People always ask me if the hypnotherapy that I do is the same as what they’ve seen on stage or on TV and the answer is simply no! Also, I don’t swing a watch in front of your face to hypnotise you. There are many other questions that people ask about hypnotherapy, so I thought I’d cover a few of them here.
Many are concerned that they won’t be able to come around after being hypnotised. This isn’t something to worry about, you can’t get ‘stuck’ during trance (hypnosis) you are fully in control of your mind throughout this relaxation technique. Some clients may take a while to open their eyes once we finish but that’s simply because they are feeling very relaxed.
Equally, I’m not in control of your mind so I can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do. While it is true that during trance, we are more open to suggestions, if I did suggest something that clashed with your innate beliefs or values your brain would simply ignore it. So, what you see in a film where an assassin can be activated by a trigger word simply can’t happen in real life even if it does make for a good story.
I’m often asked if you can only need one session of hypnotherapy to solve an issue. Some therapists claim they can help a client in one session however once you understand how our brains work, it takes time and effort to retrain the brain. A specific phobia therapy can take 4 sessions, but other general therapy takes more sessions. Interestingly, stopping smoking is the only time that we would use a one-off session and that is essentially a double session as it takes anywhere between 90 mins to 2 hours. However, the client needs to be sufficiently motivated to want to stop, they shouldn’t be doing it because a family member wants them to do it. Trance helps to reinforce the client’s decisions, directing them towards smoking cessation.
Are there people that can’t be hypnotised? No, but I suppose that some think this is true as for stage hypnosis the stage entertainer is looking for people who they can quickly get into an instant hypnotic trance. The trance that we use doesn’t need to be instant, we guide clients into a relaxed state of focused attention and all clients will find that they relax during this process, a bit like day dreaming.
Another myth is that hypnotherapy is all about mind control. It’s not exactly that, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not in control of your mind during trance, I can’t make you do things you don’t want to do. What I can do for clients is help them to understand how our brains work so that they can learn how to essentially take control of their brains for themselves.
Is hypnotherapy only for people that want to give up smoking or have issues with their mental health? Yes, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help with both of those but that’s not all. It’s effective in dealing with other issues such as insomnia, sleeping too much, OCD, fears and phobias, low self-esteem and confidence. It can even help with sports performance.
So, what is the difference between Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) and just hypnosis? SFH includes talking therapy alongside hypnosis. The ‘therapy’ part includes understanding how our brains work and then helping a client identify their preferred future and steps on how to get them there. The hypnosis (trance) element works with the talking therapy allowing the client’s subconscious to work on what we have discussed without the intrusion of our busy thinking brain.
People also want to know if I use hypnosis to go back into their past. I don’t, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is all about looking to the future and finding solutions for the client, there isn’t any looking back into the past. Infact, people are often surprised that I don’t need them to talk about the problem that brought them to me in the first place!
Hopefully this has covered a few myths about hypnotherapy, and I’ve helped you to understand better how it can help people.