The Deep Hypnotic States: Esdaile, Catatonic, and Sichort Explained in Kleinmond and the Overstrand
- wellnesstherapybyp
- Sep 22, 2025
- 9 min read
Explore Esdaile, Catatonic and Sichort states.
Stop forcing trance. Train stillness first. The Kleinmond stillness approach unlocks Esdaile, Catatonic and Sichort with calm, precise steps.
Introduction
If you are curious about Esdaile state hypnosis, Sichort hypnosis, and other deep hypnotic states, you are in the right place. In plain language, I explain what the Esdaile state is, how catatonic responses work, and why some practitioners value Sichort methods for hypnosis for deep healing. WTP serve Kleinmond and the Overstrand. You will learn how depth supports comfort, how to prepare safely, and when lighter states are a better fit. Our goal is to provide practical clarity for clients, wellness biohackers, and hypnotherapists.
Why deep states matter
You want comfort, not theatre. Deep states can help the nervous system settle. They can reduce reactivity and increase a sense of control. For some clients, this feels like a heavy, quiet body with distant sounds. For others, it is simply calm with fewer spikes. We choose depth by outcome, not by prestige.
Key point: Depth is a tool, not a trophy.
What is the Esdaile state?
Short answer: a tranquil comfort state with reduced movement and narrow focus.
Longer answer: The Esdaile state is often described as a depth where awareness of the outside world fades and the body rests. Reports include slow breathing, soft facial muscles, and less startle. Practitioners may use it as a platform for comfort training or for long procedures that benefit from stillness. Historical roots trace to early mesmerism. Modern practice focuses on present-day skills rather than mystique.
When we consider Esdaile work
Long sessions where stillness helps.
Clients who benefit from strong sensory quiet.
Learning self-comfort for flare-up days.
Signals we look for
Slower exhale.
Less fidgeting.
Stable posture and gentle eyelid tone.
Table on considerations:
Consider using deep work when… | Rationale in practice | Evidence summary | Key sources |
Long sessions where stillness helps | Less movement and lower distress make prolonged procedures and focused comfort training easier to tolerate | Meta-analyses and trials show hypnosis can reduce procedural pain, anxiety, and some side effects in surgical settings, with small to moderate effects and lower analgesic use in many studies. | Montgomery 2002 surgical meta-analysis; benefits across outcomes. PubMed Tefikow 2013 meta-analysis in surgical patients. ScienceDirect Montgomery 2007 RCT in breast surgery showing reduced side effects. Oxford Academic Thompson 2019 systematic review on pain showing efficacy across clinical and experimental pain. ScienceDirect |
Clients who benefit from strong sensory quiet | Deeper calm aims to shift autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance, reducing arousal and reactivity. | Reviews of hypnosis and autonomic measures report lowered sympathetic activity, enhanced parasympathetic tone, and relaxation-type shifts; slow-breathing literature shows similar autonomic effects. | De Benedittis 2024 review of autonomic modulation under hypnosis. PMC Fernandez 2021 review on psychophysiological indices during hypnosis. Taylor & Francis Online Zaccaro 2018 systematic review on slow breathing and parasympathetic changes. PMC |
Learning self-comfort for flare-up days | Clients can rehearse self-hypnosis and brief drills between sessions to reduce pain and distress peaks. | Reviews of clinical and adjunctive hypnosis report benefits for chronic pain and related symptoms, though effects vary and higher-quality trials are still needed. | Jensen 2014 review on chronic pain showing hypnosis efficacy with individual variability. PubMed Jones 2024 systematic review on adjunctive hypnosis for clinical pain. Lippincott Journals Pathak 2020 scoping review noting promising effects with a need for better trials. LIDSEN Publishing |
Practical session signals to watch | Why this helps | Evidence summary | Key sources |
Slower exhale | Longer exhalation supports parasympathetic tilt and perceived calm | Slow-breathing review shows increased HRV and relaxation markers; hypnosis reviews describe autonomic shifts consistent with relaxation responses | |
Less fidgeting | Reduced spontaneous movement is a long-noted behavioural sign of absorbed attention. | Motor inhibition and catalepsy tasks are standard items in established hypnotic susceptibility scales used in laboratories and clinics. | SHSS materials and overviews of HGSHS and related scales that include immobilisation and eye-related catalepsy items. ocf.berkeley.edu+2PMC+2 |
Stable posture and gentle eyelid tone | Ocular and postural stillness often accompany comfort and focused absorption. | Eyelid catalepsy and related ocular signs appear in classic scale items; contemporary reviews discuss physiological variability, so treat these as supportive observations, not definitive biomarkers. | Historical overview noting eye catalepsy among scale items. Monika Ernst - Fang an, DICH zu leben! Psychophysiology reviews on variable physiological correlates during hypnosis. Taylor & Francis Online+1 |
Notes on evidence and scope
Direct, high-quality trials on a specifically labelled “Esdaile state” are sparse; much of the robust evidence concerns hypnosis more generally for analgesia and distress. Frame deep-state choices as a style that targets autonomic quiet and comfort, not a unique mechanism. Oxford Academic+2ScienceDirect+2
Physiological findings during hypnosis are heterogeneous across studies. Use outcome-based decisions and safety checks rather than treating any single sign as a depth test. Taylor & Francis Online
Catatonic responses in hypnosis
Definition: catatonic responses are quiet motor patterns like still hands, eyelid steadiness, or a general pause. They are not the goal by themselves. They follow when the body settles.
Why use them
To reduce fidget-driven anxiety.
To support comfort when movement inflames pain.
To teach the difference between tense stillness and soft stillness.
Safety notes
Check circulation, posture, and temperature.
Keep verbal contact and clear exit cues.
Use brief cycles of stillness and release rather than long holds.
Sichort hypnosis
Essence: client-led depth with strong attention to calm physiology and clear pacing. It is used by some practitioners when the aim is deep ease without heavy effort.
Useful features
Emphasis on safety and gradual progression.
Depth markers based on breath, muscle tone, and responsiveness.
Fits long sessions where quiet supports learning.
What to expect
A steady, unforced drift into comfort.
Precise language that reduces cognitive load.
Clear markers for when to deepen or pause.
Comparing Esdaile, catatonic, and Sichort
Aspect | Esdaile state hypnosis | Catatonic responses | Sichort hypnosis |
Primary purpose | Very quiet platform for comfort training | Motor stillness that supports calm work | Deep ease with client-led markers |
Best for | Long sessions and gentle comfort learning | Reducing fidget and anxiety peaks | Steady comfort for sensitive clients |
Typical feel | Heavy body, distant sounds, time drift | Soft pause with clear awareness | Deep ease, slow breath, precise cueing |
Key point: Choose the state that fits the goal. Many changes occur in lighter states.
Preparation prevents strain
Before we aim for depth, we train "quiet". This lowers effort and reduces the risk of chasing depth.
The two-minute pre-relax
Breathe in through your nose. Pause.
Breathe out a little longer than you breathed in.
Soften jaw and eyes.
Let shoulders drop by their own weight.
Repeat for eight to twelve breaths.
The calm-body drill
Sit or lie with support.
Notice where the body meets the chair or bed.
Allow each exhale to spread that support.
When heaviness appears, name one word such as ease or safe.
Depth choice by outcome
Pain comfort: aim for a quiet body and slow breath.
Trauma-aware work: keep contact, short cycles, and a lighter state.
Long procedure: pre-relax, then deepen only as needed.
Hypnosis for deep healing and chronic pain in Kleinmond
We work with adults who live with persistent stress and pain. Deep work can support comfort and recovery behaviours. It is not a replacement for medical care. It can sit alongside it. We coordinate with clinicians when needed, and we keep the plan simple.
First forty-eight hours comfort stack
Two-minute exhale before likely spikes.
Short walk or gentle movement after the breath.
Cue card with three calm phrases.
Short audio in the evening to rehearse comfort.
Statistics on comfort gains from hypnosis in pain management
Outcome metric | Population or context | Estimate of benefit | Notes on durability or comparators | Source |
Pain intensity, 0–100 scale | Chronic pain, hypnosis + usual care | −8.2 points (95% CI −11.8 to −1.9) | Post-treatment, very low-certainty evidence | |
Pain intensity, 0–100 scale | Medical or surgical pain, hypnosis + usual care | −6.9 points (95% CI −10.4 to −3.3) | During or after procedures | |
Pain intensity, 0–100 scale | Burn wound care, hypnosis + usual care | −8.8 points (95% CI −13.8 to −3.9) | Post-treatment | |
Pain intensity, 0–100 scale | Chronic pain, hypnosis + education | −11.5 points (95% CI −19.7 to −3.3) | Strongest adjunctive signal; very low certainty | |
Pain intensity, 0–100 scale | Chronic pain, hypnosis + medicines | −13.2 points (95% CI −22.5 to −3.8) | Adjunct to pharmacotherapy | |
Analgesic use | Post-procedure | −1.8 tablets and −6.0 mg dose vs control | Pooled postintervention medication usage | |
≥30% responders | Chronic low back pain RCT | >50% reached ≥30% reduction | Benefit maintained ≥6 months | |
Effect size across outcomes | Surgical patients, meta-analysis | D = 1.20 overall | Outcomes include pain, anxiety, meds, and cost | |
Experimental pain reduction | Healthy volunteers, lab meta-analysis | g ≈ 0.54–0.76; 42% reduction in highly suggestible; 29% in medium | Suggestibility moderates the effect size | |
Overall appraisal | Clinical adjunctive use, 70 RCTs pooled | Small to moderate additional analgesia | Evidence certainty is very low; clearest when added to usual care |
How to interpret for “comfort gains”
Magnitude. For chronic pain, realistic short-term comfort gains from adding hypnosis are on the order of 8–13 points on a 0–100 scale or about one point on a 0–10 scale, with some trials hitting ≥30% responder thresholds. Lippincott Journals+1
Setting matters. Gains are most consistent when hypnosis is added to usual care or education, and in procedural settings where distress and analgesic needs often drop. Lippincott Journals
Durability. Several trials report benefits maintained for months after treatment, especially when self-hypnosis is taught. PubMed+1
Uncertainty. Meta-analytic certainty for adjunctive hypnosis remains very low due to heterogeneity and control condition issues, so results should be framed as likely rather than guaranteed. Lippincott Journals
For hypnotherapists and wellness practitioners
Principles
Match depth to the task.
Teach self-regulation before advanced work.
Keep contact phrases simple and repeatable.
Use clear start and end cues.
Document signals and outcomes.
Suggested session flow
Pre-relax and safety check.
Light absorption. Confirm signals.
Deepen only if it serves the outcome.
Run short cycles of work and rest.
Reorient with clear cues and positive expectancy.
Markers that guide decisions
Breath rate and exhale length.
Facial softness and eyelid tone.
Startle threshold and posture stability.
Client reports of time drift or distance of external sounds.
Scope and consent
Explain risks and benefits.
Stay within training and local scope of practice.
Refer when symptoms require medical assessment or specialist care.
Frequently asked questions
Is deep hypnosis safe?
Yes, for most people, when used with screening, clear pacing, and contact. We adapt for medical needs and can coordinate with your clinician.
Will I lose control?
No. You remain aware and can stop or adjust at any time. We agree on exit cues in advance.
How many sessions will I need?
Many people feel calmer after the first session. Skills are built over three to five sessions when you practise between visits.
Do I need the Esdaile state to change?
No. Many changes happen in lighter states. We choose the state that best serves your goal.
Conclusion
Deep hypnotic states are part of a practical toolkit. Esdaile state hypnosis, catatonic responses, and Sichort hypnosis can support comfort, focus, and learning when matched to the right goals. Preparation prevents strain. Depth follows calm. If you seek hypnosis for deep healing or hypnotherapy for chronic pain in Kleinmond, we can help you plan a path that fits your life. If you are a practitioner who wants precise, ethical methods, we offer training in Kleinmond and the Overstrand.
Book a client consultation to explore gentle depth work. Enquire about practitioner workshops on Esdaile, catatonic, and Sichort methods in Kleinmond.
📍 Kleinmond and the Overstrand region
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Full references cited
Montgomery GH, Schnur JB, David D. The effectiveness of adjunctive hypnosis with surgical patients. A meta-analysis. Anesth Analg. 2002. PubMed
Montgomery GH et al. A randomised clinical trial of a brief hypnosis intervention to control side effects in breast surgery patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007. Oxford Academic
Tefikow S et al. Efficacy of hypnosis in adults undergoing surgery. Clin Psychol Rev. 2013. ScienceDirect
Thompson T et al. The effectiveness of hypnosis for pain relief. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019. ScienceDirect
Jensen MP, Patterson DR. Hypnotic approaches for chronic pain management. J Pain. 2014. PubMed
Jones HG et al. Adjunctive use of hypnosis for clinical pain. A systematic review. Pain Reports. 2024. Lippincott Journals
De Benedittis G. Hypnotic modulation of autonomic nervous system activity. A review. J Clin Med. 2024. PMC
Fernandez A, Cardeña E. Impact of hypnosis on psychophysiological measures. Am J Clin Hypn. 2021. Taylor & Francis Online
Zaccaro A et al. How breath control can change your life. A systematic review on slow breathing and autonomic function. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018. PMC
Weitzenhoffer AM, Hilgard ER. Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C. Materials and script. ocf.berkeley.edu
Zech N et al. HGSHS-5:G. First results with a short version of the Harvard Group Scale. Front Psychol. 2024. PMC
Ernst M, Historical overview of hypnotisability assessment, noting eye catalepsy among scale items. 2024 reprint. Monika Ernst - Fang an, DICH zu leben!
Pathak A et al. Hypnosis for clinical pain management. A scoping review. Integr Clin Med. 2020. LIDSEN Publishing
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