{"id":2181,"date":"2017-12-12T13:50:12","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T13:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/?p=2181"},"modified":"2022-09-14T14:03:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T13:03:29","slug":"hypnosis-myths-misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/hypnosis-myths-misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Hypnosis myths and misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\">There are many different hypnosis myths and misconceptions out there (also myths about hypnotherapy too), and some of them are more outrageous than others. Whether you\u2019re a layman, looking to learn more about hypnosis in general, or a hypnotherapist \/ hypnotist looking to brush up on your \u2018pre-talk\u2019, in this blog, we\u2019ll look at some of the popular hypnosis myths and whether they\u2019re true or false (and why).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The first (and arguably, the most widely believed) hypnosis myth is that <strong>\u201chypnosis is sleep\u201d <\/strong>and also that <strong>\u201chypnosis makes you black out \/ lose consciousness\u201d<\/strong>. Hypnosis is categorically not sleep, and is not a way of \u2018creating sleep on demand\u2019 (however, hypnotherapy can help people get to sleep better\u2026 but that\u2019s another thing entirely). Though, from outward appearances, it may look like people are \u2018going to sleep\u2019, the same can be said of any time when people close their eyes. The key thing here is the \u2018subjective experience\u2019 of the subject (what\u2019s happening in their head). Most people when hypnotised are highly focused and aware of what\u2019s going on around them, they do not black out or lose consciousness (&#8230;if they did, they wouldn\u2019t be able to respond to the hypnotist\u2019s \/ hypnotherapist\u2019s suggestions). So, although they may look relaxed and they may have their eyes closed, they are still consciously present, and could open their eyes at any point if they wanted to (but usually, they feel so good that they\u2019ll remain in the state of hypnosis until instructed otherwise).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Another popular myth is not wanting to <strong>\u201cget stuck in hypnosis\u201d<\/strong>. Lucky for you, this is impossible, it has never happened and never will happen, which means hypnotists will never be able to charge a huge ransom for \u2018waking people up\u2019\u2026 (damn it, lol). So, if you\u2019re hypnotised and the hypnotist stops talking for an extended period\u2026 and even if the hypnotist were to drop dead during the session like the hypnotist in the movie \u2018Officespace\u2019&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_89908\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AfZpEe7KIJ8?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/hypnotc.com&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8230;even if THAT happened, you would simply wake yourself up, all by yourself, because all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, it\u2019s a state of \u2018brainwaves\u2019\u2026 Getting stuck in hypnosis is about as likely as getting stuck in meditation\u2026 (not gonna happen)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Did you ever think that <strong>\u201chypnotists control people\u2019s minds\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201chypnosis requires total surrender of will\u201d<\/strong> or maybe even that <strong>\u201cyou are helpless in hypnosis\u201d <\/strong>and that<strong> \u201cyou can be made to do things you don\u2019t want to do\u201d<\/strong>? Well, if you did, you\u2019d be\u2026 wrong. Sorry! These hypnosis myths are really common, mainly due to inaccurate media portrayals of hypnosis, but know that you are always in control during hypnosis (whether for hypnotherapy or hypnotic entertainment). If a therapy session \u2018gets too much\u2019, you can choose to disengage or \u2018wake up\u2019 (\u2026but it\u2019s not sleep\u2026). If a stage hypnotist asked you to do something against your morals, you would either open your eyes and refuse, or just do nothing\u2026 You won\u2019t give out your bank details or any super deep, dark secrets\u2026 unless you want to that is! You are in control of your mind, a hypnotist or hypnotherapist is just a &#8216;facilitator&#8217;, someone who directs your thoughts in a certain way&#8230; but they&#8217;re YOUR thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u201cOnly weak minded people can go into hypnosis\u201d<\/strong> cry the people who (perhaps narcissistically, or perhaps hopefully) believe that they are above responding on a subconscious level to verbal <a href=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/create-hypnotic-suggestions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hypnotic suggestions<\/a> from a hypnotist \/ hypnotherapist. In actual fact, the reverse is true of this particular hypnosis myth; you actually need to be relatively intelligent in order to engage in the hypnosis process. If your IQ is too low, you will not be able to be hypnotised adequately.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2183\" src=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/stupid-dangerous-man-toaster-knife.jpg\" alt=\"stupid dangerous man toaster knife hypnosis myths can&#039;t be hypnotised\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/stupid-dangerous-man-toaster-knife.jpg 600w, https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/stupid-dangerous-man-toaster-knife-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/stupid-dangerous-man-toaster-knife-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Sure, if you\u2019re super smart and analytical, you may question or doubt the process (if you have no subjective experience of your own upon which to base your beliefs) and this doubt does not help the process to progress (seeing as all hypnosis is self hypnosis), but by no means does this mean you can\u2019t be hypnotised\u2026 You may be a fantastic hypnotic subject, but don\u2019t know it yet\u2026 You might just need to lighten up a bit and try something new. You never know, you might like it!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The next hypnosis myth that\u2019s worthy of a mention is <strong>\u201chypnosis is magic\u201d<\/strong> or in more religious circles; <strong>\u201chypnosis is the work of the devil!\u201d<\/strong> Some of the people who invoke the latter myth are equally condemning of meditation and visualisation too (make of that what you will), but all deities aside, hypnosis is a normal, natural state of mind. It\u2019s something that we all go through every day, when transitioning from awake to asleep, when daydreaming, imagining, drifting off\u2026 The ability to USE this state in order to help people make changes or to entertain crowds is certainly not a \u2018God given\u2019 talent (so to speak), and is something that is learned, studied and adapted over many years. Nobody is \u2018born a hypnotist\u2019, anybody could learn to do it (though that\u2019s not to say that some hypnotists and hypnotherapists are not more naturally proficient at it than others \u2013 we\u2019re all individuals after all).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u201cHypnosis isn\u2019t real\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 short answer for this one: yes it is, don\u2019t be silly (we\u2019d be out of a job if it wasn\u2019t).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">A common hypnotherapy myth is that <strong>\u201chypnotherapy can cure anything in one session\u201d <\/strong>and though SOMETIMES hypnotherapy can help to resolve an issue in one session, it is not always the case. Unfortunately, some hypnotherapists are guilty of spreading this myth, fluffing their over-inflated egos with the distorted idea that they can \u2018cure anything in less than an hour\u2019. These therapists tend to \u2018assume success\u2019 rather than, as in a normal therapeutic relationship, checking in with the client days \/ weeks after the session for updates. Those clients who are inevitably \u2018failures\u2019 after this seemingly magical single session, are relegated to the pile of clients who \u2018just weren\u2019t ready to change\u2019.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2184\" src=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/magic-lamp-wish-dream-fairy-wand-quote-not-ready-yet.jpg\" alt=\"magic lamp wish dream fairy wand quote not ready yet hypnosis hypnotherapy rapid change shift one session\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/magic-lamp-wish-dream-fairy-wand-quote-not-ready-yet.jpg 600w, https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/magic-lamp-wish-dream-fairy-wand-quote-not-ready-yet-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/magic-lamp-wish-dream-fairy-wand-quote-not-ready-yet-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Some clients \/ issues \/ goals require a lot more than 1 session, others don\u2019t. That\u2019s just the way it is. Also, on the specific wording of that myth; most (advertising standards-respecting) hypnotherapists don\u2019t offer \u201ccures\u201d, and instead offer amelioration of symptoms and modification of unhealthy beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Another hypnotherapy myth is that <strong>\u201cyou will have no memory of a hypnotherapy session\u201d<\/strong>\u2026 oooooh, scary right? So, the hypnotherapist will directly remove the last hour-or-so of your life\u2026 but wait\u2026 that sounds a bit farfetched, doesn\u2019t it? Well, yes. That\u2019s just because it is. People remember in different ways, so some people will recall the whole hypnotherapy session in full detail, others may recall parts, and some will remember barely anything (which is less common). You wouldn\u2019t remember every single detail of a movie\u00a0if you were asked about it afterwards, would you? You\u2019d probably be equally hard-pushed to remember every aspect of an hour-long conversation you had with a friend or colleague\u2026 so, why would hypnosis be any different? That said, some people DO spontaneously generate \u2018amnesia\u2019 on themselves during a hypnosis session and some hypnotherapists actively give suggestions for the client to forget what was said in the session (to stop them from trying to &#8216;unpick&#8217; what was covered). Either way, we know that we, as humans, are able to forget things on purpose (think \u2018repression\u2019), but some of us are better at it than others. So, even when amnesia is directly suggested, some people just won\u2019t be able to do it, and so will remember most of the hypnotherapy session.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The final myth that we hear in the hypnosis world (and one that is surprisingly common) is: <strong>\u201cYou\u2019re not going to make me cluck like a chicken, are you?\u201d<\/strong> \u2026this hypnosis myth still comes up, whether at a comedy hypnosis show, or even in a hypnotherapy office. No, a hypnotherapist will not make you think you\u2019re a chicken, because it\u2019s not a very useful therapy tool (unless you want to quit smoking &#8230;because not many chickens smoke, right?). Stage hypnotists are also unlikely to turn you into a chicken, simply because there are a lot of waaay funnier things that they could get you doing, things that are completely unrelated to any kind of clucking poultry. So, the chicken thing is over. Done to death\u2026 It\u2019s dead\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Deceased\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Bereft of life\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It\u2019s shuffled off this mortal coil\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It is an ex-chicken&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8230;or is it&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2185\" src=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/chicken-man-bird.jpg\" alt=\"chicken man bird hypnosis hypnotised hypnotist cluck\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/chicken-man-bird.jpg 400w, https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/chicken-man-bird-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">We hope this blog has been helpful, and if you have any questions relating to this blog or the subject of hypnosis myths, do please <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/contact-hypnotc-the-hypnotherapy-training-company\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">get in touch<\/a><\/strong>, because we\u2019re always happy to help!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>&#8211; written by the HypnoTC team<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different hypnosis myths and misconceptions out there (also myths about hypnotherapy too), and some of them are more outrageous than others. Whether you\u2019re a layman, looking to learn more about hypnosis in general, or a hypnotherapist \/ hypnotist looking to brush up on your \u2018pre-talk\u2019, in this blog, we\u2019ll look at some [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-2181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hypnotherapy-training","tag-hypnotc-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2181"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8427,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions\/8427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}