What are some myths about hypnosis?

Myth: I will quack like a chicken whenever I hear a bell ding.

Hypnosis isn’t a stage act or some magical act. Clinical hypnosis is a type of medical therapy that’s often used as part of a treatment plan that includes traditional medical approaches.

Myth: You lose consciousness or have amnesia when you’re hypnotized.

Most people remember everything that happens during hypnosis. You remain aware of who you are, where you are and remember what happened during a hypnosis session.

Myth: You’re under the control of your hypnotherapist when you’re hypnotized.

Your hypnotist or hypnotherapist guides hypnosis, but hypnosis is something you do for yourself. You can’t be made to do anything against your will. You won’t reveal any information that you wished to remain secret. You don’t lose control over your behavior. Hypnosis makes it easier to experience suggestions but doesn’t force you to have certain experiences.

Myth: Hypnosis is nothing more than deep sleep.

Hypnosis isn’t sleeping. There are some deeper forms of hypnosis that could make you appear to be asleep because your body is very still and quiet, but you aren’t asleep.

Truth:  Through extensive research Hypnotherapy is found to be very supportive in helping heal many traumas.  

Scene setting is a very safe form of hypnosis.  The client is fully aware.

Scene-setting techniques can create the ideal stage for positive transformation.  Clients are more open to detach themselves from a past painful experience or visualize a solution to their problem under the guidance of a trained hypnotherapist. For some clients, these changes may be catalyzed in a one- or two-hour session. For others, hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis may be a regular part of their mental health care. Hypnosis can modify consciousness in many ways.  This state of deep relaxation isn’t particularly difficult for most people to dive into or emerge from. It’s similar to an altered state of consciousness in which a person is so immersed in a given activity, their focus narrows and their sense of time shifts. It’s also reminiscent of what happens during meditation except with hypnotherapy the client is in a deeper state to tap in to the subconscious programs or beliefs that are causing disruptive behaviors or patterns.

In this deep state of focus and relaxation …

• Your conscious mind is quieted
• You’re able to tap into the part of your brain where your thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, sensations, emotions, memory and behaviors originate
• You’re more open to gentle guidance to help you modify or replace the unconscious thoughts that are driving your current behavior