Hypnotherapy & Self-Hypnosis: How to rewire your own brain
- Janelle Kee-Sue
- Jun 27
- 11 min read
Have you ever wished you could change your habits, the way you think, the way you show up, and to what extent things affect you—not just on the surface, but deep within?
That moment when you know better… but still feel stuck in the same loop?
You’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. It’s simply your programming.
The good news? You don’t need more willpower or motivation. Let’s be honest here, that only gets you so far. You need access to the part of your mind where real, lasting change begins: your subconscious.
This is where the magic happens, and most people don’t even know about it!
Welcome to the world of subconscious work through hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis—powerful, science-backed tools to help you rewire your own mind, shift patterns in record time, and create deep transformation from the inside out.
In this article, I’m going to introduce you to some ideas and concepts around how your mind works, and what you can do to create positive change at a deep level in record time by working with the subconscious mind.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a goal-directed communication process between a hypnotist and one or more subjects. It involves the hypnotist giving instructions and suggestions to the person that, if accepted and acted upon by them, facilitates conscious and subconscious learning, and that learning creates a temporary or permanent change in the person’s subjective reality.
In other words:
Hypnosis is a state of hyperfocus and suggestibility, tapping into the unconscious mind.
It’s goal-directed so it always has a purpose and intention behind it, and is a communication process where suggestions are made to unconsciously change the way a person thinks, feels and behaves, in order to create change in their reality, either temporarily or permanently.
The client plays an active role in programming themselves. Everything we’ve learned is a part of our neural network, and hypnotherapists work with neuroplasticity to fast track change.
Learn more in my blog: What is Hypnosis and how does Hypnotherapy work?
A brief history of Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis has been around for thousands of years—used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Hindus in sleep temples and ritual healing practices.
But modern hypnotherapy began to take shape in the 18th century with Franz Mesmer, whose work with magnetism gave rise to the term “mesmerism.”
Later, Scottish surgeon James Braid coined the word “hypnosis” (from the Greek hypnos, meaning sleep), though we now know it's not sleep at all—but a state of focused awareness.
In the 20th century, hypnosis gained credibility in psychology and medicine, particularly through pioneers like:
Milton Erickson, who revolutionised clinical hypnotherapy using metaphor, storytelling, and indirect suggestion.
Dave Elman, who brought hypnosis into the medical field for pain relief and surgery.
Today, hypnotherapy is used worldwide in psychotherapy, pain management, trauma work, performance coaching, and personal development.
What can Hypnotherapy be used for?
Hypnotherapy can be used for pretty much anything!
Because it works with the subconscious mind—the part of you that stores habits, emotions, beliefs, and automatic responses—it can create meaningful and lasting change at the root level.
Some common areas where hypnotherapy can help include:
Confidence & self-esteem – Let go of self-doubt, negative self-talk, and old limiting beliefs so you can show up as your most authentic and empowered self.
Anxiety & stress – Calm your nervous system, manage overwhelm, and reprogram anxious thinking patterns.
Breaking habits – Quit smoking, stop vaping, reduce alcohol, nail-biting, or other unwanted habits by shifting the underlying triggers and associations.
Public speaking & performance – Reduce fear, boost confidence, and feel more at ease speaking, presenting, or performing in front of others.
Sleep issues – Ease insomnia and improve your ability to relax and get deep, restorative rest.
Fears & phobias – Gently reframe irrational fears or phobias so they no longer control your behaviour or hold you back.
Emotional healing – Release guilt, shame, or unresolved emotions from past experiences, including toxic relationships, grief, or trauma.
Motivation & goal achievement – Strengthen focus, clarity, and belief in yourself to take consistent action toward your personal or professional goals.
Inner child & self-worth work – Heal old wounds, meet the deeper needs that were unmet, and reconnect with your innate worth.
The beauty of hypnotherapy is that it’s not one-size-fits-all—it can be tailored specifically to your unique goals and inner landscape.
How does Hypnotherapy work?
In order to explain how hypnotherapy works, I’ll introduce you to Freud’s iceberg theory and the conscious and unconscious mind, the mind’s critical faculty, and priming and programing the mind through self-directed neuro-plasticity.
Freud’s iceberg theory: How the mind works
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, described the mind as an iceberg:
The conscious mind — your thoughts, decisions, logic—is just the small tip above the water. This is in the driver’s seat for about 10% of the time.
The subconscious mind — your emotions, habits, memories, beliefs, and identity—lies beneath the surface, not visible to the naked eye. This is in the driver’s seat for about 90% of the time.
That means that we are only consciously controlling 10% of our lives, the rest is directed by our unconscious mind—by the habits we form, and the attitudes we learn either deliberately or by chance.
Like an iceberg, it’s what’s beneath that drives most of your actions, reactions, and decisions.
That’s why lasting transformation often requires more than thinking positively or “just trying harder.” Those approaches only engage the conscious mind.
When we consciously try to change, if our subconscious mind isn’t on board, it’s basically like trying to fight 90% of yourself. That’s why subconscious work is so important.
During a Hypnotherapy session, the conscious mind takes a back seat, and the subconscious mind becomes more open to suggestions for changes and new ways of thinking.
Hypnotherapy helps you access the subconscious — where deep change truly lives.
The critical faculty: The mind’s bouncer
Between your conscious and subconscious mind sits something called the critical faculty—a mental filter that decides what information is accepted as true.
It’s like your own in-built bouncer, the kind you’d find at a night club who says who can and can’t get in.
Its job is to keep you safe by rejecting anything that doesn’t match your existing beliefs.
Before the age of 7, your critical faculty isn’t fully developed yet. So anything anyone tells you is likely to be accepted as truth by your conscious and unconscious mind.
For example, we believed in Santa Claus, and would believe anything any authority figure or even school friend told us.
But after the critical faculty develops, you will start to naturally question and reject information, depending on your own values, beliefs and mental filters.
For example:
If you’ve always believed you’re bad at public speaking, and someone says, “You’re a great communicator,” the critical faculty is likely to reject it.
Even positive affirmations can bounce off if they don’t feel believable, because the gatekeeper is still protecting old programming.
So how does hypnotherapy get past the critical faculty?
When you're in a relaxed, focused state (aka a hypnotic trance), the critical faculty softens.
This gives you direct access to your subconscious—allowing new beliefs, behaviours, and possibilities to be accepted without much resistance.
It’s not about forcing change—it’s about creating the right conditions for change to be welcomed and integrated naturally.
That doesn’t mean that you’ll accept anything your hypnotherapist suggests, but what it does mean is that what your conscious mind wants, it’ll be much more easily accepted by your subconscious mind while in hypnosis.
Priming & training the subconscious mind
Several studies have demonstrated the power of priming on the mind, influencing behaviors and perceptions often without conscious awareness.
The "slow walker" study by Bargh, Chen, and Burrows, where unconsciously primed with words related to old age, led participants to walk slower.
We can prime and train the mind to focus on what we want to create in our lives!
With hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis you're essentially priming your mind with certain thoughts, images, or beliefs so they influence your subconscious behaviours, decisions, and attention.
This works through a concept called selective attention: when your brain is primed to focus on certain thoughts or desires, you're more likely to notice opportunities, people, and decisions that align with that focus.
Priming influences us subconsciously. It can shift our behaviours, decisions, perceptions, and even abilities.
Our minds are highly suggestible—meaning the content we consume, the words we repeat, and the environments we place ourselves in shape our default thoughts and responses.
Priming = training your subconscious to believe and act as if your desired reality is already true.
Eventually over time/repetition you’ll rewire your own brain and form new habits due to self-directed neuro-plasticity.
How effective is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy can work extremely well—and there's a growing body of research to prove it.
Here are some statistics and findings:
✅ Hypnotherapy is 93% effective after just 6 sessions, compared to 72% for behavioural therapy and 38% for psychoanalysis.
(Source: American Health Magazine, Alfred A. Barrios PhD)
✅ A meta-analysis of 18 studies found hypnosis to be consistently effective for managing anxiety.
(Source: International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2006)
✅ Research shows hypnotherapy can:
Reduce symptoms of IBS by up to 80% (Lancet, 1984 & Gut, 2003)
Increase smoking cessation rates to 81% (University of Washington School of Medicine)
Support weight loss, often with longer-lasting results than dieting alone (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996)
While results vary by individual, the research shows that hypnotherapy can be a powerful and efficient way to create real, sustainable change—especially when combined with coaching, somatic work, or CBT.
Sadly, Hypnotherapy hasn’t undergone the extensive research that other modalities have, so it’s not yet 100% accepted in the scientific world.
Common myths about Hypnotherapy
Whenever I introduce myself to someone as a hypnotherapist, they usually look a little bit worried—like they think I will be able to make them cluck like a chicken or something.
So let’s clear up some common misconceptions about hypnotherapy to put your mind at ease.
1. “I’ll lose control of my mind and body.”
Nope! You’re always in control. Hypnosis is a state of heightened focus and relaxation, not mind control. You can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do. The critical faculty is still very much in place, and you will still reject any suggestion that doesn’t align with what you want to do/achieve.
2. “I might not wake up.”
It’s impossible to get stuck in hypnosis. At worst, you’ll drift into a nap—and wake up feeling refreshed. I’ve had clients who didn’t want to come out of hypnosis because they were enjoying their experience so much, but they eventually did return when they were ready to.
3. “Only certain people can be hypnotised.”
Everyone can be hypnotised—especially those with good focus, vivid imagination, or strong emotional awareness. It’s a learnable state. The only reason why someone couldn’t be is because they’re not willing to be, likely due to fear or not being open in the process or believing in it.
4. “Hypnosis is just placebo or fake.”
Not true. Clinical studies have shown measurable brain changes during hypnosis, and consistent results in pain management, trauma healing, anxiety, IBS and more.
5. “It only works if I don’t think too much.”
Your mind doesn’t need to be silent—just open. Even if part of you is observing, the subconscious is still listening and absorbing.
Hypnotherapy is more normal, natural, and grounded than most people realise—and when done with a skilled practitioner or guide, it’s also incredibly effective.
This is just a few of the many misconceptions about hypnotherapy. Read my blog for more: Common myths about hypnotherapy.
What does it feel like to be in a hypnotic state?
Many people are surprised to learn that hypnosis doesn’t feel weird or magical—it actually feels very familiar.
Have you ever:
Driven somewhere and forgotten parts of the journey?
Got so immersed in a movie or book you tuned everything else out?
Drifted off just before sleep, when your body feels heavy but your mind is still gently aware?
That’s a hypnotic state. You actually go in and out of hypnosis every day.
During hypnosis, most people feel:
Deeply relaxed but still aware
Heavy or light in their body
Calm, safe, and open
Detached from everyday worries
Able to vividly imagine and experience new beliefs, memories, or possibilities
You’re not asleep—you’re in a state of focused attention and expanded receptivity.
And when your body relaxes and your brain waves slow down (more on that below), your subconscious becomes open to new ways of thinking, feeling, and being.
Brainwaves and Hypnosis: What happens in your brain?
When you're in hypnosis, your brain naturally shifts into slower brainwave states—which are ideal for learning, emotional processing and subconscious access.
Here’s a breakdown of the key brainwave states:
Brainwave | Frequency | State |
Beta | 13–30 Hz | Normal waking, thinking, analysing |
Alpha | 8–12 Hz | Light relaxation, flow, creativity |
Theta | 4–8 Hz | Deep relaxation, dreamlike state, subconscious access |
Delta | 0.5–4 Hz | Deep sleep, healing |
In hypnosis, your brain moves from Beta into Alpha and often Theta—the same brainwave states you pass through right before sleep and just after waking.
This shift:
Quiets the conscious mind
Softens the critical faculty
Opens the subconscious to suggestion, healing, and new learning
This is why hypnotherapy often feels deeply relaxing—and why it’s so effective for emotional regulation, belief change and behaviour transformation.
Hypnosis vs Meditation: What’s the difference?
When I’m explaining what hypnosis feels like to someone I always liken it to a meditative state.
But while they might feel similar, they serve very different purposes.
Meditation | Self-Hypnosis |
Passive observation of thoughts | Active direction of thoughts |
Goal is stillness and presence | Goal is intentional change |
Strengthens awareness | Strengthens belief change and behavioural rewiring |
With meditation, you learn to observe.
With self-hypnosis, you learn to reshape.
Both are powerful. But if you're trying to shift something specific—like a habit, fear, or mindset block—self-hypnosis is faster and more targeted.
To practice Self-Hypnosis:
You can reprogram your own mind using self-hypnosis recordings, simply by listening to them.
First thing in the morning (upon waking) or just before bed is the best time (due to the brainwaves/states)
Find a quiet, comfortable position where you won’t be interrupted
Sit down or lie down on your back
Wear headphones if possible
Listen to a self-hypnosis recording (they range from 10-40 minutes)
Either fall asleep afterwards, or carry on with your day
Repeat (as often as required)
Ready to try it for yourself? Shop my self-hypnosis recordings here.
Once you learn the method, you can use it anytime, anywhere — even for just 10 minutes a day.
Join the 30-Day Self-Hypnosis Challenge
If you want to start reprogramming your subconscious mind for positive change, including a more positive mindset, less stress and anxiety, more confidence, self-belief and trust, you simply must join my 30-Day Self-Hypnosis Challenge!
Over 30 days you will receive:
✅ 30x 10-minute morning self-hypnosis meditations
✅ Daily journaling prompts for conscious integration
✅ 5x 20-minute evening self-hypnosis meditations
By the end of the 30 days you will think, feel and show up differently! With a more positive mindset, better mental wellness, more confidence, clarity and feeling more relaxed.
If you’re looking for a way to reset your mindset, this is it.
Ready to get started? Join the 30-Day Self-Hypnosis Challenge today.
Ps: When you complete the challenge you’ll receive a free gift!
Self-Hypnosis or personalised Hypnotherapy with a Hypnotherapist—what’s better?
Many people will see great results from self-hypnosis recordings alone. Self-hypnosis is a great practice for regularly priming and training the subconscious mind, and is safe (and highly encouraged) to be part of your daily self-care routine.
While self-hypnosis is highly effective, if you have a deep seated habit or pattern you want to shift, personalised hypnotherapy with a hypnotherapist will provide the best possible results.
When you do both self-hypnosis and personalised hypnotherapy with a trained hypnotherapist, that’s where the magic truly happens!
If you’d like to learn more, view my hypnotherapy packages and pricing here, and book your free 30-minute consultation with me to see if hypnotherapy is the best option for you.
Go out there and give hypnotherapy a go!
If you want to take this topic deeper with 1:1 support, book a free consult with me – I’m a certified life coach, hypnotherapist, NLP and somatic practitioner who specialises in helping ambitious peeps like you to reinvent themselves from the inside-out and achieve their biggest goals.
If this blog resonated with you, be sure to check out the Finally Thriving Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for more conversations on healing, growth, and reclaiming your confidence.🎙️✨
Thanks for reading! If you want more, check out my other blogs, follow me on TikTok: @janelle.keesue and Instagram: @janellekeesue.coaching
About the Author
Janelle Kee-Sue is a Transformational Coach, Hypnotherapist, NLP and Somatic Practitioner, and the host of the Finally Thriving podcast. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Janelle specialises in helping women of all ages rebuild their confidence and self-worth—especially after toxic relationships, workplaces, or experiences that left them questioning their value.
Combining the power of the subconscious mind with science-backed tools for fast and long-lasting transformation, she empowers her clients to overcome anxiety, people-pleasing, low self-esteem, negative body image, and limiting beliefs and habits in record time so they can feel confident, calm, and in control of their lives again.
When she’s not guiding her clients through powerful life-changing shifts, you’ll find her at reformer Pilates, writing her first novel, or enjoying quiet moments with her husband Ricky and their fluffy Samoyed sidekick, Zeus.
Learn more or book a free consultation at www.janellekeesue.com.
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