What Happens to Your Brainwaves During Hypnosis? (And Why It Feels Oh So Good)

Almamana Retreats
Dec 12, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Aug 6

Have you ever wondered what’s happening in your brain when you feel super relaxed during a meditation or hypnosis session? Or why hypnosis is such a powerful tool for making changes in your life? The answer lies in something fascinating: your brainwaves.

In this blog post, I’ll explain how hypnosis shifts your brain into deeper states, like theta waves, where your subconscious mind opens up, creativity flows, and lasting transformation can happen. Let’s break it down in a way that’s simple, relatable, and (I promise!) not too science-y.

First, What Are Brainwaves?

Your brain is always buzzing with activity. Brainwaves are like the rhythms or vibrations of your brain, and depending on what you’re doing, working, sleeping, relaxing, these rhythms change.

Here are the main brainwave states you should know:

Beta (14-30 Hz): Your “normal” state. You’re awake, alert, and thinking.
Alpha (8-13 Hz): Relaxed, calm, and daydreamy. Think of that moment right before you drift off to sleep.
Theta (4-8 Hz): Deep relaxation, meditation, and access to the subconscious mind.
Delta (0.5-4 Hz): Deep sleep and total restoration.
Gamma (30+ Hz): High-level focus and processing.

So, what does this have to do with hypnosis? Everything.

How Hypnosis Changes Your Brainwaves

When you’re going about your day, working, answering emails, or scrolling through Instagram, your brain is in beta mode. It’s like the busy-bee state of your mind. But when you start a hypnosis session, something amazing happens.

Step One: Alpha Brainwaves Hypnosis begins with relaxation techniques, like deep breathing or guided visualisation. This calms your nervous system, and your brain shifts into alpha waves. In this state, you’re still aware, but you feel relaxed and focused.

Step Two: Theta Brainwaves As the session deepens, your brain slows even more, entering the theta state. This is where the magic happens. Theta waves are associated with deep meditation, creativity, and the gateway to your subconscious mind.

It’s in the theta state that hypnosis becomes a powerful tool. Your subconscious, the part of your mind that holds beliefs, habits, and memories, opens up and becomes more receptive to positive suggestions.

Why the Theta State Feels So Good (And Why It Matters)

Think about a time when you were lost in a daydream, or maybe in that “in-between” place right before falling asleep. That’s theta.

In hypnosis, the theta state allows you to:

Access Your Subconscious Mind: You can rewrite patterns and beliefs that might be holding you back.
Feel Deep Relaxation: Your body and mind completely let go, which can reduce stress and anxiety.
Boost Creativity: Solutions and ideas often flow effortlessly in this state.

It’s like giving your mind permission to take a break from the noise of daily life so you can focus on what really matters, whether that’s healing, growing, or creating.

What Can Hypnosis Help With?

Because hypnosis works with your brain’s natural rhythms, it can help with so many areas of life, such as:

Breaking Habits: Like smoking, emotional eating, or negative thought patterns.
Reducing Stress: By calming the nervous system and lowering anxiety.
Improving Sleep: Guiding your brain into a restful, restorative state.
Unleashing Creativity: Tapping into ideas you didn’t even know you had.
Healing Emotionally: Releasing stuck emotions or past experiences.

And here’s the best part: hypnosis isn’t some mysterious or magical thing. It’s a natural state of being that you’ve already experienced (ever driven home and realized you don’t remember the last few turns? That’s a light hypnotic state!).

How Hypnosis Takes You There

If you’ve never tried hypnosis before, here’s what to expect:

A soothing voice will guide you through relaxation techniques.
You’ll become more aware of your body, breath, and sensations.
Slowly, your mind will drift into alpha, then theta waves, where you feel deeply relaxed, yet still aware.

It’s a gentle process. You’re always in control, but your mind becomes more open, like a door unlocking to your subconscious.

Final Thoughts: Hypnosis, Brainwaves, and You

At its core, hypnosis works because it aligns with how your brain naturally functions. By shifting into alpha and theta brainwaves, you can access the parts of your mind where change happens, where you can release old patterns, find clarity, and reconnect with your true self.

Whether you’re curious about hypnosis for stress relief, creative flow, or personal growth, it’s worth exploring. Your mind is more powerful than you think, and sometimes, all it takes is a little quieting of the noise to hear what it’s really saying.

Have you tried hypnosis or deep meditation? If you feel curious to know more, book a 30-minute Exploration Call