Myths of Hypnosis
Hypnosis is surely one of the most misunderstood sciences in the world. This is mainly due to a misunderstanding of the concept and of course to public perception created by stage and television shows.
Although we tend to downplay the role of the stage hypnotist, as hypnotherapists we need to thank these performers for initiating quick inductions into an hypnotic state.
The biggest myth in hypnosis is the belief that a client is "under" hypnosis or asleep and that the hypnotherapist is in control of the client. Nothing can be further from the truth. Hypnosis is merely the overriding of the critical factor of the conscious mind. During a hypnosis session the client will only do and say what he or she wants to. People can even lie under hypnosis. In hypnosis, the client will remember everything or almost everything said and done.
Another myth is that some people think they can not be hypnotised. Everybody can be hypnotised. Driving a car from point A to point B, there are times when we cannot recall every moment of how we got to point B. This is a form of hypnosis.
A further myth is the belief that a hypnotherapist can just snap their fingers and the client will be in a deep sleep. This is not technically correct. Hypnosis is a contract between the client and the hypnotherapist where the hypnotherapist will give the client instructions to follow to ensure the client will experience all the wonders of the sub conscious mind like relaxation, pain control, habit change, improvement in sport, stress control, etc.
There is also a very general belief that a hypnotherapist can "implant" long lasting suggestions in a client that is not to the benefit of the subject. This is NOT true! The hypnotherapist can only "implant" suggestions acceptable and believable to the client for the benefit of the client.
Thus, THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WILL ONLY ACCEPT SUGGESTIONS THAT WILL BE TO YOUR BENEFIT ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN STANDARDS AND BELIEFS.
