FAQ: Is Hypnosis Sleep?
No. Brain scans performed by positron emission tomography, or PET, have shown that areas of the brain active in a hypnotized subject are not the same as those activated in a sleeping subject.
Being in a state of hypnosis actually resembles meditation more than sleep; the mind is much closer to ordinary awareness than it is to the sleep state. We pass in and out of these brainwave frequencies when we go to sleep, and before waking up when we typically dream.
According to a recent review in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, hypnosis is
the induction of a state of mind in which a person’s normal critical or skeptical nature is bypassed, allowing for acceptance of suggestions.
