5 Myths about Hypnosis

What do you think of when you hear the word Hypnosis? Is it these weird people on a stage waving arms like wings and clucking like hens?

There are some common myths about hypnosis. Let’s talk about them.

My purpose is to show you that if you are not using special states of your mind, such as a hypnotic trance, you are missing out on your mind’s exceptional abilities.

Myth 1 – Being completely out of control

While most people fear losing control in hypnosis, it is in fact a means of enhancing mind-body control

David Spiegel, neurobiology professor at Stanford University

Many people are scared of hypnosis. They believe that the hypnotist will take complete control over them and make them do things they do not want or benefit from.

The idea probably comes from seeing the stage hypnosis and seeing people acting weirdly.

In practice, you remain in control all the time; you can leave the hypnotic state at any moment, for example, because you need to pee!

Another great hypnotist of out times, Freddy Jacquin sees clients as being already in trance: trance of being anxious, depressed, incapable, or not being able to quit smoking – and his task he sees in taking them out of that negative trance into a better one: trance of being calm, positive, capable, and being able to achieve their goals.

Some clients are worried about staying “stuck” in hypnosis and not being able to come out of it. But this has nothing to do with reality.

You cannot get stuck in hypnosis more or less than in a simple conversation.

Mike Mandel, Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy

Myth 2 – Being unconscious of what is happening

Some clients ask: “Will I remember what I experienced during hypnosis?”

Of course, you will! The state of hypnosis is quite opposite to unconsciousness – it is a state of high alertness and focus on the subject of the session.

You also stay very active in communicating with and answering your therapist’s questions, which are crucial to your understanding and healing.

Myth 3 – Having out-of-this-world experiences

Some clients expect supernatural experiences from hypnosis: “Can I take a quantum leap into a parallel universe and change things there?”

There is nothing supernatural about hypnosis!

Hypnosis has to do with a natural state of your mind. It is comparable with everyday-life experiences like a state of full immersion in observing a sunset, losing oneself in an exciting book, or a movie.

Hypnosis is also compared to a guided meditation in which suggestions are given, or visualizations are used that improve the state of your mind or health.

Myth 4 – “I cannot be hypnotized”

Some people claim: “I do not believe in hypnosis” or “No one can hypnotize me”.

Hypnosis is about giving yourself to and accepting certain suggestions. And the above statements are suggestions that became beliefs. So practically, they are nothing but great self-hypnosis!

Only you decide whether to accept or reject suggestions from anyone. And therefore, any hypnosis is in the end a self-hypnosis.

Myth 5 – “I was not hypnotized at all”

Clients often expect an extraordinary “out of body” experience, to be out of control, and not to remember anything.

Because their experience feels very natural, they may think they were not hypnotized at all. And you actually should not expect to feel hypnotised at all.

I had clients asking me, astonished: “What was it? We just talked but suddenly everything is different in my life!”

Why Hypnosis

You are surely aware that knowing what is good for you does not necessarily make you do it. Rational knowing does not make you change your thinking or behavior.

Smokers know that smoking is harmful but cannot quit smoking even if they want. Obese people know that overeating destroys their health, but they cannot stop it. Anxious people are unhappy but cannot stop their anxiety.

Your emotions and feeling-based beliefs will always be in the way of adopting a new way of thinking or behaving, even if this is in your very own interests.

For example, if you are upset and someone tells you not to be, it does not make you feel any less upset. But a good story, a metaphor, creating an emotional image in your mind, can cheer you up rather quickly.

With the help of hypnosis, you can bypass the limited, critical, logical, and resistant mind and achieve the changes that you want and need. This shifts easily and positively your state of mind, perception, and behavior.

When Hypnosis

Hypnosis has been proven to be effective for such purposes as:

• treating anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder,
• recovering from burnout
• elevating self-esteem, recovering from depression,
• alleviating physical pain related to surgeries, childbirth, or chronic pain,
• quitting smoking or stopping any other addiction,
• sustainable weight management,
• resolve sleep issues,

and much more (see the references for research studies below).

It has been shown that hypnosis substantially enhances treatment outcomes when combined with other therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), compared with CBT alone.

What is Hypnosis

Hypnosis involves a highly focused state of your mind that is highly responsive to suggestions.

Hypnosis itself is not a therapy. It is a tool you can use in therapy to achieve desired improvements in your mindset, mental health, and physical health.

Sharp and Stable Focus

Hypnosis is not sleep. Whatever sleep is, hypnosis is not… to put is succinctly, hypnosis is an altered state of attention which approaches peak concentration capacity.

Herbert Spiegel, an American psychiatrist who popularized therapeutic hypnosis as a mainstream medical treatment for patients suffering from pain, anxiety, and addictions

In a hypnotic trance, your mind is highly focused. You are not distracted by any thoughts but fully engaged in a specific topic of hypnosis.

Your awareness is dissociated from the immediate reality but focused on your past experiences or imagery.

Transformational hypnotherapy sessions last up to two hours. But the clients stay easily absorbed in the therapy process. They do not even notice how time passes.

Suggestibility

(Hypnosis is) a state of intensified attention and receptiveness, and an increased responsiveness to an idea or to a set of ideas.

Milton H. Erickson, an American psychiatrist, psychologist, and genius hypnotherapist

As already mentioned above, hypnosis is a state of suggestibility. This allows you to change your habit of thinking, feeling, and reacting.

The desired transformation happens fast because hypnosis dramatically enhances the ability of your brain to change (neuroplasticity). This is due to a calm and focused state of mind.

Enhanced Self-Control

Instead of allowing pain, anxiety, or other negative experiences to control you, hypnosis helps you to apply more control over your thoughts and perceptions.

One of my clients wrote to me once:

“I had several morning shifts in a row, got up every day extremely early, have not been sleeping enough, but kept listening to your (hypnotic) recording daily in my breaks at work. Amazingly, I feel good and am full of energy.”

Read about the possible side effects of hypnosis in a separate post here.

My Structured Hypnotherapy Approach

My hypnotherapy approach uses hypnosis, principles of psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Neuro-linguistic Programming, Parts Therapy in combination with other highly transformational modalities.

Hypnotherapy is highly effective. A structured program of just five sessions can be sufficient to resolve the psychological root cause of issues like anxiety and panick attacks, emotional eating, depression, or burnout, resolve old harmful emotional and behavioural patterns and create new ones allowing you to live a happier and more fulfilling life.

Conclusions

• There are some common misconceptions about hypnosis. Most of them are based on impressions from stage hypnosis but have nothing to do with clinical hypnosis.
• Hypnosis is a highly focused and suggestible state of your mind with enhanced control over your mind and body.
• Using hypnosis in therapy, like transformational hypnotherapy, makes it possible to achieve remarkable improvements in healing, your mental state, and achieve desired changes in your mindset.

Do not hesitate to let me know in the comments below if you have any other worries about being hypnotized!

Olga Willemsen, Ph.D. > Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist & Transformational Coach

Olga is the founder of New Empowered You, specializing in helping professionals break through complex weight-loss plateaus. With a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences, she blends a pragmatic, evidence-based mindset with advanced hypnotherapy.

A certified member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT), Olga is also trained in RTT, Neo-Ericksonian Hypnosis, and the Simpson Protocol. She helps clients worldwide update the mental “software” that governs their physical health.

Ready to stop the struggle?

Book a Free Discovery Call with Olga

References

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5. Keara E. Valentine, Leonard S. Milling, Lauren J. Clark & Caitlin L. Moriarty (2019) The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67:3, 336-363, DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2019.1613863
6. Kirsch, Montgomery, Sapirstein. Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 63(2), Apr 1995, 214-220
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