How does hypnotherapy work?
Our brains operate in different brainwave states. Here, I am showing you four of them, though there are actually more.
Beta waves are characteristic of an engaged, active mind. For instance, a person in active conversation is in a beta state. As I’m speaking now and you’re listening, we are all in the beta brainwave state.
Alpha brainwaves are slower and have a higher amplitude. We are mostly in the alpha state when we are very relaxed—such as when meditating, daydreaming, watching the rain or a fireplace, or watering the garden.
Theta brainwaves are even slower. For example, when a person driving on a freeway realises they can’t recall the last ten kilometres, they are often in a theta state—induced by the repetitive nature of freeway driving. The theta brainwave state is also the state we aim to reach during hypnosis.
When we turn off the lights and go to bed, our brainwaves descend from beta to alpha, then to theta, and finally, when we fall asleep, to delta. Throughout the day, we naturally transition between these states, frequently entering and exiting the hypnotic theta brainwave state. This means the hypnotic state is accessible to everyone, and everyone is hypnotisable.
At times during sleep, when delta brainwave frequencies increase into the range of theta brainwaves, active dreaming occurs, often becoming more vivid and experiential for the person.
In the theta brainwave state, we are highly suggestible. This altered state lies between being awake and asleep. It is a psycho-physiological state of focused concentration, heightened receptivity, and reduced peripheral awareness. This means I can guide you into that state during a hypnotherapy session using a process called hypnotic induction—essentially, verbal cues that deeply relax you. For example: “You realise now that your eyes are wonderfully, deeply relaxed. Your eyes are so wonderfully, deeply relaxed that they just want to stay closed.”
In hypnosis, the conscious mind takes a short “nap,” allowing the subconscious mind to become accessible. Once in this state, we use visualisation and suggestions to create changes in the subconscious mind.
What differentiates hypnotherapy from other types of therapies is this unique brainwave state, which makes sessions particularly effective.
For example, a study by Alfred A. Barrios, published in a psychotherapy journal and American Health magazine, showed that hypnotherapy achieved a 93% recovery rate after just six sessions. In comparison, behaviour therapy had a 72% recovery rate after 22 sessions, and Freudian-style psychoanalysis had a 38% recovery rate after 600 sessions.
