mind someone overhearing.
What if I can’t relax, or I feel nothing?
Most people have a few sessions that feel like nothing at all, especially at first. The skill builds with practice, the way floating in a pool gets easier after the first few stiff tries. If your mind keeps wandering, that’s normal, and each time you notice and come back to the sentence you’re doing the practice correctly. Try a shorter count, a longer time looking at your focus point, or a different time of day. Judge the practice by the next few hours rather than the 10 minutes, since many people notice the sentence coming back at the moment they need it. If you’ve practiced steadily for a month and see no change, it’s fine to set it aside or try meditation instead.
What if I fall asleep during self-hypnosis?
Falling asleep is common, especially in the evening or after a meal, and it does no harm. When you wake, take a moment to notice where you are and what time it is, and then follow the closing steps as if you’d just finished: open your eyes fully, feel your feet, name three objects, and drink some water. Give yourself the usual 15 minutes before you drive or cook. If you fall asleep every time, practice earlier in the day, in a firmer chair, with your hands on your thighs. Falling asleep often during the day can also be a sign you aren’t sleeping well at night, which is worth mentioning to your doctor.
Does hypnosis actually work? What does research say?
Researchers have studied hypnosis for decades, mostly with trained clinicians guiding patients. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports some encouraging results for certain kinds of pain, for irritable bowel syndrome (a common gut condition that causes cramping and bowel changes), and for easing nerves around medical procedures. Results for quitting smoking have been mixed, and for many other uses the evidence is thin. Self-hypnosis on its own has been studied less than hypnosis with a professional. A fair summary is that self-hypnosis is a calming practice that may help some people with nerves and habits, and that it works best alongside other care. It can’t cure an illness or replace a prescribed medicine.
Can self-hypnosis help me quit smoking or another habit?
It can help some people keep a change they’ve chosen, especially when it’s one part of a larger plan. The approach on this site starts with a week of noticing when the habit pulls. Then you choose one small action to do at that moment and write it as a sentence, such as “When I finish supper, I’ll take my tea to the back step instead of my cigarettes.” A daily practice helps you rehearse that moment calmly. For smoking, your doctor or pharmacist can tell you about nicotine patches and other help. If the habit involves alcohol, drugs, or a prescribed medicine, talk with your doctor before you change it, because stopping some things suddenly can be dangerous. The page on quitting a habit covers it step by step.
Is this treatment, therapy, or a clinic?
This room is educational writing, and Arcana Mentis isn’t a clinic. It doesn’t offer therapy, counseling, treatment, or diagnosis, and it can’t treat pain, a habit, fear, or a low mood. The pages on stage fright and quitting a habit are education, written to help you understand a practice you can try on your own. If you need care, please see your doctor or another qualified professional. If hypnosis interests you as part of your care, your doctor can tell you whether it makes sense for you and may know of a licensed clinician nearby who uses it.
Should I stop prescribed medicine because a practice seemed to help?
Please keep taking any prescribed medicine as prescribed, whether a practice seemed to help or not. Feeling a little clearer isn’t a medical plan, and feeling worse isn’t a reason to adjust the dose yourself. Stopping some medicines on your own can be dangerous, even when you feel well, so talk with the doctor who prescribed it before you change anything. It can help to mention the practice at your next appointment, for example: “I’ve been doing 10 minutes of self-hypnosis most days for my nerves, and I’ve felt calmer. Is there anything we should talk about?” If you’re in crisis in the United States, call or text 988.
Can I use self-hypnosis to recover lost memories?
Please don’t use self-hypnosis to search for memories you can’t recall. Memories that surface under hypnosis can feel vivid and certain and still be inaccurate, and digging into the past alone can stir up strong distress with nobody there to help you. The practice on this site is about calm attention and a sentence for today or tomorrow. If the past is pressing on you, such as an old loss, a frightening event, or a family history you’re trying to make sense of, a licensed therapist or counselor is the right person to help you sort through it safely. Your doctor can help you find one.
Should I see a professional hypnotist?
If you’d like hypnosis as part of your care, look for a licensed health professional who uses it, such as a psychologist, physician, dentist, or licensed counselor with training in clinical hypnosis. The license matters, because it means the person is trained to notice when something else is going on and can refer you for other care. In many places, anyone can take a short course and start using the title of hypnotist. Before you book, ask about their license, their training, and how they’d work with your doctor. Be wary of anyone who promises a cure, guarantees results in one session, or suggests you stop a prescribed medicine.
How does this room relate to mind control and meditation?
Mind control is the room next door, and it covers the wider care of your own thoughts: habits, distraction, and the voice you use on yourself. Hypnosis focuses on one tool, a sentence you offer yourself during a few calm minutes. Meditation uses the same settled attention without the sentence, and many people find that a few weeks of five minutes in a chair makes self-hypnosis easier to learn. All three rooms are about your own mind only, all three are educational, and none of them is treatment.
Who is this room for, and where do I start?
It’s for anyone curious about a calm practice they can do on their own, at any age and in any situation. You might be dealing with nerves before a eulogy or a toast, a habit you’d like to loosen, or an inner voice that gets loud in the evenings. Start with one page. The main page is the hypnosis room, which has the full 10-minute practice. If one situation sounds like your week, go straight to stage fright or quitting a habit, and read closing the practice before your first session. If you’re new to the site, If you’re curious about the mind is a short guided path.
What if I am in crisis, or a practice leaves me worse?
If a practice leaves you feeling worse, stop. Open your eyes, put both feet on the floor, say your name and the date, and drink some cold water. Don’t start another session to fix the first one. Talk with your doctor if the distress stays. In the United States, call or text 988 if you’re in crisis, if you don’t feel safe, or if you’re not sure your pain is bad enough to count. You don’t need a tidy explanation. Outside the United States, call your local emergency number or a local crisis line. Please don’t send a crisis to this website, because there’s no public inbox and nobody here can answer in time.
The main page is the hypnosis room. Short answers about the whole site are in the FAQ, and the glossary defines hypnosis, self-hypnosis, and adjunct to care. If you’re new here, start with If you’re curious about the mind. All the shorter pages on the site are listed in the library.
If a practice leaves you feeling worse, stop. If you’re in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 before you keep reading. A web page can’t take the place of your doctor.