Dialogic Trance Therapy: A Two-Way Conversational Model of Hypnotic Change Grounded in Co-Regulation, Phenomenology, and Attachment

This work introduces Dialogic Trance Therapy (DTT). This conceptual and clinical framework reconceptualises hypnosis as a two-way, co-regulated conversational process rather than a therapist-led, induction-based technique. Grounded in contemporary neuroscience of interpersonal synchrony and safety, second-person phenomenology, and attachment-informed psychotherapy, DTT proposes that trance emerges relationally—through shared attention, attunement, and precise descriptive dialogue—without directive guidance or covert suggestion. The article articulates a clear theoretical foundation, outlines a non-inductive session structure, and distinguishes DTT from Ericksonian and humanistic hypnosis. Central to the model is the ethical preservation of client agency: influence is minimised and made transparent. At the same time, change is understood as arising from the recognition and reorganisation of lived experience rather than the imposition of ideas. Language is used reflectively, silence is treated as an active participant, and therapeutic depth is approached as coherence rather than dissociation or compliance. In addition to clinical implications, the paper proposes a research agenda for operationalising DTT using multimodal synchrony metrics (e.g., vocal, physiological, and interactional alignment) and micro-phenomenological outcome mapping. By integrating interactional hypnosis research with psychotherapy process science, this work offers a rigorous, ethics-forward pathway for depth-oriented therapeutic practice that honours autonomy while retaining the transformative potential traditionally associated with hypnosis.