In This Article:
- If you’re falling asleep during hypnosis sessions, will you miss out on the potential benefits? The unexpected answer may surprise you!
- Hypnosis vs Sleeping: What’s the difference?
- How you experience amnesia every single day!
First up, here is one of the most common questions I get from people who are using Self Hypnosis Audio Programs for the first time…
QUESTION: I seem to be falling asleep when I listen to my hypnosis audio program. Will I still benefit from the session?
ANSWER: If you fall asleep during hypnosis, the subconscious mind does indeed become less receptive to suggestions for change. Therefore, you WOULD lose some of the potential benefits of the session.
HOWEVER, you may not actually be falling asleep! Let me explain.
FREE Hypnosis Strategy Session
Video Online Hypnosis Sessions Nationwide.
Four Brainwave Classifications
The electrical activity of the brain CAN be measured by sensitive medical equipment, such as an EEG machine. Brainwaves are measured in pulses per second on what is known as the Hertz frequency scale.
Scientists have measured and classified four generally accepted ranges of brainwave activity that occur as you transition from wakeful alertness all the way down into deep sleep.
- Beta (Broadly ranging from 12 to 40 HZ) – Normal, wakeful alertness. In this phase you are active, busy, conscious, and focused on your surroundings.
- Alpha (8-12 HZ) – Feeling present, quiet, and meditative. In this phase, you are in a state of mental and physical relaxation while still being somewhat aware of your surroundings. You are alert, but calm. This is also considered to be light trance state. The alpha state is ideal for learning new information and creative problem solving. Imagine sitting in a study in a comfortable chair with some light music going on in the background as you read a book. That’s the Alpha level.
- Theta (4-8 HZ) – Strong internal focus coupled with a feeling of being deeply relaxed to the point of drowsiness. It’s a state of being half awake and half asleep, like daydreaming. This is a deep state of trance. In this phase, you have easy access to your creative imagination and vivid mental imagery.
- Delta (.5 to 4HZ) – Deep, dreamless sleep. In this phase, you are unconscious with very slow brainwave activity.
The activities of learning and personal development are best achieved during the trance states at either the Alpha and Theta levels of brainwave activity.
When you’re in deep sleep at the Delta level, the brain puts a lot of things on hold while it focuses on healing, rest, and recuperation.
Testing for Sleep vs Trance
Imagine you’re listening to a hypnosis program. You gladly drift into a deep state of relaxation and lose track of time. Suddenly, you wake up as the session is ending feeling like you’ve just taken a nap. You might even feel guilty about “sleeping” through the hypnosis session!
The important question is this: At what point did you actually emerge?
There’s two options here:
- Did you emerge coincidentally at the same time that the hypnosis program was ending? OR
- Did you emerge an hour or two later, well after the completion of the program?
If you find yourself emerging at the conclusion of the audio program, then you’re actually emerging from a deep level of trance known in the hypnosis world as somnambulism.
The thing about somnambulism is that you lose conscious recollection. You can actually experience amnesia for what you just listened to during the hypnosis session. This is common, deep trance phenomena that occurs at the Theta level of brainwave activity.
It’s a very deep level of relaxation, so it FEELS like you’ve been napping. Even though your conscious mind drifted off, your subconscious mind was alert and fully tuned in. In fact, it faithfully followed the suggestions to “emerge” at the end of the hypnosis session.
Not Falling Asleep After All!
If you actually fell asleep, then you’d be completely unconscious and wouldn’t respond to those emerging suggestions at the end of the program. You’d have a nice nap and probably wake up after an hour or two.
To recap: If you emerge as the hypnosis program is ending, then you did NOT fall asleep during the session. You simply experienced a deep level of trance, and parts of the session are simply not accessible to your conscious memory.
This is not unusual. In fact, it happens quite frequently when using hypnosis audio programs. However, it won’t necessarily happen every time.
You Experience Amnesia Every Day!
Have you ever had the experience of having a vivid dream in your head when you wake up in the morning? After getting out of bed, 30 seconds later you can’t recall what you were dreaming about?!
It’s believed that most people dream 4-6 times every night. How much of that do you remember? Personally, I don’t remember any of my dreams from last night!
You experience amnesia all the time. This is a natural phenomenon because access to your memories fluctuates with the ebb and flow of your brainwave activity as well as your emotional state of mind.
There’s No “Correct” Level of Trance
Achieving a “deep” level of trance is NOT necessary for hypnosis sessions to be productive! Don’t worry about how “deep” you go!
It’s quite natural to achieve different levels of trance every time you have a hypnosis session. Variables that affect your brainwave activity are:
- How tired you are,
- Your stress levels,
- Time of day, and
- Potential distractions in the surrounding environment.
Hypnosis is Not a “Flatline” Experience
Your level of trance will fluctuate substantially even during the course of a single hypnosis session. If you could graph your level of trance, it would look like a sine wave with peaks and valleys as continued through the hypnosis session.
Sometimes you’ll remember the entire session. Sometimes your memory will be spotty. Sometimes you’ll have difficulty remembering any of it except the beginning.
It doesn’t matter! Just be aware you’re still getting the full benefits of listening to the hypnosis audio program.
The Power of Conditioning
If you listen to self hypnosis audio programs, I think that’s great! Listening to hypnosis programs is a commitment to conditioning your mind, just like regular exercise is a commitment to conditioning your body.
After all, do you think it’s possible to go to the gym one time and be “done” with exercise for the rest of your life? Of course not!
It takes a regular and consistent amount physical activity just to MAINTAIN your health and well being. You’re never done.
If you don’t do enough, your quality of life eventually will suffer. It’s like regular maintenance for your car.
Conditioning Your Mind
Your mind is like a garden that needs to be cultivated. What happens if you don’t spend any time maintaining a garden?
You get weeds! Weeds require no cultivation because they’ll grow on their own.
In the garden of your subconscious mind, it turns out that weeds are manifesting themselves in the form of self doubt, apathy, and negative belief systems.
To cultivate your mind, you need to pursue daily habits that keep you learning and growing and focused on things that matter.
Sometimes people say they don’t have any spare time for personal development. That’s a dangerous belief system that you can change right now.
Here’s a strategy: Put your television into storage for the next 30 days and stop using Facebook. You’ll suddenly realize that you’ve got plenty of time for personal development:
- Work on your goals and take action on your dreams.
- Read books that inspire, teach, and motivate.
- Take challenging courses that allow you to learn and grow.
- Listen to podcasts or audio books during your commute to work.
Of course, taking a break from your busy day for a 20-30 minute hypnosis session is an energizing way to focus on your personal development. Make that a daily ritual, and you’ll experience wonderful benefits. Try it and see for yourself!
FREE Hypnosis Strategy Session
Video Online Hypnosis Sessions Nationwide.
Next Article: NLP Fast Phobia Treatment
Hello. Please could you make a hypnotherapy audio for people with autoimmune disease? Asking anyone or anything to DO things seems way way easier than asking anyone or anything to moderate, slow down, refine or cut back on something. Immune cells are imperative, however, when they’re overactive, attacking us, it’s truly awful. So how to communicate that we want them to stop attacking the body itself, all or almost all foods (salt, meats, grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, fats, oils), drinks, dog dander, or pollen and instead just focus on pathogens and genuine threats. I’d so appreciate this. I’d buy it (if it were reasonably priced of course).
Thank you.
My autoimmune condition is also what brought me to this page. I bought an audio to help me deal with the chronic spontaneous hives that result from my autoimmunity. (And keep “sleeping” through it!) There are so many of us with these conditions, and doctors are slowly learning more but right now there’s no cure, and anything (including hypnotherapy) that helps with symptoms is a blessing.
Thank you for this!! I have been listening to hypnotherapy audio program when I go to bed but always “fall asleep” and never remember the middle section but always wake up as I’m told, at the end of the session. Thank for your confirmation that I am not actually in a deep sleep and will still be benefitting.
My pleasure. Many people experience the same thing when listening to hypnosis audio programs, so I created this article to clarify what’s happening.
Hi Erick,
I’ve been trying self hypnosis for a while and struggling to understand whether or not I’m succeeding.
I’ve had hypnotists ask ask me how I know im not successful. I asked them how do i know I am.
Most hypnotists will tell you that anyone can be hypnotized but I have learned through personal experience that some people are just hard to hypnotize. If this wasn’t true, stage hypnotists wouldn’t have a vetting process at the beginning of their shows.
When I try to self hypnotize or someone else tries to do it, I only get into very light hypnotic state.
From what I’ve seen, not everyone who experiences hypnosis goes so deep like that people who collapse in their chair.
I’ve also been told by a professional hypnotist that there’s a difference between hypnosis and trance but they overlap.
Staring into space is an example of hypnosis everyone experiences but with some folks that’s all they’ll experience and they will never fall on the ground in deep trance.
I’m still experimenting to see what I can get to work for me. I’m very ADHD which limits which inductions will be effective. For example, progressive relaxation isn’t the best option because it takes longer than other methods and you’re dealing with a person who has a hard time paying attention for an extended intraval.
Some one told me to try a confusion induction but for some reason that was hard for me too.
I have actually made progressive relaxation or eye fixation inductions work but it’s still a super light experience. I know it’s not because I’m resisting because I’ve been trying self hypnosis for a while. If I wasn’t willing, I wouldn’t keep trying.
Overall, it’s been an interesting experience. So far, I’ve had better luck hypnotizing others than having it done to me.
Hello Erick. Thanks for this great article. Makes things alot clearer:)
When I was using an audio hypnosis recording at bedtime my dreams became more vivid. For someone who barely remembers her dreams I was remembering my dreams every night. The dreams were always full of challenging scenarios. I was using the hypnosis audio for confidence and self-esteem. Can you offer any explanation as to why this might have been happening?
Thanks a bunch
Hello! Can you make a video about hypnotizing us to sleep video and post it on youtube?
There’s a program already available for purchase here:
Hypnosis for Sleep Audio Program
Hey Erick? Can you make a hypnotizing video that will put me to sleep and post it on youtube?
A great article, thanks so much Erick. I just had my first hypnosis session and could remember everything. I thought maybe it hadn’t worked however I am definitely stating to feel better about myself in general. I have a few more sessions booked…. Do you find some clients are just not able to achieve that really deep state during hypnosis… Or does it just take time with them?( I do find that I can achieve it when I am alone.) Thanks for your time
Hey Gayle,
As state in the article, “Achieving a ‘deep’ level of trance is NOT necessary for hypnosis sessions to be productive! Don’t worry about how “deep” you go!”
Many of my client sessions are highly interactive, eyes open, and conversational. Depth is not the deciding factor for success. I do whatever processes are appropriate for the specific client to get their desired transformation.
Wao amazing is my first time that i did it i remember breathing in and out relax and then i remember before i open my eyes I heard his voice and then it was a silence i open my eyes and honestly i don’t remember anything between relaxing time and the voice at the end does that mean i was hypnotized?
You achieved amnesia from a somnambulistic level of trance.
So I remember just about everything in the hypnosis tape – except the part that said I would wake up at the end! I did not wake upon command but did wake maybe a few minutes later and then worried that I did not wake when I was supposed to. Because I had listened to it before, I know that I was supposed to the count of 5 but did not. Thoughts? And thank you.
In that case, it’s likely that you actually did just fall asleep.
Please how many times in a day should I listen to an audio session, especially if I want quick results. Thanks.
I’d recommend listening to a hypnosis audio once a day for at least 21 days. If you’re motivated, listen a second time at night as you fall asleep.
Great article, cleared up a lot of questions that I had! An eye-opener! Thank you so much!
Hi. Thanks for the explanation. I have enjoyed occasionally listening to audio guided hypnosis recordings for a few months and overall feel some benefit from them. However, I do find that I fall asleep, sometimes waking up a little while before the end of the recording, and don’t remember anything that’s been said. Somehow though, they do bring me some peace and a good reason to retreat for some quiet time.
Thanks for checking out the article, Alexandra! Hopefully, it helped to clarify what you’re experiencing.
If you dream during hypnosis then probably you were sleeping? I listen to an audible version for weight loss and it will keep playing some are 4 hours long and some times i wake up as a session is ending but some times its plays all the way through but i rember dreaming but hearing it the hypnosis back ground. Or dreaming that i hear it.
Deep hypnosis can be very similar to daydreaming.
Very informative and enlightening article. I’ve had this same experience when using self hypnosis programs, so this explains a lot. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for this informative explanation. I noticed that I ‘fall asleep’ but I seem to be semi conscious (which is the best way I can describe it) of my surroundings when I listen to hypnosis tapes. And I do just as you say…’wake up’ just a bit prior to the tape being finished. I use a particular tape to help me in memorizing my lines for plays and to assist me in lowering my ‘stage fright’.
I’d say your experience is a reflection of what most people are experiencing when they use Hypnosis audio programs.
At last! Someone with real expertise gives us the answer. Thanks!