5 Myths of Hypnosis…Part One

5 Common Myths and Misconceptions About Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy is gaining ground in the personal performance field as a way for people to improve every aspect of their life. From enhanced sports performance where a miniscule improvement can make a big difference, to a struggling actor “nailing” the big audition, hypnosis is proving itself time and again as a tool for powerful change.

The health and wellness arena is also gaining an increasing respect and appreciation for hypnotherapy; as clients are learning how to better care for their bodies, reduce pain and reverse seemingly intractable medical conditions. In my work as part of the therapeutic team of New Visions Medical Clinic in Beverly Hills, we are seeing people experiencing changes in bodily function, pain perception and increased flexibility and movement…all by using the power of their mind.

After working in this field for a while now, I’ve to the conclusion there isn’t an area of life in which hypnosis can’t make a wonderful difference. Having said all this though, some people still have some misconceptions about what happens in the hypnotic or trance state. In this edition of HypnoThoughts I will talk about the first two and next week we will dispel the final three!

Misconception #1- You Lose Consciousness in the Hypnotic State

Thanks to movies and hypnosis stage shows a popular misconception is that the person in the trance state loses consciousness and acts in a way that they normally wouldn’t. Usually when they “come back to themselves” they are mortified that they don’t remember a thing about their experience.

In hypnotherapy nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation and focused attention and you are an active participant in the whole process. In some ways it is similar to directed day-dreaming or meditation where you are focusing your mind like a laser to make the changes you want. My role as the hypnotherapist is to help you get into the trance state, and then use my experience, training and education to access the subconscious mind in ways that support the changes you want to experience. But in the journey that is hypnotherapy, you don’t lose anything…except the bad habits you want to drop or the weight you want to release!

Misconception #2- You Lose Control in the Hypnotic State

This next hypno-myth is similar to the first one in that people are afraid that they will totally loses control in the trance state. Again, we can largely lay this at the feet of the hypnosis-for-entertainment industry. Whether it’s on a stage in a high-school assembly or in a Las Vegas showroom, the hypnotist supposedly takes suggestible people into trance and then has them quack like ducks, experience sexual arousal or talk in a foreign language. While all this makes for great theatre, it can’t be farther from the truth in the hypnotherapy session.

In the hypnotic state you don’t lose control, as matter of fact, some studies suggest that you actually gain control as you begin to understand how your mind works and engage it to bring about the changes you want. Through the use of guided imagery, active imagination and interaction with bodily sensations, we access the subconscious mind and deprogram limiting beliefs and empower new, positive ones. Several hypnotherapeutic techniques have us actually talking to or otherwise engaging with the subconscious mind as it reveals its mysteries to us.

There is no way that an out-of-control mind could have the focus and attention that hypnotherapy requires, so you can rest assured that in the session you remain conscious and in control as we take the exciting journey to a new you! Book a session with me today, either in my beautiful Beverly Hills office or by Skype and you’ll see how your mind can quickly become your most powerful ally.

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