Do You Lose Control During Hypnosis? Here’s What Actually Happens

If you’ve ever been curious about hypnotherapy but secretly worried you might flap your arms like a chicken or spill your darkest secrets — you’re not alone. One of the most common questions I get is:

“Will I lose control during hypnosis?”

And the short answer is: no. You’re always in control.Let’s explore why.

 Stage Hypnosis vs. Clinical Hypnotherapy

Much of the fear around hypnosis comes from stage shows or TV dramas, where people appear to be under the total command of a hypnotist. These performances are designed for entertainment, and they rely on highly suggestible volunteers and group pressure.

Clinical hypnotherapy is completely different. It’s not about manipulation or mind control — it’s about relaxation, focus, and working with your subconscious mind to create meaningful, lasting change.

What Hypnosis Actually Feels Like

During a hypnotherapy session, you’ll be guided into a relaxed trance state, much like what you might feel during a meditation, guided imagery, or just before falling asleep. You’re conscious, aware, and you can hear everything that’s being said.

You can choose to come out of trance at any time. You cannot be made to do anything you don’t want to do. In fact, many people say they feel more clear and in control in hypnosis than they do in everyday life.

Why We Use Trance in Therapy

Hypnosis helps us access alpha and theta brainwave states — the same states your brain naturally enters during meditation, deep relaxation, or REM sleep. These brain states are ideal for working with the subconscious mind, where beliefs, habits, and emotional patterns are stored.

Here’s why that matters:Up to 95% of your decision-making is guided by the subconscious. That includes how you eat, who you date, how you react to stress, and even the critical voice in your head.

Hypnotherapy allows us to access that internal “operating system” — so we can gently update outdated beliefs, patterns, and emotional blocks that may be holding you back.

You Won’t Become Someone Else — But You Can Become More You

Hypnosis won’t make you someone you’re not. A naturally shy person won’t wake up as a stand-up comedian. But we can work with the younger part of you that learned to stay small, to avoid being judged or rejected. Through this work, you can reclaim confidence, worth, and inner safety — which leads to real shifts in how you show up in the world.

You’re not being controlled — you’re being supported to access your most empowered self.

The Science of Brain Waves & Hypnosis

Here’s a quick breakdown of the brainwave states and why they matter in hypnotherapy:

1. Beta (14–40Hz) – Alert, Logical, Thinking

This is your normal waking state. Great for problem-solving, but not ideal for deep change. It’s also where the inner critic is most active.

2. Alpha (7.5–14Hz) – Deep Relaxation

A calm, relaxed state — ideal for accessing the subconscious. Alpha is the gateway to change. It’s often where visualisation and memory reconsolidation occur.

3. Theta (4–7.5Hz) – Hypnosis & Dreaming

This is the sweet spot for hypnotherapy. You're deeply relaxed but still aware. Theta allows for emotional processing, subconscious rewiring, and creative insight.

4. Delta (0.5–4Hz) – Deep Sleep

This is where physical and emotional healing happens during deep sleep or advanced meditation.

5. Gamma (40Hz+) – High-Level Processing

Linked to insight and heightened perception. While less relevant to traditional hypnotherapy, it plays a role in moments of breakthrough.

Hypnosis & Your Healing State

What many people don’t realise is that relaxation is medicine. In some cultures, rest is prescribed before medication. The inability to relax is often at the core of anxiety, insomnia, and even chronic illness.

When you enter a hypnotic state, your body shifts into a healing mode. Stress hormones drop. The nervous system calms. You access insight, creativity, and clarity that are otherwise buried under day-to-day survival.

This is where change happens — not through control, but through safety and relaxation.

Final Thought: Hypnosis Doesn’t Make You Lose Control — It Helps You Take It Back

Hypnotherapy doesn’t take over your mind — it helps you access the parts of yourself that are ready for change, but haven’t known how to get there. You’re aware. You’re safe. You’re in control.

And the more you work with your subconscious — rather than against it — the more empowered, flexible, and free you become.