When Imagination Feels Real: How Hypnosis Helps Us Reframe Reality

Have you ever woken from a dream with your heart racing, only to realize that nothing “actually” happened? Or felt your body tense up while watching a movie, even though you knew it was just a story on a screen?

This isn’t weakness—it’s simply how the human brain works. Neuroscience shows that the same areas of the brain light up whether we are imagining or actually experiencing something (Ganis, Thompson & Kosslyn, 2004). In other words, your mind responds to vivid imagery almost as if it were reality.

The Science Behind It

• Neuroscience overlap: Brain imaging studies reveal that imagining and perceiving share much of the same neural machinery (Pearson et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2011). That’s why mental rehearsal can improve athletic performance or calm anxiety.

• Emotion amplification: Mental imagery intensifies emotional reactions. For instance, people who vividly picture a frightening situation show measurable increases in heart rate and skin conductance—even though nothing “real” is happening (Wicken, Keogh & Pearson, 2021; Ji et al., 2016).

• Reality monitoring: Normally, the brain has systems that tell us what’s imagined versus perceived (Johnson, Hashtroudi & Lindsay, 1993; Simons et al., 2008). But under suggestion, expectation, or stress, that line blurs. This is where hypnosis becomes such a powerful tool.

Hypnosis: Harnessing the Imagination

Hypnosis works by guiding you into a state of deep focus and relaxation where the imagination becomes vivid and believable. In that state:

• Anxious thoughts can be reframed into calming ones.

• Old habits can be “rewritten” with new, healthier responses.

• The body can respond to imagined relief as if it were real.

For example, someone struggling with public speaking might imagine standing confidently before an audience. Under hypnosis, that imagery is so immersive the body practices success. Over time, the subconscious begins treating that new reality as the default. Research on suggestion even shows that hypnosis can alter automatic processes like reading color words in the Stroop test (Raz et al., 2002).

Why This Matters for You

Your mind doesn’t always distinguish between “real” and “imagined”—and that’s a gift. It means that by practicing new mental scenarios under hypnosis, you can rewrite your relationship with stress, habits, and fears.

At Northern Nevada Hypnotherapy, I use this science-backed principle to help clients:

• Reduce stress and anxiety

• Improve sleep

• Break habits

• Boost confidence

• Unlock creative performance

Call to Action:
Curious about how hypnosis can help reshape your reality for the better? Schedule your free 20-minute consultation today at Northern Nevada Hypnotherapy.

References

• Ganis, G., Thompson, W. L., & Kosslyn, S. M. (2004). Brain areas underlying visual mental imagery and visual perception: an fMRI study. Cognitive Brain Research.

• Johnson, M. K., Hashtroudi, S., & Lindsay, D. S. (1993). Source monitoring. Psychological Bulletin.

• Ji, J. L., Heyes, S. B., MacLeod, C., & Holmes, E. A. (2016). Emotional mental imagery as simulation of reality: fear and beyond. Behavior Research and Therapy.

• Lee, S. H., Kravitz, D. J., & Baker, C. I. (2011). Disentangling visual imagery and perception of real-world objects. NeuroImage.

• Pearson, J., Naselaris, T., Holmes, E. A., & Kosslyn, S. M. (2015). Mental imagery: functional mechanisms and clinical applications. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

• Raz, A., Shapiro, T., Fan, J., & Posner, M. I. (2002). Hypnotic suggestion and the modulation of Stroop interference. Archives of General Psychiatry.

• Simons, J. S., Davis, S. W., Gilbert, S. J., Frith, C. D., & Burgess, P. W. (2008). Dissociating reality monitoring from imagination: neuroimaging evidence for distinct prefrontal processes. Neuropsychologia.

• Wicken, M., Keogh, R., & Pearson, J. (2021). The critical role of mental imagery in human emotion: insights from fear-based imagery and aphantasia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.