FAQ (Myths)

Q: Isn't hypnosis part of the occult or supernatural?
A: Absolutely not. Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of consciousness, just like waking, sleeping and dreaming. It is a purely natural manifestation of the powers of the human mind.
 
Q: Am I asleep during hypnosis?
A: No. You are awake during hypnosis. In fact, when focused inward, you have more awareness of what is going on inside of you.

Q: Aren't weak willed people better able to he hypnotized?
A: The best hypnotic subjects are persons with a strong will, and with intelligence above the average. Hypnotism actually has nothing to do with the will; it depends upon the imagination, a faculty which is vastly stronger than the will. Therefore, bright, imaginative people make the best subjects.
 
Q: Isn't is only a small percentage of people who can be hypnotized?
A: Over 90% of people can enter the state of hypnosis deeply enough to enjoy the benefits of hypnotherapy. Unlike "stage" hypnosis, which requires a different style or level of hypnosis that is achieved by a small percentage of people, hypnotherapy doesn't require you to do funny, amusing, or embarrassing things. In fact, hypnotherapy is used to help you stop doing the foolish things you've been doing like smoking, overeating, acting out of fear, etc. Some people respond more rapidly than others, but most people "other than those who are insane, too young to understand the language, and people who are intoxicated " can easily be hypnotized.
 
Q: Will I tell any secrets while I am in hypnosis?
A: Hypnosis is not a "truth serum." People in hypnosis do not reveal any intimate secrets they would not tell while in the waking state.  (One man called me because he wanted to bring his wife in. He thought she was cheating on him. If she won't tell him in the waking state, she won't tell him in hypnosis!)
 
Q: What if I cannot go into a deep trance?
A: There is no corrolation between the depth of trance and the effectiveness of results. Some people are very successful achieving their goals with the lightest of trances, and others may receive little or no benefit even from the deepest levels of hypnosis.
 
Q: What if I get stuck in hypnosis?
A: There is not the slightest danger of this. Left to yourself, you will either emerge from hypnosis into the waking state within minutes, or fall into ordinary sleep and then wake normally. How soon depends on the time of day. If you are hypnotized soon after breakfast you would probably wake within the hour. Hypnotised late at night, you would probably sleep through to your normal waking hour the next morning.
 
Q: I don't want to be hypnotized against my will.
A: You cannot be hypnotized against your will. Hypnosis is not a clash of wills. It is a condition of trust and cooperation between the client and hypnotherapist.

FALLACY: Hypnosis is dangerous.
FACT: An automobile is not in itself dangerous; food is not dangerous; tranquilizers are not dangerous. But, if misused those things can be dangerous. Hypnosis, when used properly by an experienced hypnotherapist, is perfectly safe. That's why it is a good idea to choose a hypnotherapist with which your are comfortable, and lets you know that you are always in control.
 
FALLACY: A person knows nothing when in hypnosis.
FACT: In most states of hypnosis, you are fully aware of what is being said or done. When aroused, you will remember every detail. You may even deny you were in hypnosis at all. After all, hypnotherapy is a process by which you will take back your own power - why would you want to forget that?
 
FALLACY: Orthodox medicine condemns hypnosis.
FACT: The American, Canadian, and British Medical Associations accept the therapeutic value of hypnosis. Hypnosis is being used in countless dentists' offices to produce drugless anesthesia without suffering or anxiety to the patient. Hypnosis is being used by many doctors and surgeons for many kind of operations, and for childbirth. Many orthodox psychologists and psychiatrists use hypnosis with their patients.
 
FALLACY: Very few people can hypnotise.
FACT: Any normally intelligent person could learn to hypnotise, but this does not mean that they have to aptitude for hypnotherapy. Just as some make better doctores than others, or better golfers, so some make better hypnotherapists than others. Moreover, success in this art, as in any other, demands intense study and years of practice. Not many people will pay the price of mastery.
 
FALLACY: The essence of hypnotism is that the operator's will dominates that of the subject.
FACT: There is no domination and no submission in hypnotism. The hypnotist actually helps people to release and express their own latent or hidden abilities.
 
FALLACY: A person can be hypnotized against his will.
FACT: For all practical purposes, a subject must consent to be hypnotised before he can be induced to enter that state.