relaxation that you do every single day
As I continue with my Relaxation classes each month, I am meeting more people who are very new to hypnotherapy and guided relaxation. And based on some of the questions that I am asked I thought I would share with you this month a little bit of information about what hypnotherapy is, what happens when we go into trance, if there is there any ‘magic’ to it, and most importantly how we can all access it naturally.
Firstly being in a trance-like or relaxed state is something we all move in and out of naturally every single day — often without realising. We go into a trance or day dream state on average about every 7 minutes. We feel our mind wandering, we drift off or we start thinking about something else whilst we are supposed to be concentrating on a task, then we realise we have drifted off and snap back into the moment.
Understanding What’s Happening in the Brain
Our brains operate at different speeds throughout the day. These patterns are often described as brainwaves.
When we understand how these brainwaves work, relaxation and trance can be less mysterious and start feeling a lot more normal and accessible.
Beta
Beta is our busy, thinking state. This is our wakeful state for most of the day, or so it feels.
This is where we plan, analyse, problem-solve and worry. It’s useful, but if we stay here too long, we can feel overwhelmed.
Alpha
Alpha is that feeling of calm wakefulness.
The body softens, breathing slows down, and thinking becomes clearer. This is the state I gently guide you into during relaxation and hypnotherapy.
Theta
Theta is deeper still.
A feeling of dreaminess, being totally absorbed or in flow, feeling creative and connected to others and the world around you. This is where insight, imagination and emotional processing happen more easily, where you are open to new suggestions.
Delta
Deep restorative sleep.
This is our time to rest and lay down memories and learnings from the day every night as we sleep. A time for our bodies and brain to repair, recover and rejuvenate for the next day.
Every night as we fall asleep, we naturally move from beta → alpha → theta → deep sleep. And as we wake up every morning, we do it in reverse. Your brain already knows the pathway instinctively and naturally.
Hypnotherapy or guided relaxation simply helps you take that pathway intentionally.
How to Find These States Naturally
It’s important to note that we can go into Alpha and Theta states really easily as we just go about our every day activities, and if we don’t, then we should make time for these states to occur.
Alpha State Occurs:
Walking – especially out in nature
Gardening or pottering
Taking a shower or bath
Doing gentle stretching
Knitting, tidying or completing a repetitive task
Theta State Occurs:
Getting lost in music
Playing an instrument
Painting, drawing or crafting
Daydreaming
Reading a book and losing track of time
Driving a familiar route and “switching off”
Watching the sea, clouds or a fire
If time disappears, if your mind feels free to wander, if you suddenly feel calmer without trying, then that’s your brain shifting gears and going into different brainwave states.
How Hypnotherapy Works
So many people tell me:
“I can’t switch off.”
“I’m not good at meditation.”
“My mind is too busy.”
“I can’t be hypnotised.”
But the truth is — your nervous system already knows how to settle, how to be calm and relaxed.
Hypnotherapy doesn’t put you into something unnatural. It guides you into states your brain experiences every day.
Stage 1 – Breathing and Relaxation
Alpha State
The first stage of guided relaxation or hypnosis uses breathing techniques to slow down your breathing, to encourage you to focus on my voice and your breath, followed by progressive relaxation where we focus on relaxing each part of your body – intentionally relaxing all of your muscles one by one – this all encourages the Alpha State.
Stage 2 – Deepener
Alpha → Theta State
Then we do something called a Deepener, which is guided imagery, normally focused on nature – forests, the sea or a beautiful beach. As you imagine and picture all the elements of this place, I will gently guide or count you down with numbers suggesting all the time that it is safe to go ‘deeper’ into relaxation. This allows you to enter Theta State and from here your mind is open and receptive to suggestions that in your normal waking Beta State you would possibly block or dismiss.
So as you can see it’s just using our natural brain wave states to guide you into a relaxed, safe and comfortable place where helpful suggestions will land without too much reasoning or resistance.
Also, one of the most important things to know is that you are in complete control all of the time. If you want to open your eyes at any point you can. It is very different from stage hypnosis! Hypnotherapy and guided relaxation are all about feeling calm and relaxed.
A Few Things to Notice
The more we recognise everyday moments of calm, the more confident and capable we feel.
Relaxation becomes less about “doing it right” and more about noticing when it’s already happening naturally.
Over the next few weeks, see if you can simply notice:
✨ When do I feel naturally calmer?
✨ What activities make time disappear?
✨ When does my breathing soften without effort?
Those moments count. They are not accidental.
They are your mind doing exactly what it was designed to do.
And the more permission we give ourselves to slow down, the easier feeling calmer becomes.
Dates for Rest and Reset Classes
A great way to let go of any stress, learn some breathing techniques and have 30 minutes of guided relaxation is at one of my MONTHLY REST AND RESET CLASSES held at the Orchard Studio in Rudgwick:
Wednesday 4th March at 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Wednesday 1st April at 6.30pm – 7.30pm
If you would like to book just follow this link or email/text me to find out more.