What Trance Really Feels Like - Why it's the Opposite of Losing Control

Pop culture hasn’t done hypnotherapy any favours. Thanks to movies and stage shows, many people still think “trance” means zoning out like a zombie, losing control, or being brainwashed into embarrassing party tricks. In reality, trance is nothing like that.

Trance is not about losing control. It’s about reclaiming it.

In therapeutic hypnotherapy, trance is a natural, healing, and deeply empowering state—where your body relaxes, your nervous system resets, and your mind becomes effortlessly open and receptive. In fact, trance gives you direct access to the deeper parts of yourself: your creativity, clarity, intuition, and inner wisdom.

Far from being “brainless,” you become more connected—to your body, to your breath, to your emotions, to your truth.

What Does Trance Feel Like?

Everyone experiences trance a little differently, but here’s what many of my clients say:

“I was aware of everything, but I felt like I was floating.”

“My body felt like it disappeared, but my mind felt clear.”

“It’s like I’ve never really relaxed before. I didn’t want to come out.”

Clients have also said that being in trance parallels the deep relaxation of being on cannabis or mushrooms.

That blissful, dreamy, floaty feeling isn’t magic—it’s what happens when the body finally shifts out of fight-flight-freeze and into the parasympathetic “rest and restore” state. If your nervous system has been stuck in overdrive for years (as so many of ours are), then your first time in trance may feel like a revelation.

And with practice, it becomes easy to return to that peaceful place whenever you want.

The Science Behind Trance

When you enter trance, your brainwaves shift from high-alert beta into calmer, slower alpha and theta states—linked to insight, healing, neuroplasticity, and deep creativity. This shift allows the unconscious mind (the part of you responsible for habits, beliefs, emotions, and healing) to come forward, while the conscious mind takes a break.

Research shows that even short periods of deep relaxation can lead to measurable benefits:

"A 20-minute session of deep relaxation or meditation can be as restorative as a 3-hour nap."— Dr. Herbert Benson, Harvard Medical School, The Relaxation Response

In other words, trance isn't "checking out." It’s plugging in—more deeply and consciously than you may have experienced in a long time.

Progressive Relaxation: The Doorway In

One of the most powerful ways we enter trance is through progressive relaxation. In sessions, I guide you to soften every single muscle in your body—from your forehead to your toes—melting away stress and tension. This is something we should all be doing every day.

When you release physical tension, the nervous system downshifts from sympathetic (stress) into parasympathetic (calm) mode. That shift allows your breathing to deepen, your mind to settle, and your creative and intuitive centers to wake up.

These are states associated with flow, insight, and integration—not just relaxation. And the more you practice, the easier it becomes to access them on your own.

How I Guide You Into Trance

Here’s what you can expect in a typical session:

• Recall a moment of peace: I ask you to remember a time when you felt completely at ease—by a lake, on vacation, or curled up in a cozy chair watching a thunderstorm.

• Focus the breath: We bring attention to the gentle rhythm of your inhale and exhale, cueing your body to relax.

• Invite the unconscious: I guide your unconscious mind to step forward and lead you into healing.

• Visualize & drift: I use imagery, metaphor, and your own memories to deepen the experience. Some people stay alert. Some drift. Either way, your unconscious is listening.

The unconscious is archival—it hears and stores everything, even if the conscious mind doesn't remember. So you don’t need to try or force anything. Just allow.

You Learn to Do This Yourself

One of the most powerful parts of hypnotherapy is that trance becomes a skill you can use outside the session. I’ll teach you how to enter self-hypnosis on your own—whether to reset your mood, reduce stress, or tap into inner clarity.

Through a process called anchoring, your body begins to associate certain cues—like closing your eyes and taking a deep breath—with relaxation, release, and peace.

Just like Pavlov’s dogs learned to respond to the sound of a bell, your body learns that:

• Eyes closed + deep inhale = time to relax

• Shoulders soften = nervous system resets

• Breath slows = brainwaves shift

Eventually, you’ll be able to access this state while riding the bus, taking a walk, or preparing for a high-pressure work or social moment. Trance becomes something you can drop into anytime you choose.

That’s real freedom.That’s true empowerment.That’s what hypnotherapy is all about.

Ready to Experience Trance for Yourself?

If you're curious about what it feels like to finally relax—deeply, safely, and naturally—I'm here to guide you.

Book your free 20-minute discovery call at Ascendant Hypnotherapy

Let’s explore what’s possible when you give your body and mind the permission to exhale.