Hypnosis Without the Hocus Pocus

“I can’t be hypnotized.”

“I don’t believe in hypnosis.”

I hear these objections often. Usually, they come from intelligent, independent people who think they’re immune to influence. The assumption is that hypnosis means losing control, being forced into trance, or surrendering to someone else’s power.

The truth is simpler: hypnosis isn’t about control. It’s about focus. And the best hypnosis rarely feels mysterious. It often feels ordinary—like a natural conversation. The real measure of hypnosis isn’t how it feels in the chair but what changes afterward.

The Man Who “Wasn’t Hypnotized”

Not long ago, I worked with a man in his late forties. He’d lost motivation, lived in fear, and carried a heavy “I am not enough” belief. He came to me not just to think about retiring from his career, but to retire an entire way of living.

We agreed on a ten-hour immersion session. Sometimes change doesn’t happen in small doses. Extended focus strips away distraction and gives the mind time to adapt to new possibilities.

At first, he chose to shut his eyes, as most people expect to do. Later, he kept them open. Either way, it never became a contest about following my instructions—the process was his, not mine.

Every so often, he’d announce, “I am not hypnotized.”

Each time, I smiled and replied, “Perfect. It’s good to know where you are. Let’s keep going.”

There was no power struggle. I wasn’t aiming to drag him into a “deeper state.” My approach is logical but flexible, shifting with the client in front of me. I layered suggestions, tied them to the outcomes he wanted, and applied leverage—reminding him why the changes mattered.

Why Immersion Works

Many hypnotists rely on scripts—induction routines, deepening sequences, rehearsed passages. I rarely use them.

Instead, I lean on immersion. Hours of focused work bypass resistance. The client doesn’t have to “feel hypnotized” for the process to be effective—they just need to stay with it long enough for their own mind to absorb new directions.

And even in shorter sessions—sometimes only an hour—this indirect, conversational style works. I’ll occasionally start with a simple three-minute focus exercise. It lowers resistance, speeds up the shift, and eliminates wasted time. From there, hypnosis blends seamlessly into conversation.

The Shift

By the end of the day, something shifted. My client stopped insisting he wasn’t hypnotized. Instead, he grew quiet and said:

“I don’t know what hypnosis is supposed to feel like… but I feel at peace. Very at peace.”

That peace was no accident. It was the product of immersion, of retiring the old story of fear and inadequacy, and rehearsing a new one.

As we finished, I closed with clarity and intention, not just to end the session but to set his trajectory forward:

“You are alive, awake, alert, joyous, and enthusiastic about life.”

An hour later, he called me from home. He’d driven safely, felt fully present, and sounded lighter—his voice carried something it hadn’t before: calm joy.

The Takeaway

So what is hypnosis?

• It’s not about depth. Most effective hypnosis feels like ordinary awareness.
• It’s not about control. Clients are in charge every moment.
• It’s about results. If someone feels calmer, freer, more motivated—if they leave behind an old story and step into a new one—that’s hypnosis.

For me, it’s never about performance or ceremony. Whether eyes are open or closed, whether the session lasts ten hours or one, the goal is the same: to help people use their own mind in a way that works for them.

And if they leave feeling alive, awake, alert, joyous, and enthusiastic about life—the work has done its job.       Jack Satanley B.C.C.   www.stanleycoaching.com