Self-Hypnosis
The drive home you made without thinking about it, and of which you remember no detail. The book that made you miss your stop. The film that brought you to tears even though you know perfectly well they are actors. The moment, just before falling asleep, when the images start moving on their own.
In each of those situations your attention narrowed onto one thing, everything else faded, and your sense of time shifted. That is exactly what is meant by a hypnotic state.
Self-hypnosis is therefore not a rare ability you would have to acquire. It is a state you already know, and what you learn is how to find your way back to it deliberately, instead of waiting for it to turn up. This page explains what it is, what it allows, how it is learned, and what is worth knowing before starting on your own.
What is self-hypnosis?
A simple definition
Self-hypnosis is the practice of entering a state of focused attention on your own, without a practitioner guiding you, in order to work on an objective you have set for yourself.
Here is a remark that often surprises people, and that is nonetheless the most widely held view among practitioners: all hypnosis is, in a sense, self-hypnosis. A hypnotherapist does not put you into a state, they accompany you towards a state you produce yourself. They do nothing to you: they propose, and you accept or you do not. Self-hypnosis simply means doing without the companion.
What it is not
Neighbouring practices overlap with self-hypnosis without being the same thing.
- Mindfulness meditation means observing whatever arises without trying to change it. Self-hypnosis is aimed at an objective: falling asleep, facing an exam, easing a discomfort.
- Relaxation and sophrology aim at physical and mental ease. Self-hypnosis can be deeply relaxed, and it can equally be active, eyes open, standing up, before speaking in public for instance.
- Visualisation is only one of the possible tools, and it does not suit everyone: plenty of people see no mental images at all, which does not stop them practising.
- It is not sleep. You stay conscious, you hear what is going on around you, and you can stop at any moment.
A note on wording
You will often read that hypnosis is an "altered state of consciousness". We prefer to speak of a state of focused attention, a more accurate and less impressive phrase that better describes what you will actually experience. The subject is developed on What Is Therapeutic Hypnosis?, and the approaches we practise on Ericksonian Hypnosis and Humanist Hypnosis.
Self-hypnosis is a wellbeing and support practice. It replaces no medical opinion, no diagnosis and no treatment. A physical symptom, a new pain or one that changes, a significant psychological difficulty must be assessed by a health professional: self-hypnosis must never be used to silence a signal or to delay seeking care.
Some situations call for advice before practising alone: a psychotic disorder, a dissociative disorder, post-traumatic stress, or an acute psychological episode. In those cases, speak to your doctor or your psychologist first. Any decision about a treatment belongs exclusively to the doctor who prescribed it.
What is self-hypnosis for?
The most common uses
The value of self-hypnosis lies less in its power than in its availability. A practitioner is not there at three in the morning, nor in the waiting room, nor five minutes before a meeting. You are.
- Sleep, particularly falling asleep and getting back to sleep after waking in the night. This is the most frequent use, and often the first result people notice. See Hypnosis for Sleep and Insomnia.
- Discomfort and pain, alongside medical care and once the cause has been assessed. This is the ground where the evidence is strongest. See Hypnosis for Pain Management.
- High-stakes moments: an exam, an interview, speaking in public, a medical procedure, a plane taking off.
- Everyday anxiety and end-of-day rumination. See Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety.
- Consolidating work done in session. This is why almost all our sessions end with an exercise to take away: what happens between sessions counts for more than what happens during them.
And what it is not for. It does not replace a treatment, does not cure any illness, does not change a diagnosis, and does not resolve a difficult external situation. Nor does it stand in for psychotherapy where that is indicated.
Short and regular beats long and occasional
This is the most useful piece of advice on this page, and the most often ignored.
Many people imagine they must devote half an hour a day to an elaborate ritual, last less than three days, and conclude that it does not work for them. In practice, two or three minutes several times a day achieve more than one long weekly session, because it is repetition that installs access to the state, not duration.
The best moment is one that already exists in your day: on the train, before getting out of the car once you have parked, over coffee, just before falling asleep.
How it works, and what is known about it
The four stages of a practice
A self-hypnosis practice always follows the same architecture, whatever the variations.
- The intention. Before you begin, you decide what you are there to do, and you put it simply: get back to sleep, approach the two o'clock meeting more calmly, let an urge pass. Without an intention, generally nothing happens beyond a pleasant moment, which is fine but is not the point.
- Going in. You focus attention on something precise: a fixed point, the contact of your feet on the floor, the rhythm of your breathing, counting down a staircase. The method matters little; the focusing is what counts.
- The work. Depending on the objective: a resource image, mentally rehearsing a situation to come, an anchor tied to a discreet gesture, a metaphor. This is the part built with you in session, because it has to sound like you.
- Coming back. You return gradually, you move, you re-establish contact with the room. Beginners often rush this stage, and that is a mistake: an abrupt return leaves an unpleasant feeling and puts people off trying again.
The most common mistake: trying to get there
Almost everyone who gives up on self-hypnosis does so for the same reason: they spend the whole exercise wondering whether they are "really in hypnosis".
That monitoring is precisely what prevents the state from settling, since it brings attention back to oneself instead of letting it go elsewhere. The paradox is the same as with falling asleep: the more you check that you are dropping off, the less you do.
There is, in any case, no typical sensation. Some people feel heaviness, others lightness, others nothing in particular, and none of that predicts the outcome. The right measure is not what you feel during, it is what you notice afterwards.
What the research says
Two things need separating here.
On hypnosis in general, an assessment report published by France's Inserm in 2015 reviewed the available literature. Its conclusion remains the French-language reference: convincing data exist for certain indications, particularly irritable bowel syndrome and use in anaesthesia, encouraging results for others, and a great many studies of insufficient methodological quality elsewhere. In other words: a real but circumscribed value, and a great many claims that go beyond what is known.
On self-hypnosis in particular, the difficulty is that it is rarely studied on its own: in most trials, learning self-hypnosis is part of a wider course of support, and its contribution cannot be isolated. The most solid work concerns chronic pain, where self-hypnosis training is a recognised component of psychological approaches.
What can honestly be said: self-hypnosis is a useful skill whose value is best established for pain, anxiety and sleep, and a practice for which nobody should be promising you figures.
The precautions nobody mentions
Where and when not to practise
Self-hypnosis is a safe practice. That does not mean it can be practised anywhere, or by everyone without advice.
Never at the wheel, never while operating machinery. This is the most important rule and the least often written down. Self-hypnosis exercises aim at a state of focused attention that is incompatible with driving. The same goes for recordings: never listen to a hypnosis or relaxation audio while driving, including as a passenger if you are taking the wheel afterwards. Practise stopped, engine off, or at home.
Some situations call for advice first. A psychotic disorder, a dissociative disorder, post-traumatic stress, an acute psychological episode: in those cases practising alone can be destabilising, and it is better to speak to your doctor or your psychologist before starting.
Do not silence a signal. A new pain, a symptom that changes, an unusual sensation deserve to be assessed. Using self-hypnosis to stop thinking about it can delay a diagnosis.
If something unpleasant surfaces — a strong emotion, a memory, a feeling of unease — stop the exercise, open your eyes, move, and talk to a professional about it. It is not common and it is not serious in itself, but it is not something to go through alone.
Be wary of recordings found online. Nobody checks their content, they are tailored to no one in particular, and many of them promise results. Set aside any that announce a cure, a number of pounds or a deadline. A recording made for you by a practitioner who knows you does not have the same standing as a file found at random.
Finally, self-hypnosis is not to be practised against yourself. It is not there to help you endure an unbearable situation, nor to put up with what ought to change. If you are using it to absorb a job that is exhausting you or a relationship that is damaging you, the tool is not at fault, and it is not the tool that will settle the matter.
How to learn it
Why learning with a practitioner is quicker
You can learn on your own, from a book or a video, and some people manage very well. Two things make guided learning generally quicker.
The first is technical. A practitioner watches what happens and adjusts: your way of entering the state, the duration that suits you, the kind of suggestion you respond to. Someone who sees no mental images will learn nothing from a method built on visualisation, and will wrongly draw a conclusion about themselves.
The second is about confidence. Having experienced the state once, with someone, removes most of the doubt. Most people who believe they are not receptive have mainly tried alone, for five minutes, wondering the whole time whether it was working.
It is learned alongside everything else
We do not offer separate training: every course of support, whatever the subject, ends with an exercise built for you and for your situation, which you take away. Some practitioners record it so that you can listen again.
This is not a side matter. It is the heart of the method: what happens between sessions is worth more than what happens during them, and the aim of any course of support is that you should no longer need us.
Sessions work in person and by video alike, which suits this learning particularly well since you then practise at home, in the very place where you learned.
Sources and references
- Évaluation de l'efficacité de la pratique de l'hypnose. Inserm, assessment report, 2015. In French.
- Hypnotic approaches for chronic pain management: clinical implications of recent research findings. Jensen, M. P., & Patterson, D. R. (2014). American Psychologist, 69(2), 167-177.
- The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. Valentine, K. E., Milling, L. S., Clark, L. J., & Moriarty, C. L. (2019). International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67(3), 336-363.
- Meta-analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis for mental and somatic health issues: a 20-year perspective. Rosendahl, J., Alldredge, C. T., & Haddenhorst, A. (2024). Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1330238.
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Frequently asked questions about Self-Hypnosis
The great majority of people, yes, with varying ease. Receptivity to hypnosis varies from person to person, like flexibility or a sense of rhythm, and it can be trained. Those who believe themselves "immune" have most often tried alone, briefly, wondering throughout the exercise whether it was working.
No. You remain conscious from beginning to end and you can open your eyes whenever you decide to. At worst you fall asleep, and you wake up as you would from any nap.
No, it is simply easier at first. Many exercises are practised with the eyes open, which is essential for use in real situations: a waiting room, a meeting, a queue.
Less than people think. Two or three minutes several times a day are worth more than half an hour once a week, because it is repetition that installs access to the state.
The practice is safe in ordinary situations, with two serious reservations. Never at the wheel or while operating machinery, including when listening to a recording. And medical advice beforehand is necessary in cases of psychotic disorder, dissociative disorder or post-traumatic stress.
They can help you get familiar with the state, and some are well made. They are tailored to no one in particular, their content is checked by nobody, and any that promise a result should be set aside. A recording built for you does not have the same standing.
That is the goal, and precisely why we teach it to you. It does not, however, replace medical advice, nor psychotherapy where that is indicated, nor the work of addressing a long-standing difficulty.
Mindfulness meditation observes whatever arises without trying to change it. Self-hypnosis is aimed at an objective you have set yourself. The two practices complement each other well, and many people do both.
Yes, and they are often very much at ease with it, because imagination is their territory. It takes the form of a story or a game rather than an exercise, and it is learned with a practitioner trained in working with children.
Self-hypnosis is a personal wellbeing practice: it replaces no care, must never delay seeking medical advice, and is never practised at the wheel or while operating machinery.
Page written by Jean-Marie Balestrat
hypnotherapist and NLP coach
partner at Solutions Hypnose.
English version reviewed by David Veilleux