This Is Your Brain on Hypnosis...

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 This Is Your Brain on Hypnosis:

 7 Mind-Bending Facts



We all have different experiences on how we encountered hypnosis. Maybe you first encountered it at a party or on TV?  Later you may have seen a stage act where the participants had been momentarily brainwashed into thinking they were elephants or gorillas. Whilst entertaining, these stage acts betray a great deal of study and skill. 

Hypnosis — like Astrology— should by now be reclaimed by  science as belonging to its realm. We say this because our final encounter of hypnosis may occur when we have addiction problems or spiritual unease that have not been solved by conventional medicine. 

Regression techniques seem to be commonplace these days.

So, beneath the swinging watches and calming voices lies a deep neurological shift that science is just beginning to understand. When you enter a hypnotic state, your brain doesn’t just relax—it rewires itself in strange and powerful ways.

Here’s what actually happens inside your head when you're hypnotized:

1. Slower Brainwaves: From Beta to Theta

For the sake of argument, let's call the days we feel 'normal' our  everyday, alert state.  During this period of normal lucidity  the brain is buzzing with Beta waves (13–30 Hz). Hertz (Hz) tells you how fast these oscillations are occurring per second. Another word for oscillation is wave cycle. Between 13-30Hz, scientist conclude that they are fast. Our Beta mind is focused, and helps us handle daily tasks. 

Serious changes to our mind set occur with  hypnosis, the brainwave pattern begins to slow down:

  • Alpha waves (8–12 Hz) emerge in lighter trance states, common in daydreaming or meditation.

  • Theta waves (4–8 Hz) dominate in deeper hypnosis, the same state found in REM sleep and deep meditation.



Theta waves are closely tied to creativity, emotional release, and heightened suggestibility—all key elements of the hypnotic experience.


2. The Quieting of the Default Mode Network

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is the brain’s internal narrator. It’s active when you're thinking about yourself, the past, or the future. Under hypnosis, this chatter quiets down significantly.

As the DMN dims, people often report a sense of ego loss, timelessness, or detachment from their usual identity—a state that feels both calming and surreal.

3. Loosened Control Between Brain Regions

One of the brain's executive hubs, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, is responsible for managing attention and control. During hypnosis, this region disconnects from the DMN, leading to a curious effect:

You become less self-critical, less distracted, and far more open to suggestion.

4. A Surprising Link Between Thought and Sensation

Meanwhile, a strange new connection forms: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (responsible for logic and decision-making) starts to communicate more with the insula, which governs bodily awareness and emotion.

This might explain why under hypnosis, a simple suggestion like “Your arm feels heavy” can actually make your arm feel heavy. The barrier between imagination and physical sensation begins to blur.



5. Time Gets Weird

Have you ever felt like time disappeared during hypnosis? That’s not your imagination. Hypnosis often alters activity in parts of the brain linked to time perception, like the parietal lobe.

This results in that classic hypnotic feeling: “Was that 10 minutes or an hour?” It's as if the brain temporarily unplugs from the clock.

6. The Brain Feels Pain Differently

Hypnosis has long been used in pain management. And this is where the full benefit of this science can be seen. Brain scans show that while hypnotized, the somatosensory cortex (which processes pain) becomes less reactive.

Even though the physical sensation may remain, the emotional reaction to it diminishes. In other words: you know the pain is there, but it just doesn’t bother you as much.

7. Hallucinations, Amnesia, and Other Mind Tricks

In deep hypnosis, the brain can do things that seem borderline supernatural. People may:

  • Forget their name temporarily (induced amnesia),

  • Recall past events vividly (even falsely),

  • Or experience pseudo-hallucinations—seeing or hearing things that aren’t real, purely based on suggestion.

These experiences show how profoundly hypnosis can shift conscious awareness and memory processing.

Final Thoughts: Hypnosis Isn’t Magic—It’s Mind Science

While hypnosis still carries a mystical air, modern neuroscience  has confirmed, through gritted teeth, a legitimate altered state of consciousness with measurable brain changes being evidenced. The hypnotized brain becomes more open, more fluid, and more deeply connected to emotion and imagination.

Whether you're exploring hypnosis for therapy, self-improvement, or simple curiosity, know this: it’s not just in your head—it’s in your brainwaves, networks, and neural circuits too.


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