What is Hypnosis, Really?

STUCK IN HYPNOSIS

STUCK IN HYPNOSIS

Myth 2: A person may not be easily awakened and may remain in the hypnotic state for a long time or get “stuck” in this state.

Fact: No one has remained indefinitely in a hypnotic state. The state can be terminated at will. It is as simple as opening the eyes. You cannot get stuck in hypnosis and not “wake up.” There have been cases where people stayed in a hypnotic state a bit longer than usual and they have all reported it was their own choice not to come back to a regular waking consciousness simply because "it felt so good and relaxing". Getting out of the state is as easy as opening your eyes and you always have control over it*.

IT IS PANACEA

IT IS PANACEA

Myth 3: Hypnosis affects a cure in just one or two sessions. It is a panacea.

Fact: In many instances one or two sessions of hypnosis may enable a person to break a habit. However, in the majority of cases it requires a number of sessions before a favorable and a long lasting result is obtained – it is not a panacea (it cannot cure all human problems; and it cannot do it instantly.) Like with anything in this world, there is no magic pill. Yet, hypnosis has proven to be significantly more effective than other modalities. According to the study of Dr. Alfred Barrios, Clinical Psychologist, PhD, published in American Health Magazine, Hypnotherapy has a 93% recovery rate in just 6 sessions, compared to 72% recovery rate for Behavior Therapy in 22 sessions and 38% recovery rate for Psychoanalysis in 200(!) sessions

CAN'T BE HYPNOTIZED

HYPNOTIC RESISTANCE

Myth 4: Many people cannot be hypnotized.

Fact: A general consensus is that 90% of all people can be hypnotized. According to Dave Elman, the famous hypnotherapist who trained hundreds medical doctors and dentists to use hypnosis in their practice instead of anesthesia, this number is actually 100%. “Remove fear [skepticism], and one hundred people out of one hundred will enter hypnosis easily,” he wrote. It is true that all people are not the same when it comes to their general capacity to enter a trance. Yet, it all boils down to identifying blocks or what is known as "blocking parts" and transforming them in order to get their agreement to put the critical factor (the guard that protects our subconscious mind) out of the way.

GULLIBLE OR WEAK-MINDED

HYPNOSIS MYTHS

Myth 5: Only the gullible or weak-minded can be hypnotized.

Fact: You cannot hypnotize a feeble-minded person. It takes imagination and a willingness to cooperate - a willingness to accept suggestions. The more intelligent and imaginative the person, the easier it is to hypnotize him. People who are gullible are easily deceived or duped. The truth is the more creative and intelligent a person is the easier it is to induce hypnosis. The more analytical and controlling a person is, the harder it is to induce hypnosis.

The best subject is a person who has a definite reason or motivation for wanting to be hypnotized.

OUT OF CONTROL

HYPNOSIS MISCONCEPTION

Myth 6: When in hypnosis you are out of control.

Fact: You cannot be hypnotized against your will. You have to “want” to be hypnotized in order for it to happen.

To be hypnotized
1. You must want to be hypnotized
2. You must have confidence in the hypnotist
3. You must be willing to accept suggestion
4. You must be free from fear
5. You must be free from the need to be in control

CONTROL
MYTHS

CONTROL
MYTHS

Myth 7: A person could be made to do anything or say anything, and is under the hypnotist’s control. They could be made to commit a crime or go against their moral principles.

Fact: In hypnosis a person will not go against his or her moral principles. He will not commit an anti-social act. He has the power to select only the suggestions he is willing to accept. He will reject any improper suggestions. He will never commit a crime or an illegal act.

You cannot be given a suggestion or posthypnotic suggestion to go against your moral principles.

SLEEP MISCONCEPTION

SLEEP MISCONCEPTION

Myth 8: Hypnosis is sleep, an unconscious state and when hypnotized a person is not aware of his surroundings.

Fact: In hypnosis awareness is increased. If she falls asleep she is not in hypnosis. In hypnosis you are aware of everything that is going on around you. Hypnosis might resemble sleep, yet it is not sleep, and is in fact a state of expanded awareness. You are fully aware of what is being said to you when in hypnosis and can reject any suggestion that is given to you at anytime.

The ego never totally dissociates when in hypnosis. The ego is present when in hypnosis and therefore you would never act outside of your code of ethics.

SLEEP MISCONCEPTION

SLEEP MISCONCEPTION

Myth 9: A person must be deeply hypnotized to be helped.

Fact: You do not need to be in a deep state of hypnosis to benefit from it. Beneficial results can come from taking suggestions while in a light or medium trance. In fact, certain hypnotic methods can only be utilized if a client is not in a deep trance. For example, when dialoguing between parts of one's personality (so called "ego states") in order to integrate conflicting internal views, one should remain fully conscious while in a hypnotic state otherwise no dialog can occur.

HYPNOSIS PERCEPTION

HYPNOSIS PERCEPTION

Myth 10: Hypnosis is unnatural and artificial.

Fact: Hypnosis is a natural, yet altered state of mind. We enter and exit the state spontaneously many times throughout the day. Have you ever read a very interesting book and got so engaged in it, that you completely lost the sense of time? Or have you ever caught yourself daydreaming so vividly that you could not believe it could happen so spontaneously with your eyes open? These are all examples of a trance state very similar to hypnosis. The difference is that with hypnotherapy it is induced at will in order to make intended beneficial changes.

HYPNOSIS PERCEPTION

HYPNOSIS PERCEPTION

Myth 11: Hypnosis is merely relaxation and is nothing more.

Fact: You can be relaxed and yet not be hypnotized – and you can be hypnotized and not be relaxed. Relaxation is only one aspect of one kind of trance.
If you have ever seen a stage hypnosis show done by a master hypnotist you might have noticed that people clearly responded to a hypnotist's suggestion to do something physical without getting out of trance. For example, one could be dancing or clucking like a chicken still being in a medium level of hypnosis.
In many cases to achieve a hypnotic state a certain level of relaxation is needed but once you are there and a critical factor is by-passed, you may find yourself tensing your muscles and going even deeper into the state. So relaxation is neither a sign of hypnosis nor a pre-requisite for it.

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

Myth 12: Hypnosis is catalepsy and a person cannot move when in that state.

Fact: According to the medical section of thefreedictionary.com, catalepsy is "a condition of diminished responsiveness usually characterized by a trancelike state and constantly maintained immobility". It can occur in or out of trance and is not hypnosis in and of itself.
The apparently “catatonic” state known as the hypnotic coma is not an unconscious or cataleptic state, but is such a state of profound relaxation that the person does not want to move, think or speak. However, he is fully conscious and can terminate that state anytime he would want to. In a medium or deep hypnotic state catalepsy is common and is generally perceieved as a very pleasant state. 

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

Myth #13 A: The eyes must be closed for hypnosis to be present.

Fact: Closing the eyes does not imply hypnosis. The eyes can actually be opened in a hypnotic state.
There are many different styles of hypnosis. In a traditional hypnotic induction it is more accepted to ask a client to keep her eyes closed to minimize distractions, yet one of the techniques used to deepen the state is eye opening and closure invented by Dave Elman in order to perform what is called a fractionation. Every time a subject opens and closes her eyes she goes deeper into the state of hypnosis, which, believe it or not, has a compounding effect, i.e. it multiplies the effect of a hypnotic suggestion. Nevertheless, 

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

Myth #13 B: The eyes must be closed for hypnosis to be present.

you would still expect a hypnotic subject to keep her eyes closed after deepening is achieved.
In conversational hypnosis, which I am also certified in, and with most NLP techniques, it works quite differently: a client may have her eyes open at all times and still go into a very profound trance in order to create a beneficial subconscious change.
In stage hypnosis, it is a combination of styles and often a hypnotist asks the client to open her eyes after a certain suggestion is given. When it happens, the client talks and bahaves as if nothing happened but still acts upon the suggestion with her eyes open. 

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

CATALEPSY MISCONCEPTION

Myth #13 B: The eyes must be closed for hypnosis to be present.

For example, a partial amnesia to forget the number 5 can be given during the induction and when the client comes out of it and opens her eyes, number 5 is still temporarily erased from her mind. In order for this to work, however, there must be a genuine desire to act upon the suggestions and if it is not there, i.e. the client does not believe this process is beneficial for her, hypnosis cannot occur against her will.

BRAINWASHING MYTH

BRAINWASHING MYTH

Myth #14: Hypnosis is brainwashing.

Fact: Brainwashing – The American Heritage Dictionary defines Brainwashing as “Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs.” Brainwashing involves an altered state where some form of deprivation is present. A hypnotist cannot make someone do something that they would not do normally and empowers his client to access this state himself and to make his own positive changes.

POWER
MYTH

POWER
MYTH

Myth #15: Hypnosis is a surrender of one’s will to the hypnotist. It is one “stronger soul” having power over a “weaker soul,” where the hypnotic subject is under the power of the hypnotist.

Fact: A hypnotist does not have power over another person. Modern hypnosis uses the word “in” when describing hypnosis, in that a person is “in” a hypnotic state. Modern hypnosis does not use the word “under” as if the hypnotic subject is “under” the power of the hypnotist. This old model has been found untrue. In modern hypnotherapy both the hypnotist and his client are seen as equals where the hypnotist facilitates process, but does not control it. Also avoid using the phrase “down into hypnosis” for the same reason.
Clients resolve their issues from their own inner resources – i.e. from their own subconscious mind.
The hypnotherapist is a “facilitator.”

SERUM
MYTH

SERUM
 MYTH

Myth #16: Hypnosis is truth serum. A person could be made to say anything, reveal secrets or say embarrassing things.

Fact: A hypnotist does not have power over another person. Modern hypnosis uses the word “in” when describing hypnosis, in that a person is “in” a hypnotic state. Modern hypnosis does not use the word “under” as if the hypnotic subject is “under” the power of the hypnotist. This old model has been found untrue. In modern hypnotherapy both the hypnotist and his client are seen as equals where the hypnotist facilitates process, but does not control it. Also avoid using the phrase “down into hypnosis” for the same reason.
Clients resolve their issues from their own inner resources – i.e. from their own subconscious mind.
The hypnotherapist is a “facilitator.”

RELIGIOUS
MYTH

RELIGIOUS
MYTH

Myth #17: Hypnosis is anti-religious.

Fact: There are no religious connotations associated with hypnosis. As it is a naturally occurring state, the trance state is equally common to those who practice religion and those who do not.
As prayer, meditation or contemplation are quite common for all religions, we naturally find ourselves in a self-hypnotic state while doing these activities. Additionally, those who preach and educate in a religious setting quite often use many techniques of group hypnosis whether they realize it or not. Whenever your critical faculty of the mind is bypassed while you are listening to anyone, you are naturally in a state of hypnosis 

RELIGIOUS
MYTH

RELIGIOUS
MYTH

Myth #17: Hypnosis is anti-religious.

which means that all suggestions given by a speaker tend to be easily accepted on a subconscious level. Therefore any public prayer at a place of worship is hypnotic by nature.
In my practice I see people of all religions with various degrees of religiosity and I find it very beneficial if clients have strong religious beliefs as they open them to wider possibilities with healing with hypnosis. Additionally, hypnosis can help people excel on the spiritual path. If clients are agnostic or atheistic, on the other hand, they can equally benefit from hypnosis as well.

MEMORY
 MYTH

MEMORY
MYTH

Myth #18: When hypnotized repressed memories of trauma always emerge.

Fact: Hypnosis can be used to uncover repressed memories, but the hypnotic state itself does not, by default, bring them to the surface. A client will never see something that he or she is not ready to see and such memories will only come up if the client and/or the hypnotist intend to bring them up.