Can You Put Someone in the “Hypnotic Coma” Online? (And Why You Probably Shouldn’t!)

Hypnosis is filled with fascinating phenomena, and one of the deepest trance states ever documented is the Esdaile State, also known as the Hypnotic Coma. It’s an ultra-profound hypnotic level where subjects experience full-body catalepsy, total anesthesia, and a deep inner focus. But here’s a question that comes up from time to time:

Can you put someone in the Esdaile State online?

Technically, yes. But should you? Probably not.

It’s one of those things that sounds impressive but quickly falls apart under scrutiny. It’s like putting wheels on a tomato—technically possible but completely pointless. Let's break down why.

What Is the Esdaile State?

The Esdaile State is named after James Esdaile, a Scottish surgeon and mesmerizer who worked in India in the 1800s. While performing surgery, he noticed that some of his mesmerized (actually hypnotized) patients entered a state of complete unresponsiveness, showing no reaction to pain or external stimuli. He found that these patients would remain in this deep trance for extended periods and emerge naturally when ready.

Over time, the Esdaile State became known for three primary characteristics:

• General anesthesia – The person feels no pain, without needing suggestions.
• Full-body catalepsy – They don’t move at all, no matter what’s suggested.
• Non-responsiveness to direct commands – They hear everything but won’t react physically.

Some call it the "hypnotic coma," but that term is misleading. People in this state are not asleep or unconscious, and they will eventually emerge naturally—sometimes after two hours or more. The real issue isn’t whether the Esdaile State is possible online but whether it serves any purpose in that setting.

Why Would You Even Want to Do This?

In practical hypnosis, the working state is somnambulism, not the Esdaile State. Somnambulism is where all the real change work happens—whether it’s for self-esteem, performance enhancement, or habit change. People in somnambulism respond to suggestions and engage with the hypnotist, enabling change to happen.

By contrast, someone in the Esdaile State just sits there. They won’t respond to instructions like “open your eyes” or “raise your hand.” If the goal of hypnosis is to help people make changes, why put them in a state where they won’t even interact?

The only real reason to guide someone into this state would be for demonstration purposes—to prove that deep hypnosis exists. But even then, doing it online adds a layer of unnecessary complexity.

The Risks of Attempting the Esdaile State Online

Imagine a scenario:

A hypnotist in Toronto guides a client in Sydney into the Esdaile State. The client is now completely unresponsive. They will emerge eventually, but the hypnotist has no idea when. Suddenly, the hypnotist’s internet cuts out.

Now the client’s family finds them sitting there, eyes closed, totally still. Naturally, they panic and call emergency services. The hypnotist has no way of bringing them out of trance, and the client might remain in that state for hours.

Of course, no one actually gets “stuck” in the Esdaile State. The unconscious mind always has a safety mechanism. If something serious happened—like a fire alarm going off—the person would emerge automatically. However, that doesn’t stop the unnecessary confusion and potential chaos that could result from trying to induce it online.

You Can’t Test for the Esdaile State Online

To confirm someone is in the Esdaile State, they must pass four key tests:

• Full-body catalepsy – They should be completely immobile.
• No response to direct commands – They won’t follow basic instructions like “open your eyes.”
• Complete anesthesia – No reaction to pain (e.g., squeezing the radial nerve).
• Spontaneous emergence – They will come out naturally on their own.

Here’s the problem: Two of these tests require physical interaction. The hypnotist needs to touch the person to test for anesthesia and spontaneous catalepsy.

What’s the alternative? Ask them to test themselves? That immediately defeats the purpose! If they can move their arm or check for pain, they aren’t in the Esdaile State in the first place.

Some hypnotists try to get around this by saying, “Only the part of you that will test for catalepsy will come out of the Esdaile State, while the rest of you stays in it.”

That’s just making things unnecessarily complicated—and it’s completely missing the point.

To understand more about catalepsy in hypnosis, click here. And to learn more about hypnotic anesthesia, click here.

It's Just Not Worth It

Theoretically, any deep trance can be deepened into the Esdaile State. The classic approach is to use the Elman Induction, followed by a deepening method like the Elman Staircase to guide the subject deeper.

But here’s the key issue: Since the Esdaile State serves no practical purpose in online hypnosis, why bother? It’s like spending hours tuning up a car that you never plan to drive.

A far better approach is to use fast, effective online inductions that lead to somnambulism, where real hypnotic work happens.

A great example of a hypnotic induction that can be done online is the Anti-Magnetic Finger Induction, which we teach at the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy (MMHA). It’s simple, fast, and built with suggestibility tests and convincers. Unlike the Esdaile State, it’s actually useful in an online setting.

Simplicity Is Always Best

The best hypnosis is effective, efficient, and practical. While the Esdaile State is an interesting hypnotic phenomenon, it simply isn’t necessary for online work.

Instead of chasing unnecessary deep trance states, hypnotists should focus on what actually works—clean, effective inductions that allow for real hypnotic engagement.