My Personal Experience of Hypnosis 

For much of my life, I lived disconnected from my emotional world.

Up until my early thirties, feeling was not safe. Significant complex trauma had shaped my nervous system to survive by shutting down. I functioned well enough on the outside, but inside there was a kind of emotional numbness as if life was happening from the neck up. I could think, analyse, and cope, but I couldn’t truly feel.

When I eventually entered traditional talk therapy, something important shifted. Slowly, carefully, I began to feel again not just intellectually, but more than skin deep. With that reconnection came relief, but also the surfacing of anxiety, grief, and sadness that had been held at bay for years. Much of this was expected, and much of it eased over time.

About five years ago, I discovered the work of Dr Joe Dispenza. His emphasis on conscious attention, heart coherence, and the body’s capacity to rewire itself resonated deeply. Through regular guided meditation practice, I experienced profound changes. Around 80% of my long-standing depression and anxiety symptoms resolved. My relationship with my body and inner world softened. I felt more present, more connected, more alive.

And yet, something remained.

At times, underlying PTSD symptoms would still be triggered. A sadness would arise without any conscious thought attached not linked to current circumstances, not something I could “think my way out of.” It was familiar, old, and clearly stored beyond the reach of insight alone.

When I later learned that a lot of the techniques Dr Joe Dispenza uses in his guided mediations overlap with hypnotherapy – it sparked my curiosity. That connection felt important. I decided to train in hypnotherapy myself, not initially to “fix” anything, but to deepen my understanding of how focused attention, the subconscious mind, and the nervous system interact.

What I didn’t expect was what unfolded over the following year.

As part of my training, I completed extensive student practice hours. I worked with conscious focus and attention, metaphor, imagery, and simple, respectful techniques often while helping others. Gradually, without effort or intention, the remaining background symptoms dissolved.

The depression that would appear without explanation stopped arising.
The low-grade anxiety that had hummed constantly in the background disappeared.
The hypervigilance softened.

I still experience normal anxiety before trying new things, stepping into growth, or navigating uncertainty but it no longer runs my life. I recognise it, work with it, and regulate it. It comes and goes as a natural human response, not a chronic state.

What struck me most was that this shift didn’t come from analysing my past or reprocessing stories again.

It came from sustained, focused attention. From working with the subconscious mind through metaphor and felt experience. From allowing the nervous system to learn — repeatedly — that it was safe to settle.

Hypnotherapy, for me, became an extension of the heart-based work I had already been doing. It wasn’t separate from healing; it was a refinement of it.

I don’t see hypnosis as something that “removed” my anxiety or depression.

I see it as a process that helped my system complete what it had been trying to do for decades — release survival patterns that were no longer needed, and stabilise in a state of safety, presence, and connection.

That lived experience is why I now work with hypnosis the way I do: gently, respectfully, and with deep trust in the body’s intelligence.

What hypnosis is not

Hypnosis is often misunderstood because of stage shows, movies, or outdated ideas.
To help you feel clear and safe, here’s what hypnosis is not:

Hypnosis is not mind control.
You cannot be made to do, say, or reveal anything against your values or will. Your inner ethical compass remains intact at all times.

Hypnosis is not sleep.
Although it can feel deeply relaxing — even sleep-like — your mind is still active and responsive. You can hear me, speak, move, or open your eyes whenever you choose.

Hypnosis is not unconsciousness.
You are aware, present, and able to stop the process at any point. Many people describe it as a state of focused attention rather than “being out.”

Hypnosis is not surrendering your power.
In fact, it’s the opposite. Hypnosis works by strengthening your inner resources, insight, and self-agency, not by overriding them.

Hypnosis is not something that’s “done to you.”
It is a collaborative process. I guide, you experience. Your subconscious leads the way.

Hypnosis is not about reliving trauma unless appropriate and chosen.
We do not force re-experiencing. Sessions are paced, resourced, and guided by safety, consent, and readiness.

Hypnosis is not only for “suggestible” people.
Thoughtful, intelligent, analytical people often respond very well  sometimes exceptionally well  because the subconscious doesn’t require belief, only openness.

Hypnosis is not magic  but it can feel magical.
Real change happens because the mind and nervous system are working differently, not because anything mystical is imposed.