Somatic Hypnotherapy F.A.Q. and Answers

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and Somatic Hypnotherapy:

What is hypnosis?
What is a hypnotic induction?
How does it feel to be hypnotized?
Who can be hypnotized?
Can a mentally impaired person, drunk, or under the influence of illicit drugs be hypnotized?
Is hypnosis dangerous?
Can I "get stuck" in a hypnotic trance?
Is hypnosis "Mind Control"?
Can a person be hypnotized against his will?
Will I be asleep?
Will I tell any secrets under hypnosis?
What is hypnotherapy?
What are the main differences between hypnosis and hypnotherapy?
How long has hypnotherapy been practiced?
Can hypnotherapy hurt me?
Will I lose control during my hypnotherapy session?
What is Somatic Hypnotherapy?
What are the particularities of Somatic Hypnotherapy?
Who can benefit from Somatic Hypnotherapy?
Does hypnotherapy work?
What is the effectiveness of Somatic Hypnotherapy?
How does hypnotherapy work?
What role does the subconscious mind play in hypnotherapy?
What areas can Somatic Hypnotherapy be helpful in?
What are the differences between mental health problems and emotional challenges?
When will I start feeling the results of the Somatic Hypnotherapy session?
How much does hypnotherapy cost?
How much will I remember my hypnotherapy session?
Why does Somatic Hypnotherapy produce results more quickly than conventional therapeutic approaches?

I hope this will answer your questions:

1. What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is the process of inducing a state of deep relaxation of the body and a high concentration of the mind, commonly known as a "hypnotic trance." In a hypnotic trance, you feel relaxed and at ease. Your imagination is activated, metaphysical critical thinking is bypassed, consciousness is focused on the subconscious, the mind-body connection, and your feelings*. It is a natural state of mind that many of us encounter in everyday life. If you have ever been engrossed in a book, a film, or a performance, you have likely already experienced the hypnotic trance state.

2. What is a hypnotic induction?

Hypnotic induction is the process of intentionally inducing a hypnotic state. For this induction to be effective, you must cooperate as an active participant. There are numerous ways of inducing hypnosis. The hypnosis professional gives you carefully worded instructions to help you enter a state of deep relaxation and focused attention. The main thing that distinguishes a naturally occurring trance from a hypnotic trance is that the hypnotherapist deliberately induces the latter and can guide the depth of the trance state.

3. How does it feel to be hypnotized?

Many people find it surprisingly pleasant — quite different from what film and television would have you expect. Hypnosis is a natural state that feels similar to the sensation you get just before falling asleep at night. When you emerge, you feel refreshed and revitalized — as though you had been resting in a very comfortable space with your eyes closed. Here are some experiences one may notice in a hypnotic state:

Mental and physical relaxation, general feeling of drowsiness
Lack of desire to open the eyes — the relaxation simply feels too good
Eyelids heavy, feeling locked together
Jaw muscles relaxed, teeth unclenched
Tongue loose and relaxed, dryness in the mouth, desire to swallow
Desire to scratch an itch, but not quite willing to move
Twitching or slight jerking in any part of the body
Euphoria — a pervasive sense of well-being
Tingling or numbness in any portion of the body
Heavy feeling in part or all of the body
Desire to laugh, smile, giggle, or cry
Body warmth or chill
A sense of personal freedom, feeling carefree or uninhibited
Time distortion — minutes can feel like hours, and vice versa
Sounds fade in and out
A gradual letting go, as if drifting toward sleep
Feeling of lightness or of floating
Partial sense of body detachment

4. Who can be hypnotized?

Anyone who is not cognitively impaired, who can focus their attention, follow instructions, and daydream can be hypnotized — if they wish. Nobody can be hypnotized against their will. If a person is not willing to cooperate, they cannot be hypnotized. The idea that some people simply are not hypnotizable, even when they genuinely want to be, is incorrect. Some people may initially feel comfortable and then begin to sense that they might unacceptably lose control — causing them to overanalyze and start resisting. That said, people's depth of hypnotizability will naturally vary.

5. Can a mentally impaired person, or someone drunk or under the influence of drugs, be hypnotized?

The ability to sustain concentration and to follow instructions are necessary prerequisites for hypnosis. People who are intellectually impaired, intoxicated, or under the influence of illicit substances can be very difficult to hypnotize. The ideal subject is someone who is intelligent, spiritually alert, able to concentrate, willing to cooperate and follow instructions, and who approaches the process with reasonable confidence rather than suspicion.

6. Is hypnosis dangerous?

Myths about hypnosis perpetuated by Hollywood films, urban legends, and fiction have led people to believe all kinds of things — including that hypnosis is somehow dangerous. Some have heard that you can enter a trance and not come back, or that the hypnotist can make you do things you do not want to do. These things are simply untrue. You are always in control and always able to return to a full waking state at any time. The number one function of the subconscious mind is to protect you — and it is always on duty.

7. Can I "get stuck" in a hypnotic trance?

You cannot get stuck in hypnosis because you do not lose control when hypnotized. Hypnosis is a cooperative relationship. You retain full control over your mind and your body throughout. If a client were to go so deep as to enter a truly unconscious state — a very rare occurrence — they would simply drift into natural sleep and awaken when rested. A simple suggestion for awakening is all that is needed to bring someone back to the waking state, even if they have fallen asleep. No one can be left or lost in hypnosis. When the hypnotist stops speaking, the subject will awaken naturally on their own. And at any point during the session, if there were an emergency or the subject simply wished to stop, they could bring themselves back immediately.

8. Is hypnosis "Mind Control"?

Not at all. No one under hypnosis can be induced to do anything against their will. Whatever moral and ethical codes you hold in your normal waking state will remain fully in place under hypnosis. The subject retains full control and responsibility for their actions at all times. Your unconscious mind's purpose is to protect and help you. Just as you cannot be made to act against your moral code, you will not say anything embarrassing or reveal more than you are comfortable sharing. If a hypnotherapist's suggestion conflicts with a client's value system, the client will simply bring themselves out of hypnosis — they will just wake up.

9. Can a person be hypnotized against their will?

No. You cannot be hypnotized against your will. Your hypnotist must have your full cooperation. People who are hypnotized will not do anything in hypnosis that they would not do in the waking state. You remain aware of everything that is going on and continue to retain your values and moral compass. If at any time you wish to emerge from hypnosis, for any reason, you will instantly and naturally open your eyes and become fully alert. No one can keep you in hypnosis against your will.

10. Will I be asleep?

No. When a person is in hypnosis, they are not asleep — they are very much aware of all that is going on. You are relaxed, comfortable, focused, and in a state of daydream-type awareness. Your critical analyzing mind (consciousness) becomes quieter, while your intuitive and creative mind (the subconscious) remains fully active. In hypnosis, the senses often become heightened and more acute. Of course, if a person is tired they may fall asleep during hypnosis — but then they are simply asleep, no longer in hypnosis. A simple suggestion from the hypnotist is all that is needed to rouse them.

11. Will I tell any secrets under hypnosis?

No. You retain full control over what you say. Subjects in hypnosis reveal no secrets that they would not reveal in the waking state. Hypnosis cannot be used to compel someone to tell the truth — it is not a truth serum. The hypnotized subject retains enough awareness and control to avoid saying anything they do not wish to make known. Hypnosis can help a willing client get more deeply in touch with their deepest feelings*. But feelings* are not facts. Recollections that arise in hypnosis are colored by the patient's feelings*, not by objective reality. We use hypnosis to discover the truth about how the patient feels about something — not the factual truth about what happened. The hypnotherapist cannot make a patient explore how they feel about something unless the patient feels comfortable, safe, and ready.

12. What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy has nothing to do with stage hypnosis and it is not a spell or a magic trick. Hypnotherapy is the therapeutic use of hypnosis to facilitate changes in perceptions, mindset, and patterns of emotional and behavioral responses. According to its founder Dr. James Braid, hypnotherapy is a legitimate therapy in its own right — a holistic approach grounded in a distinct ancestral philosophy and a multi-millennial tradition.

There are many techniques, styles, and applications of hypnotherapy. They all share several things in common:

The client's strong desire to change
An induced state of deeply relaxed focus
Language and visualization in relationship to feelings*

Although hypnosis is used by various health professionals as an integrated tool within different approaches, there are very few similarities in philosophy, assessment protocol, or therapeutic protocol between hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, and allopathic medicine. Despite their great diversity, proven effectiveness, and growing popularity, hypnotherapy remains a therapy in itself — with a distinct ancestral philosophy, a symptom-oriented holistic approach, and a multi-millennial tradition.

13. What are the main differences between hypnosis and hypnotherapy?

While hypnosis and hypnotherapy belong to the same family, they are very different from each other. The core difference is that hypnosis is a tool, while hypnotherapy is an internationally recognized therapeutic approach for emotional, behavioral, and psychosomatic issues. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to engage the subconscious in order to better understand and resolve the issues a client is facing.

14. How long has hypnotherapy been practiced?

The holistic concept of healing the human being as a whole — rather than treating individual diseases — is ancient. What is now called "hypnotherapy" has been known to exist in almost all ancient societies. Although the term "hypnosis" has only been used since the 1840s, priests, shamans, healers, and medicine men began using this technique, or some form of it, centuries earlier. There are written records of hypnosis dating back 5,000 years in Mesopotamia and Egypt and 2,500 years in ancient China and Greece. While hypnotherapy has been part of human society for millennia, it has also carved out a place as a legitimate modern medical practice. As early as 1892, the British Medical Association verified the efficacy of hypnotherapy.

15. Can hypnotherapy hurt me?

In over 5,000 years of hypnosis history, there is no documented case of anyone being harmed by this approach. Hypnosis can only be used constructively. If anyone attempts to give you suggestions against your morals, religious beliefs, or anything you feel strongly about, you would instantly and naturally emerge from the relaxed state on your own.

16. Will I lose control during my hypnotherapy session?

Losing control during hypnotherapy is another Hollywood myth. You always retain control and can always hear and understand what is happening. Hypnosis is simply a state of relaxed deep focus — a natural state you enter at least twice a day (while waking and while falling asleep), and very likely much more often than that. If at any moment during a trance you wish to be fully awake, you can simply count to yourself "1 – 2 – 3" and open your eyes.

17. What is Somatic Hypnotherapy?

Somatic Hypnotherapy is a well-balanced blend of the age-old practice of Traditional Hypnotherapy, various East European traditional healing practices closely aligned with hypnotherapy, and the rigor of Western scientific models. As an avant-gardist approach to health and well-being, Somatic Hypnotherapy has integrated into therapeutic practice several visionary scientific models — notably the Somatic Markers Hypothesis and the concept of Emotional Coherence. With time, this pragmatic approach has proven highly effective across a wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and somatic issues. In short, while psychology proposes cognitive management and psychiatry proposes chemical management of emotional issues, Somatic Hypnotherapy addresses emotional feelings* directly — not to manage them, but to release them.

18. What are the particularities of Somatic Hypnotherapy?

Unlike conventional hypnotherapy approaches that focus on adding a fresh layer of positive feelings* on top of lingering fears and traumas, Somatic Hypnotherapy is about releasing the past by rearranging the present reading of past traumatic experiences. This therapy works with your model of the world and involves you actively in the process — so that changes are easily accepted and long-lasting.

With Somatic Hypnotherapy you will not undergo a passive scripted therapy. The hallmark of this approach is a process of neuro-linguistic modulation — speaking to your subconscious mind in a very particular way, using metaphorical language that appears to be a regular conversation. The beauty of this approach is that I will simply help you reorganize your perception of reality while you remain in charge of directing your subconscious mind toward the changes you wish to experience. Your subconscious will respond and follow your guidance. I will be there to guide and assist you throughout your process of change. You will become the craftsman of your own transformation.

19. Who can benefit from Somatic Hypnotherapy?

Not only does this approach deliver remarkable results, but it works for almost everyone — unless you have significant difficulty experiencing emotional feelings*. This approach is open to anyone who can focus their attention, follow instructions, daydream, and genuinely wish to experience a change under hypnosis. All those who qualify following the initial assessment and undergo a Somatic Hypnotherapy session will most likely experience a meaningful change after their first session.

The most spectacular results tend to occur among those who are open-minded — and especially among those able to distinguish between paradigms and science, those who dare to sense that human beings could be far more than a kind of soulless and spiritless intelligent primate, and that our heart could be more than merely a hydraulic pump.

Not knowing the precise distinctions between thoughts, feelings*, and emotions is not an obstacle to benefiting from this approach. However, if you firmly believe that emotions and feelings* are interchangeable words that describe nothing more than mental concepts crossing your mind, this therapy may not be your approach of choice.

20. Does hypnotherapy work?

Yes, hypnotherapy works. Professional organizations have consistently reported on its value. The British Medical Association has been formally studying and verifying it since 1892. In the 1950s, both the British Medical Association and the American Medical Association confirmed the efficacy of hypnotherapy as official policy, stating: "For the past hundred years there has been an abundance of evidence that psychological and physiological changes could be produced by hypnotism, and also that such changes might be of great service in the treatment of patients." In 2001, the British Psychological Society reported that: "Enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry, and psychotherapy." If you genuinely want to change, hypnosis is the tool of choice to make that change easier, faster, and permanent.

21. What is the effectiveness of Somatic Hypnotherapy?

Clients consistently describe their Somatic Hypnotherapy session as one of the most remarkable experiences of their lives. This innovative approach is so effective that not only will you often be able to address several interrelated problems within the same session, but you will assess your results on the spot — throughout the session and especially at its close. The exact outcome depends mainly on you, since the best results any therapy can offer always come from the approach you trust the most.

The last five years of rigorously tracked results show the following:

59% of clients experienced the change they hoped for after a single session of Somatic Hypnotherapy.
29% experienced the expected change after 2–3 sessions.
10% of clients needed more than 3 sessions to fully recover.
2% of clients could not benefit from the therapy — either because following the initial evaluation Somatic Hypnotherapy did not appear to be their approach of choice, or because they were not satisfied with the results of their first session.

22. How does Hypnotherapy work?

Once the hypnotic state is induced and the doorway to the subconscious is opened, the trained hypnotist — with your permission — can provide the necessary information encoded in a language and form that the subconscious can accept, to help you change the behaviors, feelings*, and thoughts you wish to change. Hypnotherapy draws on the fact that the subconscious mind can accept whatever it imagines as real. Once you have seen a magician pull a rabbit from a hat, no matter how many times you replay that image in your mind, you will always see the same thing — because the magician has convinced your mind that it happened. By analogy, once the hypnotherapist has guided your subconscious mind toward a new emotional reading of an uncomfortable situation, no matter how many times your conscious mind replays that situation, the associated emotional content will be changed — while the factual content remains intact. This is how, once your subconscious learns that there are no more painful feelings* related to a past separation, your conscious mind permanently accepts this new reality — and you feel, think, and behave accordingly.

23. What role does the subconscious mind play in hypnotherapy?

The mind is the immaterial set of faculties comprising various cognitive and non-cognitive aspects called consciousness and, respectively, the subconscious mind. Consciousness is the accessible part of the mind that governs rational thoughts, intelligence, factual memory, judgment, and coordinates thoughtful actions. The subconscious mind operates as an autopilot guided mainly by intuition, instincts, habits, and feelings*.

The subconscious controls the biological processes that keep us alive and our behavioral patterns. Information is imprinted in the subconscious through emotionally significant life experiences, through repetition, through trauma, through ritual, and through hypnosis. Hypnosis is therefore the quickest and most efficient way to directly implement changes in perceptions, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings* at the subconscious level.

24. What areas can Somatic Hypnotherapy be helpful in?

Somatic Hypnotherapy can help you address a wide range of personal, wellness, emotional, behavioral, and somatic issues, such as:

25. What are the differences between mental health problems and emotional challenges?

The distinction between mental health problems and emotional challenges is nuanced, as both are interconnected aspects of psychological functioning — but they differ in their primary domains, processes, and manifestations. Mental health issues encompass disorders or dysfunctions and typically refer to cognitive and behavioral conditions involving thought, perception, or reasoning processes linked to the prefrontal cortex. Emotional challenges centre on affective states — such as feelings*, mood regulation, and emotional responses — and are primarily linked to limbic system activity.

26. When will I start feeling the results of the Somatic Hypnotherapy session?

There are many factors at play. First and foremost, there is your motivation level and genuine commitment. If you are "trying" to quit a bad habit or an addiction because your partner put you up to it, your own motivation may be insufficient. There is no such thing as half-heartedly trying to change — you are either ready to experience the change or you are not. With Somatic Hypnotherapy, good results appear immediately — similar to the surgical repair of a major trauma, or the antivenom treatment of a snakebite. Yet hypnotherapy is not a panacea, and results depend in large part on the depth of your readiness and willingness to allow change.

27. How much does hypnotherapy cost?

Fees vary from city to city and from practitioner to practitioner. The average seems to be somewhere between $75 and $260 per session, with sessions commonly lasting between one and one and a half hours. Some hypnotherapists offer programs at a single fixed price for specific issues, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per program. Somatic Hypnotherapy sessions are billed at a variable rate based on the complexity of the issues to be addressed. Fees are $160 for the first session and $120 for each follow-up session if needed. Please allow 2 to 3 hours for the first appointment, although the session itself should last no longer than 60 to 90 minutes.

28. How much will I remember of my hypnotherapy session?

You will remember everything that is said. However, if you are accustomed to the experience or find yourself drifting into other thoughts, you may allow your focus to wander and remember very little. How much you recall is entirely individual — but the bottom line is this: if you stay focused and want to remember, you will.

29. Why does Somatic Hypnotherapy produce results more quickly than conventional therapeutic approaches?

Conventional approaches to emotional and behavioral challenges — whether cognitive-behavioral therapy, goal-setting frameworks, self-compassion practices, or supportive counseling — are genuinely worthwhile, and for many people in many situations they bring meaningful relief. However, they share a common structural limitation: they work primarily through the rational, conscious mind. Several sessions are often required simply to identify the nature of the problem and establish a suitable therapeutic plan. The prescribed steps — restructuring internal dialogue, breaking goals into manageable pieces, practicing self-kindness, building a supportive circle — are intellectually sound. But they are, as most people who have tried them discover, much easier said than done.

The reason is straightforward: the behaviors and emotional patterns that bring people to therapy are not sustained by intentional thoughts. They are sustained by feelings* — somatic experiences stored in the subconscious, beyond the reach of conscious intention. You can understand with perfect clarity that your fear of failure is irrational — and still feel it, and still act from it. Changing what you think about a feeling does not dissolve the feeling itself.

Somatic Hypnotherapy works at a different level entirely. Rather than approaching the emotion through the rational mind, it accesses the felt, bodily dimension of the emotional experience directly — under hypnosis — and releases it at its source. When the feeling shifts, the thought patterns and behaviors organized around it shift naturally — without sustained effort, without willpower, and without requiring years of weekly sessions to achieve what can often be accomplished in one to three. This is not a shortcut that bypasses genuine healing. It is a more direct path to the same destination — one that works with the actual architecture of emotional experience rather than around it.

I hope this has answered your questions

The "No Results - No Pay" principle guarantees my integrity and applies to all my therapies.**

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For any medical emergency, call the Info-Santé service by dialing 811.

*In Somatic Hypnotherapy, the terms "feelings" and "emotional feelings" are often used interchangeably and refer to sensory experiences perceived onto or within the body, assessed, interpreted, and integrated through interoception and conceptualized by the rational mind as "emotions" - consistent with their traditional, biological and medical meanings, but differing considerably from the term 'feeling' in cognitive psychology.

**The results may vary from person to person.

***In other words, if at the end of your session you don't see any improvement in the issues addressed in therapy, I won't accept your money!

Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects the opinion of its author, is provided for educational and general informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. I do not make any diagnoses according to recognized classifications (DSM-5, ICD-10) and I do not interfere in any way with ongoing treatments.

If you are already under medical care or treatment, follow their advice and treatment. I am not a doctor or licensed psychologist in Quebec; therefore, I cannot establish or continue a treatment based on your diagnosis. If you decide to consult me, be prepared to tell me what is bothering you and how you feel about it.

Somatic Hypnotherapy is an emotional health and wellness practice rooted in ancestral traditions and modern neuroscience insights. It does not constitute psychotherapy, medical treatment, diagnosis, or management of mental disorders, and is not intended to replace professional psychological or medical care.

On this website, the use of the masculine to designate people aims to ensure the fluidity of the reading and has no discriminatory intent.

Somatic Hypnotherapy - 186 Sutton Place, suite 104, Beaconsfield, Quebec H9W 5S3, in the West Island of Montreal.