5 Side Effects of Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a special state of your mind. In hypnosis, the mind is relaxed and shows exceptional focus. In hypnosis, your mind is highly suggestible and changes fast. Due to this, hypnosis makes therapies exceptionally effective.
But what are the side effects of hypnosis? And let’s compare those to the side effects of most used medicines.
General Recommendations
The renowned Mayo Clinic recommends hypnosis as a safe and effective complementary therapy, often used alongside conventional medical treatments.
If you’re considering hypnotherapy, choosing a trained and certified professional is essential. Proper certification ensures that the therapist has undergone rigorous training, possesses the necessary expertise, and continues professional development.
I am certified by The International Association of Counselors and Therapists, an organization that upholds high standards and enforces a strict Code of Ethics.
While hypnotherapy can be highly beneficial, it may not be suitable for individuals with severe mental health conditions.
Side Effects of Hypnosis
According to the Mayo Clinic article about hypnosis, adverse reactions or side effects of hypnosis are rare. They may include:
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Anxiety or distress
- Creation of false memories
Let’s look at those in more detail.
Headache after Hypnosis
The leading causes of headaches are lifestyle factors and can be avoided:
- Alcohol
- Certain foods
- Changes in sleep or lack of sleep
- Poor posture
- Skipped meals
- Stress
Disorders can also cause headaches. The World Health Organisation states that headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system.
Migraine, tension-type headaches (TTH), and medication-overuse headaches are responsible for high population levels of disability and illness.
In fact, migraine alone ranks as the sixth leading cause of years lost due to disability worldwide, while headache disorders combined rank third. These conditions are typically recurring, often affecting individuals over long periods.
In contrast, headaches as a side effect of hypnosis are rare and short-lived. They may occur due to emotional intensity of the session, particularly in clients prone to headaches. However, they do not persist or reoccur.
At the same time, multiple studies have shown that hypnotherapy can effectively reduce both short- and long-term headaches, offering a promising approach for those suffering from chronic headache disorders..
Dizziness and Drowsiness after Hypnosis
The most common causes of drowsiness are sleep deprivation and sleep disorders like apnea and insomnia. Other causes of drowsiness are:
- depression and other psychiatric problems
- certain medications
- and medical conditions affecting the brain and body.
Dizziness can have many possible reasons, such as:
- inner ear disturbance
- motion sickness
- medication effects
- underlying health conditions, like poor circulation, infection, or injury.
During hypnosis, the mind enters a deeply relaxed state, with brain activity slowing down in a way that resembles the transition into sleep or the process of waking up.
Sometimes, a client may even drift into actual sleep, especially when they are deeply relaxed and passively absorbing the therapist’s calm, positive suggestions. This is natural and does not diminish the effectiveness of the session.
Immediately after a deep hypnotic trance, some clients may briefly experience dizziness or lightheadedness. This can happen because their focus has been inward for an extended period, much like the slight disorientation one might feel after waking from a deep sleep.
However, a competent hypnotherapist ensures the client’s complete reorientation before they stand up and leave. A skilled practitioner gradually brings the client back to full awareness of the surroundings, allowing time for grounding and readjustment to avoid dizziness or drowsiness.
Creation of False Memories under Hypnosis
Your memories are shaped by your sensory perception of past events. However, your brain continuously filters incoming information, retaining only the most significant signals.
In fact, only a small fraction of the sensory data available to you ever reaches your conscious awareness. Even then, your mind interprets these signals through the lens of your past experiences and belief system. As a result, our perception of reality is highly individual and subjective.
This is evident in crime investigations, where eyewitnesses often recall the same event in different—and sometimes even contradictory—ways.
Moreover, completely false memories can form. Research on memory implantation has shown that around 30% of participants can be led to recall events that never actually happened—no hypnosis required.
To better understand the difference between objective reality and personal perception, watch this video:
In hypnotherapy, the goal is not to determine “Is that exactly how it happened?” As Gil Boyne explains in Transforming Therapy: A New Approach to Hypnotherapy:
“Whatever clients report is truth for them, and that’s what must be dealt with therapeutically.”
A skilled hypnotherapist works with the client’s existing memories while ensuring that no false memories are unintentionally implanted—especially concerning sensitive topics such as abuse. False memories can be harmful, but they are easily avoided by refraining from interpreting the client’s words or making suggestive statements.
Distress During Hypnosis
Even if you consciously remember past events and understand their influence on your current life, hypnosis allows you to access those memories on a much deeper, emotional level.
Many clients who seek hypnotherapy are already aware of painful or traumatic experiences in their past. However, outside of therapy, they often find themselves repeatedly reliving these memories over and over again—ruminating over them without achieving any resolution. In hypnosis, however, revisiting these memories in a structured, guided way can be intensely emotional but also profoundly healing.
Suppressing the emotions tied to past trauma can lead to severe psychological distress, often manifesting as chronic anxiety, emotional numbness, or even physical symptoms. Hypnotherapy is highly effective in helping clients process these suppressed emotions and find relief.
In fact, hypnosis has been used for trauma recovery for over a century. During World War I and II, hypnotherapy was successfully employed to treat soldiers suffering from “war fatigue“—what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many soldiers, unable to process their traumatic experiences on the battlefield, developed severe PTSD symptoms. Through hypnosis, they accessed and processed these emotional memories, leading to significant relief and recovery.
A skilled hypnotherapist guides the client through a structured process to release emotional distress and reframe past experiences in a safe and empowering way. This ensures that emotions are fully processed and integrated, preventing lingering distress after the session.
After an intense transformational hypnotherapy session, clients may feel tired, but also experience a profound sense of emotional relief—from finally processing and releasing what had been weighing them down for years.
The most frequent side effect of hypnosis
The most frequent side effect of hypnosis that I observe with my clients is the simultaneous improvement of several issues.
This happens because hypnotherapy works at the root level, addressing limiting beliefs, automatic thought patterns, and ingrained behaviors.
By shifting these deep-seated mental programs, clients often experience a ripple effect, leading to increased
- self-worth
- resilience
- confidence
- focus
- emotional balance
As a result, improvements extend far beyond the initial issue they sought help for. Relationships become healthier, professional success grows, and overall well-being improves—even when these areas were not the primary focus of therapy.
One of the most common unexpected benefits I repeatedly see is clients feeling secure in traffic and confident driving.
Hypnotherapy vs. Medication: A Different Approach to Healing
Anxiety, depression, and sleep issues are extremely common in today’s society. Many people are prescribed medications to manage these conditions, but these drugs often come with potential side effects, including dependency, withdrawal symptoms, emotional numbness, sexual dysfunction, and other physical effects.
Most of my clients seek hypnotherapy as an alternative to medication, hoping for lasting change rather than symptom management.
Hypnotherapy works differently. Instead of focusing solely on conscious thoughts and behavioral patterns, it addresses the subconscious mind—automatic responses, emotions, and deep-seated beliefs. By working at this level, clients often experience profound shifts that go beyond intellectual understanding and lead to real emotional transformation.
That said, medical decisions, including medication use, should always be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.
Popular non-prescription medicine
Many people take over-the-counter medications without even considering their side effects, assuming they are completely safe. One of the most widely used non-prescription drugs is Aspirin, commonly recommended by doctors for pain relief and heart health.
However, even Aspirin has common side effects, including:
- Rash
- Gastrointestinal ulcers
- Abdominal pain
- Upset stomach
- Heartburn
- Drowsiness
- Headache
- Cramps
- Nausea
- Gastritis
- Bleeding
While medications—both prescription and non-prescription—have their place, hypnotherapy offers a side-effect-free approach to addressing emotional and psychological challenges. Instead of suppressing symptoms, it works at the root cause, helping people create lasting change in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Conclusions
- Hypnosis is a safe treatment
- Side effects of hypnosis are rare, mild, and short-lived
- Side effects of hypnosis are insignificant compared to those of the most used medicines
- The positive and fast results of hypnotherapy outweigh significantly the rare and mild side effects
FAQ: Side Effects of Hypnosis
Please share in the comments below what your personal experience of hypnosis was.
Is Hypnosis Safe?
Yes, hypnosis is a natural and safe state of mind. The renowned Mayo Clinic recommends hypnosis as a safe and effective therapy, often used alongside conventional medical treatments.
Hypnosis is simply a focused and relaxed state of awareness—one that people naturally enter throughout the day, such as when deeply engaged in a task or just before falling asleep. It does not involve losing control, mind manipulation, or any harmful effects.
When used therapeutically, hypnosis can be a powerful tool for positive change. A skilled hypnotherapist helps clients make the most of this state to create lasting improvements in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Can hypnosis damage your brain?
No, hypnosis does not damage your brain. Hypnosis itself is a natural state of your brain – a calm yet alert and focused that you naturally enter such a state just before you fall asleep, after you wake up but aren’t fully awake yet, or when deeply absorbed in something, like observing beautiful scenery.
Hypnotherapy does not alter brain structure or function in a harmful way. Instead, it can help the brain reorganize thought patterns, reduce stress, and promote emotional well-being. Scientific research shows that hypnosis engages neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and change, making it a safe and effective tool for personal growth.
Does hypnosis have long-term effects?
Yes, hypnosis can create lasting changes by leveraging the brain’s natural ability to learn and change —neuroplasticity. During hypnosis, the brain enters a highly focused and receptive state, allowing fast reprogramming of unconscious patterns.
Therapeutic hypnosis uses this state to break limiting beliefs, reframe habitual thought patterns, and introduce positive behavioral shifts. Because these changes occur at the neurological level, they can lead to long-term improvements in thinking, emotions, and actions.
Does Hypnosis Have Long-Term Side Effects?
No, hypnosis does not have long-term side effects. Any side effects that may occur are temporary and short-term, typically happening during or immediately after a session. These can include:
– Dizziness
– Drowsiness
– Headache
– Creation of false memories (if suggestions are poorly handled)
– Emotional distress (when processing difficult memories)
A well-trained hypnotherapist ensures a safe and controlled experience, minimizing these effects and guiding clients back to normal awareness of the surroundings before the session ends.
What Are the Risks of Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is generally low-risk, with only mild and temporary side effects in some cases. These may include:
– Dizziness or drowsiness (similar to the feeling after waking from a nap)
– Headache
– Emotional release if working through deep-seated memories
– Occasionally, false memories (if suggestions are poorly handled)
Hypnosis is not recommended for individuals with severe psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or psychosis, as these require treatment by a highly skilled and specialized professional.
To get the best results, it’s important to work with a well-trained hypnotherapist who understands how to guide the process effectively.
References
- Otgaar H, Howe ML, Patihis L. What science tells us about false and repressed memories. Memory. 2022 Jan;30(1):16-21. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1870699. Epub 2021 Jan 12. PMID: 33435830.
- Smith, G. Elliot., Pear, T. H. (1918). Shell shock and its lessons. 2d ed. Manchester: University press.
- Brown, W. (1923) Clinical: William Brown. Psychopathology and Dissociation. British Medical Journal, Vol. I, 1920, p. 139 et seq.. International Journal of Psychoanalysis 4:335
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