Aphantasia – what is it and why should we even care?

Developing best practice in working with non-visualisers.

Aphantasia is the lack of a mind’s eye (inability to visualise voluntarily) but can affect all senses. With visualisation and sensory techniques commonly used in hypnotherapy, aphantasia can be an issue for both the client and the hypnotist.

Based on experimental research with a group of aphantasic hypnotherapists, I will explore two key questions:

1. How does having aphantasia impact on people’s experiences of hypnosis?
2. How can we best adapt hypnosis techniques for non-visualisers?

Dr Paulina Trevena is a social scientist, researcher and hypnotherapist. After years in academic research, Paulina discovered the world of hypnosis during the pandemic and was hooked! She subsequently trained as a hypnotherapist. She has now left her academic career to set up a personal development business called No Woo Woo! Paulina's ambition is to strengthen the evidence-base on hypnosis and develop best practice through her research on hypnotising people who have aphantasia (are non-visualisers).