Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness- it is not sleep.
In fact, we go in and out of these altered states every day- driving in the car, watching telly, being bored, being engrossed- This is the "feeling" of what it could be like in hypnosis (bearing in mind everyone is different).
My favourite feeling is that of the memories of sunbathing (full sun factor of course), when you're lying on a hot enough beach and you can hear the sound of the sea and the sound of people in the distance enjoying themselves, and you are just the right temperature and there are no pressures of work and you know you can lie there until you get ....bored!....Bliss! (Unfortunately it takes me an average of 8 minutes of doing nothing before I get bored!)
So that feeling of being "in the moment" is exactly the feeling I aim for when practicing hypnosis- achieving the feeling of beautiful relaxation; the sort you feel when you've washed the bed sheets, had a bath and are snuggling in, about to go to sleep.
And of course, you are in complete control of this- You can chose how comfortable you want to feel and how 'in the moment' you want to be. All the while your attention is alert and in the right place- like when you read a good book or watch a good film- you know EXACTLY what is going on around you but chose to 'ignore it' and enjoy the film, and if, something occurred, like the knock of the door- your attention would immediately swap to going to answer the door, albeit grumpy.
Hypnosis works in exactly the same way; but with the right input, in the right places, changes in your mind pathways can be made- to make the changes in your day to day life that you want to make, easier. How deeply you go into a trance is up to you? How deeply do you get engrossed in a book? A film? A football match? With the right topic we can become as deeply engrossed as we chose- The "trick" as a Hypnotherapist (not hypnotist- as we work within the realms of trust) Is to achieve that lovely state of relaxation even though you have stresses at work or are anxious or worried.
Hypnosis can make the difference you are looking for if you want to change and feel frustrated that you are getting in your own way and stopping the change you want.