I recently completed my training in transpersonal hypnotherapy. Since then, I keep noticing that many people who hear about it for the first time imagine something quite different from what actually happens. That’s why I want to take the time in this article to explain what hypnosis is, what hypnotherapy is, what the word “transpersonal” means in this context, and how a session with me actually unfolds.

What is hypnosis?

Let’s start with what hypnosis actually is, because this is usually where the most confusion arises. Hypnosis is not a mystical, extraordinary state, not a movie cliché, and not a show. It’s a completely natural state of consciousness that you already know, even if you’ve never called it that before.

In everyday life, your conscious, evaluating mind is constantly active: it analyzes, plans, compares, and judges everything happening around you. In hypnosis, this very mind steps into the background for a moment. And that’s exactly what makes the difference: as soon as this constant evaluation briefly pauses, it creates space to perceive memories, feelings, and sensations from your subconscious, without having to immediately categorize, explain, or justify them.

We all experience this state every day, at least twice: right before we fall asleep and right after we wake up.

In these moments, we’re not fully awake anymore, but not yet asleep either. That’s exactly what hypnosis is. Not an extraordinary state, but something you experience regularly.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the framework that uses hypnosis as a tool to do therapeutic work. The state alone doesn’t change anything. It’s only the framework in which it’s applied that makes it therapeutically effective.

To understand this, it helps to look at how our mind works. We have a conscious mind that analyzes, evaluates, and helps us navigate everyday life. And we have a subconscious mind, the deeper layer where memories, imprints, beliefs, and emotional patterns are stored. The conscious mind acts like a gatekeeper. It critically checks incoming information and suggestions before they become a fixed, permanent belief in the subconscious.

In hypnotherapy, the conscious mind is gently calmed, which creates easier access to the subconscious. Importantly: I don’t tell you what to think, and I don’t dictate what you should feel or realize. My core stance as a transpersonal hypnotherapist is different:

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis.

But what does that actually mean? No one can put you into hypnosis, any more than someone could fall asleep for you. I simply guide you in finding that state yourself. And during the session, it’s you who discovers and makes sense of your own memories, not me. My task is to guide you gently and neutrally to your own memories and sensations, not to impose interpretations on you.

You yourself are the one who, within this protected space, makes meaning and meets yourself.

And just as central: hypnosis is always voluntary. Without your clear consent, the process simply doesn’t work, your mind would block it otherwise.

What does “transpersonal” mean?

Transpersonal literally means “beyond the personal.” Transpersonal hypnotherapy opens up the space for the idea that we are more than our current life, that we are a soul with a larger story, one that also carries imprints from earlier experiences, from the time in the womb, or even from past lives. These imprints can show up today as fears, recurring patterns, or blocks, without us consciously knowing where they come from.

This is what distinguishes transpersonal hypnotherapy from classic clinical hypnotherapy. The latter usually targets a specific concern directly, for example changing your eating behavior in the here and now. Transpersonal hypnotherapy deliberately goes a step further and looks for the root, the triggering event, from which this behavior originally arose.

That said, it’s not actually decisive whether you believe in past lives in a literal sense. What matters more is the symbolic content of these images and experiences, and what they can show you about your life today.

The goal of a session is to find the original root of such a pattern (in my training, we call this the “initial sensitizing event”) and to neutralize the memory and the feeling attached to it. Not to prove facts, but to give you relief and more freedom in how you relate to this issue.

The course of a transpersonal hypnosis session

Intake conversation and intention

Before we even begin the actual work, we take time for an in-depth conversation. I want to get to know you: your most important relationships, your childhood, your current life, and above all, what you hope to get out of the session. The more I know about you, the more targeted our work together can be. I’ll also explain the process in detail, clear up any fears or misunderstandings, and together we’ll set a clear intention for the session. This is also the moment where you give your conscious consent.

Relaxation

After that, I gently guide you into a deep state of relaxation. This usually just feels like a very pleasant, guided deep relaxation. Body and mind settle, while you remain fully conscious the entire time.

The regression

In this relaxed state, I invite you to move toward the memory or pattern connected to your issue. Where this leads varies a great deal. Sometimes it’s a memory from your childhood, sometimes a sensation from the time in the womb, sometimes an image or feeling that feels like a memory from a past life. Important to know: I don’t feed you any answers. I only ask open, neutral questions, like “What do you notice?” or “How does that feel?”, and you’re the one who explores and makes sense of the memory for yourself.

Releasing and integrating

Once we’ve arrived at the original memory, the work is about understanding and releasing the feeling attached to it. Depending on where the journey takes you, this might mean, for example, that your present, adult self speaks to a younger version of you, comforts them, and gives them what they needed back then. Or it might mean consciously letting go of old fears, feelings, or obligations you no longer need to carry. At the end, there’s always a moment of stillness and cleansing.

Return and closing

Finally, I gently guide you back into your waking state, here and now, entirely at your own pace. You open your eyes whenever you’re ready.

Aftereffects

The work doesn’t end when the session does. In the weeks that follow, many people notice further insights coming to them, through thoughts, dreams, or simply a new feeling around the topic. Together we’ll agree on a bit of aftercare so this process can unfold well for you. And after about one to one and a half months, you’ll be able to sense for yourself whether the process already feels complete, or whether you’d like further sessions.

Frequently asked questions

Can everyone be hypnotized?

Generally, yes. Since hypnosis is a natural state we all go through every day, virtually anyone can find their way into it. What matters is your openness and willingness. Someone who trusts the process usually finds it easier than someone who’s holding up inner resistance.

Can you get “stuck” in hypnosis?

No. This is one of the most persistent myths. You remain fully conscious throughout the entire session and are in control at all times. You can open your eyes and return to your waking state whenever you want. No one stays “trapped” in hypnosis. The state simply dissolves on its own as soon as you no longer wish to remain in it.

Can the therapist take control over me?

No. This might be the most important point of all: all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. I guide you, but I don’t control you. You follow my voice and my questions voluntarily, and you can stop following at any point you choose. No foreign thoughts or beliefs are “implanted” in you either.

What happens if the connection drops during an online session?

This worry comes up a lot, especially now that many sessions take place online. The answer is reassuringly simple: there are only two possible scenarios. Either the interruption makes you more alert and you naturally return to your normal waking state, or, if you were already deeply relaxed, you drift into ordinary sleep and wake up again on your own at some point. Either way, it’s harmless. Hypnosis isn’t a state you need to be “pulled out of.” It resolves on its own as soon as the outside guidance falls away. Once the connection is restored, we simply continue.

How can this help me with emotional hunger?

Emotional hunger often stems from unmet needs that can reach far back into your past, into your childhood or even into the time before you were born. When you reach for food without actually feeling physical hunger, what you’re really trying to do is satisfy a deeper need, for safety, comfort, belonging, or love. Transpersonal hypnosis helps you find the root of this pattern and understand which need is truly behind it. From there, you can learn to meet that need in a way other than through food.

A look into a past life can also shed light on why certain behaviors around food might even seem to make sense to you, because in another context, they were once essential for survival or served a real purpose.

Can this only be used for emotional hunger, or for other topics too?

No, transpersonal hypnosis isn’t limited to emotional hunger or eating disorders. I also work with other topics, such as fears, relationship patterns, self-worth, or other recurring blocks. Emotional hunger is one of my areas of focus, but the method itself can be applied to many different concerns.

How is transpersonal hypnotherapy different from your regular psychological coaching?

In psychological coaching, we work mainly with your conscious mind. We talk, reflect, identify patterns together, and you learn concrete tools to better understand and change your eating behavior and the needs behind it.

In transpersonal hypnotherapy, we go a step deeper. Instead of talking about a pattern and understanding it analytically, you come into direct contact with the memory or feeling from which that pattern originally arose. This can be especially helpful if you’ve already gained a lot of understanding through coaching, but your behavior still hasn’t really changed, because the root lies deeper than pure reflection can reach.

Both approaches don’t exclude each other, quite the opposite: many of my clients combine the two, coaching for structure and everyday tools, hypnotherapy for the deeper, often unconscious parts.

Who is transpersonal hypnosis suitable for?

Transpersonal hypnosis is a good fit for you if you’ve already tried many things, whether coaching, therapy, or other approaches, and still feel like you don’t really understand the connections, or never quite get to the root of your issue.

It’s also a good fit if you’re interested in the bigger picture and want to understand more about your soul’s journey and intentions. A basic requirement is your own willingness and curiosity to engage with the process, because without that inner openness, the work simply doesn’t function.

Who is it not really suitable for?

Transpersonal hypnosis probably isn’t right for you if you completely reject the idea of reincarnation and past lives and feel inner resistance to it, as this can block the process.

Beyond that, transpersonal hypnosis doesn’t replace medical or psychotherapeutic treatment. If you’re currently in an acute psychological crisis, living with an untreated serious mental illness, for example acute psychosis, severe depression with suicidal thoughts, or unprocessed severe trauma, or if you’re currently in psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care, we’ll discuss this together beforehand. The session will then take place in coordination with your treating professional, if appropriate, or will be postponed. A session also isn’t possible under the influence of alcohol or drugs, since you wouldn’t be able to give conscious consent.

What this means for you

Hypnosis, then, is simply a state, a natural one you’ve always known, even if you’ve never given it a name before. Hypnotherapy is the deliberately shaped, therapeutic framework that makes use of that state. And transpersonal hypnotherapy goes one step further: it opens up space for everything that might be relevant to you, your childhood, your time in the womb, perhaps even past lives, to find the root of a pattern and give you more freedom in how you relate to it.

If you’re curious or have questions this article hasn’t answered, feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you have concrete interest in a transpersonal hypnosis session, we’re happy to schedule a no-obligation introductory call.