Hypnosis and hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is not mysticism. It is a clinically applicable altered state of consciousness characterized by:

• Increased internal focus and reduced external distraction
• Enhanced access to emotional and bodily experiences
• Heightened neuroplastic receptiveness to new connections and modes of regulation

You are awake and present, but your attention is focused and directed inward. This provides access to psychological and somatic patterns at a level where words alone often fall short.

Hypnosis is not about loss of control, but rather a shift in focus where collaboration, safety, and active involvement are central. The experience itself – not the words – is what matters most.

Hypnosis has documented effectiveness across several areas:

Psychological and emotional conditions

• Anxiety disorders (social anxiety, performance anxiety, GAD)
• Trauma and post-traumatic reactions (including complex PTSD)
• Sleep difficulties (insomnia, night-time awakenings, nightmares)
• Burnout and regulation difficulties

Psychosomatic and neuroplastic conditions

• IBS and gastrointestinal issues
• Tinnitus, dizziness, and functional neurological symptoms
• Chronic fatigue (ME/CFS-like conditions)
• Stress-related pain disorders
• Chronic pain
• Fibromyalgia, migraines, pelvic/lower back pain
• Pain following trauma or surgery
• Cancer-related pain and pain from chronic illness

Behavioral change and habits

• Smoking cessation, vaping, snus, and nicotine dependence
• Overeating, weight loss, and loss of control
• Procrastination and performance anxiety
• Compulsive behaviors and sleep hygiene

An example of a hypnotherapy process for overeating might look like this:

Building safety and mapping patterns (Session 1)
We begin by regulating the nervous system and understanding why overeating was once a solution – not a problem.

Meeting the protective part (Sessions 2–3)
Under hypnosis, the client connects with the unconscious part that uses food for protection, and we begin offering it new strategies for safety.

Changing bodily responses (Sessions 4–5)
Through hypnosis and somatic work, automatic responses to stress and triggers are transformed.

New habits and identity (Sessions 6–8)
We use mental training and future visualization to strengthen the identity of someone who eats calmly and in line with the body’s needs.

Integration (Final sessions)
The client learns self-hypnosis and short daily exercises to maintain the change over time.

Modern fMRI and EEG studies from institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, and University College London show:

• Reduced activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN): Less self-criticism, worry, and mental wandering, making emotional processing more accessible.
• Increased connectivity between the insula, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: Enhances integration of emotion, attention, and regulation.
• Parasympathetic dominance: Lower heart rate, slower breathing, and reduced muscle tension. The body enters a state of safety—crucial in PTSD and autonomic dysregulation.
• Increased theta and alpha brainwave activity: Similar to states during deep meditation and REM sleep, associated with emotional processing and neuroplastic learning.

Hypnotherapy enables therapeutic work at a level where the body, emotions, and lived experience are central.
Change doesn’t occur through insight alone, but through direct experience—in a neurophysiological state that supports regulation, processing, and new learning.

During hypnosis, cognitive overcontrol is softened, allowing underlying emotions and sensory impressions to emerge. Symbols, imagery, and bodily signals activate the brain’s plasticity and support emotional processing. At the same time, the body’s own regulation systems—such as the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system—are engaged, facilitating safe processing and increased receptiveness to change.

Hypnosis also enables safe exposure and new response learning, allowing old patterns to be met with new reactions. Furthermore, earlier developmental processes—interrupted by trauma or stress—can be reactivated and completed.

You don’t need to “believe” in hypnosis for it to work. The brain has already experienced similar states—during daydreaming, meditation, creative flow, or deep concentration. It’s not about willpower or conviction, but about creating the conditions for change to happen.

Hypnotherapy is not a replacement for talk therapy, but a supplement— and sometimes a gateway to what cannot be reached through conversation alone. When logical insight doesn’t translate into bodily calm or emotional integration, hypnosis can provide the felt experience that makes change possible.

As Dr. David Spiegel puts it:
"Hypnosis is not a loss of control, but a new way of understanding and using control."