What Really Happens in Your Brain When You Enter Hypnosis — And How Sound Can Help You Get There
Hypnosis often feels like drifting between being awake and asleep — that warm, floaty place where your mind quiets down and your thoughts feel more fluid. But what actually happens in the brain when you enter a hypnotic state? And how can tools like binaural beats — or “soundscapes” like those in burble — help guide your brainwaves to make it easier?
Here’s how it works, broken down step by step.
Your Brain Runs on Waves
First, a quick science refresher: your brain is always generating tiny electrical signals called brainwaves. Different states of mind produce different wave patterns, which can be measured with an EEG.
Beta waves (13–30 Hz): This is your normal waking, thinking state — alert, busy, problem-solving.
Alpha waves (8–12 Hz): These appear when you’re relaxed but awake — daydreaming, meditating, or deeply focused.
Theta waves (4–7 Hz): These are slower waves linked to deep relaxation, light sleep, and creative states — like the dreamy moments just before you drift off or just after you wake up.
Delta waves (0.5–3 Hz): These dominate in deep, dreamless sleep.
Hypnosis Shifts You from Beta to Alpha and Theta
When you enter hypnosis, your brainwaves shift naturally from the fast, busy beta range down into slower alpha and often theta waves.
This is why hypnosis can feel like you’re hovering on the edge of sleep — because you are. The hypnotic state is very similar to the hypnagogic state (the drifting-off phase) or the hypnopompic state (waking up).
In this slowed-down state:
Your conscious, analytical mind relaxes its grip.
Your subconscious mind becomes more accessible.
You’re more open to positive suggestions and new ideas.
This is also why time can feel distorted during hypnosis — your brain’s “inner chatter” network (the default mode network) quiets down, letting your mind focus inward.
How Binaural Beats Help
If you’ve used burble’s “soundscapes,” you’ve used a version of binaural beats — a well-known sound-based tool for shifting brainwave patterns.
Here’s how it works:
Your left and right ears hear two slightly different tones.
Your brain processes the tiny difference between them as a new “beat.”
This beat gently nudges your brainwave activity toward a specific frequency — for example, alpha or theta.
So, if you listen to a binaural beat designed for theta waves, it can help your brain ease into a hypnotic-like state faster than silence alone.
The effect is subtle but powerful: instead of forcing yourself to “relax on command,” your brain naturally entrains to the rhythm, syncing up with that desired state.
Hypnosis, Sleep, and Sound — Working Together
The reason hypnosis feels like falling asleep is because your brain is literally moving through some of the same wave states it uses to transition into sleep — but you don’t fully cross over.
Combining guided suggestions (like in hypnosis) with soundscapes (like binaural beats) is a proven way to amplify this effect. You create an environment where your brain and mind work together to:
Quiet racing thoughts
Access deeper subconscious patterns
Stay aware enough to accept positive suggestions
The Takeaway
Hypnosis isn’t magic — it’s neuroscience. By shifting your brainwaves from busy beta to calm alpha and creative theta, you become more receptive, relaxed, and able to create change from the inside out.
Sound-based tools like binaural beats make this process easier and more reliable — which is why burble sessions use custom soundscapes designed to help guide your mind exactly where it needs to go.