FAQs
You are likely to have a lot of questions about hypnotherapy, and some of the most common are answered below. First, why not check out this reassuring video clip from the National Council for Hypnotherapy, in which a young woman talks about her experiences as a hypnotherapy client....
What Is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a focussed state of mind enetered into voluntarily, not unlike being deeply absorbed in a book or a TV programme. If you've ever driven home on a familiar route, only to realise, with a jolt possibly, that you cannot remember having actually done it? You were driving 'automatically' in a kind of a trance, without thinking about it at all.
The driving analogy is a nicely helpful one, because also, like when driving, if you become aware of anything that needs your attention (like brake lights coming on in the car in front when driving) when in hypnosis, you can easily open your eyes, re-engage with your your usual state of awareness, and react appropriately.
Can Anybody Be Hypnotised?
Nearly. Some people with very low intelligence (very), and some kinds of epileptics (due to the nature of their brains' electrical activity) don't seem to respond to hypnotism.
Some highly intelligent, highly analtyical individuals can seem, initially at least, unwilling or unable to engage, but usually succeed with practice, and with the reassuring understanding that quickly develops, that to be hypnotised does not mean to relinquish control.
Nearly everybody who wants to be hypnotised, can be, but it is a co-operative process, a collaboration between client and therapist, and those who wish to prove that 'nobody can hypnotise me' will have no difficulty in doing just that, though to what end is unclear.
Am I Under Your Control?
As indicated in the last answer, hypnnosis is a collaboration between the therapist and the client, and the client can withdraw their co-operation at any time, open their eyes and walk away. The reason they don't, of course, is because the hypnotic state is an enjoyably relaxing experience, and the therapist is saying some very helpful things, that in time will prove beneficial to the client, which the client usually recognises and understands.
What About Those Stage Shows Then?
The hypnotism is real in these shows, but the 'control' of the subjects is largely illusory, and the same dynamic as above exists between audience and performer.
The performer is lent 'authority' by his presence on stage, and the audience feels safe due to their
numbers, and the collective sense that 'they' wouldn't allow it if it wasn't safe. Therefore the audience trusts, and goes on to co-operate.
Where the shows are outlandish or obscene, and whilst acknowledging that the audience members wouldn't do anything outside of their value range, it is in our view difficult to accept that consent has been fully given by an informed participant, which in our view makes this kind of show unacceptable.
I fully support the position of the National Council for Hypnotherapy (see NCH in Links) in prohibiting it's members from participating in shows for entertainment.
What Does Hypnosis Feel Like?
Different things to different people, but some will feel very little, whilst others will feel profoundly relaxed, possibly experiencing heaviness, or lightness, of arms, legs, head, and/or hands, maybe with 'pins and needles'. Some will have no recollection of the process afterwards, others will remember everything, and most will be somewhere between those two.
Can I Get Stuck In Hypnosis?
There is an (inaccurate) idea that some people can't be roused from hypnosis, and one of Hypnotherapy's founders, Dave Elman, coined the 'Esdaile State', which he conjected affected 1 in 10,000 subjects, who would not come out of hypnosis on command, but always later came out of their own accord, sometimes hours later.
When asked why they hadn't come out of trance, they explained that they were very content where they were, and could see no reason to change matters!
Elman discovered that threatening to never hypnotise the clients again proved to be a very effective method of 'persuading' these clients to leave their hypnotic state!
It is probably the story of the Esdaile State, combined with the illusion of control within stage shows, that maintains the myth that it is possible to get stuck, but it categorically is not!
What Is Hypnotherapy?
At it's broadest stroke, hypnotherapy is a description of the way in which some therapy practitioners aim to help a client presenting with a problem to overcome that problem, using hypnosis as a part of their approach. Sometimes a very significant part, sometimes a smaller part, but still significant nevertheless, otherwise they would be unlikely to refer to their approach as Hypnotherapy.
The methodologies within hypnotherapy vary widely, as do opinions of their effectiveness, but terms you may hear include, not exclusively, analysis, pure analysis, regression, parts therapy, NLP, brief therapy, solution focussed therapy, abreaction, meridian therapy, emotional freedom technique/therapy (EFT).
What Sort Of therapist Are You?
I am a Solution Focussed Brief Therapist, which means that I use hypnotic techniques to allow my clients to discover what needs to be done with their lives to enable them to feel better. It is a method that acknowledges the clients' expertise in the field of their own lives, and is intended to be forward looking, very positive, and as brief as possible in nature. I do not employ analysis or regression.
Can I Hypnotise Myself?
Yes, and numerous courses exist to enable you to learn just that. It is generally acknowledged that you are best advised to experience hypnosis at the hands of a hypnotist, before embarking on a self hypnosis course, and of course, the two could be combined, one leading to the other.
Is Hypnotherapy Regulated?
No. At the moment, in theory, anybody could call themselves a hypnotherapist, and set up practice quite legally.
To avoid using an inadequately qualified or uninsured Hypnotherapist, you should check their credentials against their professional membership organisation/s, who will be happy to assist you, and also at the UKCHO, whcih is the co-ordinating body of the UK professional organisations. See links on this site.
There are currently moves towards Voluntary Self Regulation (VSR), but this remains some way
off, so use the professional organisations, and remember, to be registered with the UKCHO, it
is necessary to be properly qualified and insured.