Hypnosis and Myths surrounding it
Nitin Shah
CEO @ ICHARS | Helping psychologists and coaches develop advance practitioners skills
When we talk about hypnosis we often tend to be either talking about the relaxed, focused, absorbed feelings associated with a ‘trance state’, or we tend to be talking about the interesting things people can do when hypnotised: such as not feeling pain, or experiencing hallucinations. Some scientists think that hypnosis is an ‘altered state of consciousness’ marked by changes in the way the brain functions. Others believe that hypnotised participants are actively motivated to behave in a hypnotic manner and are not simply passively responding to hypnotic suggestions. Therapists who use hypnosis sometimes talk about using hypnosis to access contents and resources of the unconscious / subconscious mind.
Like the story of the blind men and the elephant, it is possible that these explanations all describe different parts of the overall phenomenon of hypnosis.
Hypnosis is generally taken mean to the induction of a trance state. Although trance has connotations of glassy-eyed automatism, it simply means a focused state of attention. Attention can be focused externally, or it can be focused internally. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling of “losing yourself” in a book or movie. You are fully conscious, but you tune out most of the stimuli around you. You focus intently on the subject at hand, to the near exclusion of any other thought.
In this state, you are highly suggestible. That is, when the hypnotist tells you do something, you’ll probably embrace the idea completely. Its application is based solely on the relationship between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind, having no power to reason, accepts and acts upon any fact or suggestion given to it by the conscious mind.
However, the subject’s sense of safety and morality remain entrenched throughout the experience. A hypnotist can’t get you to do anything you don’t want to do.
Involuntariness: the classic suggestion effect in Hypnosis
Whether or not you believe that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, the key characteristic of hypnotic responding is involuntariness. This has been called the “classic suggestion effect” (Weitzenhoffer, 1980). As a hypnotic suggestion is carried out by a subject, the subjective experience is typically that the behaviour is happening all by itself, involuntarily. For example, if the suggestion is that the subject’s arm is rigid like a bar of iron, the classic hypnotic experience is that one’s arm has really become rigid, on its own: it is not experienced that one is deliberately holding one’s arm stiffly.
Myths & Misconceptions
Below we discuss the most common myths about hypnosis, and explain the truth behind them.
Myth 1: A hypnotist might turn you into a chicken or pull some other silly or embarrassing tricks on you.
A clinical hypnotherapist would never do this. This is confusing a stage hypnotist with a therapeutic or clinical hypnotherapist. A stage hypnotist will do this because that is what is expected of them. You agree to this by stepping on stage and joining the show. However you will easily return to your normal state at the end. In a clinical setting you only agree to the therapeutic goals for the session, so that is all that will occur.
It is important to remember that Stage and Clinical hypnosis are two very different disciplines, though both processes work because the subject / client is willing to support the hypnotist.
Myth 2: You must be weak minded if you can be hypnotised.
The truth is that everyone can be hypnotized. As a matter of fact, each one of us is using hypnosis in some form every single day of our lives either consciously or unconsciously.
We are experiencing some form of a trance-like hypnotic state each time we engage our imagination, each time we engage our emotions, each time our attention is focused upon our subjective experience.
Strength of mind really has little to do with it. Either a weak-minded or strong minded person who resists will make a poor hypnotic subject. On the other hand, a weak or strong-minded person who cooperates will be a good subject. However, because Hypnosis helps a person gain greater control over both mind and body, it can help a person develop a stronger mind.
Myth 3: You are asleep when in a hypnotic trance.
Many years ago hypnotherapists did use suggestions of ‘sleep’ when guiding someone into a hypnotic trance. However this is rarely done now as most hypnotherapists agree that this can confuse the subject as to what state of mind they are aiming to achieve. Most now use suggestions of deep relaxation rather than sleep. However the media seem to still continue to portray a very out-dated image of a hypnotist.
Myth 4: Hypnotists swing a watch in order to hypnotise a subject.
Hypnotherapists rarely do this, although it is one technique that can be used out of thousands of others. I personally do not do this as I wish to distance myself from the stereotype of a stern and sinister hypnotist, with a thin black moustache, wearing a tall dark hat, and a manic stare in his eyes. However I am happy to swing a watch if a subject specifically asks for this.
Myth 5: People sometimes become stuck in hypnosis.
This is simply not true, despite what the tabloid press occasionally claim. On rare occasions a subject may not come out of the trance straight away. This is usually because they are enjoying the relaxing state so much that they don’t want to come out. A few gentle prompts, such as threatening to charge double for a longer session, is always sufficient to wake them!
Myth 6: You will become stuck in hypnosis if something happens to the hypnotist.
Again this is not true. A person will eventually become bored and will just get up when they feel like it. The hypnotist holds no special power over the subject whatsoever. In fact a person can hypnotise themselves. This is called self-hypnosis, and they can wake themselves whenever they choose.
Myth 7: Hypnosis is dangerous in the event of a fire or another disaster.
A person in a hypnotic trance is just as aware, if not more so, of potential danger. If a fire broke out during a session, a person would easily come out of the trance and deal with the situation immediately, and in an appropriate way.
If you drive a car, then you might be able to understand what I am about to say. When driving we often slip into a trance, especially when we are driving routes that we often take, such as to and from work. We can slip into a trance and daydream, and barely remember the journey at all. Sometimes we may even wonder how we managed to get to our destination at all! Sound familiar? In the event of danger, we instantly snap out of this state and deal with the situation. In fact we probably deal with it quicker and more effectively as our minds do not have chance to ‘over think’ with the conscious mind and slow down the response
Myth 8: You are not hypnotised if you can hear the hypnotist.
This is also not true. Each person has a unique experience of hypnosis. Some people consciously hear the hypnotist, whereas others do not. This has no bearing on the success of the session whatsoever. It is usually down to choice. You can choose to allow your mind to drift away, or you can choose to listen carefully to what the hypnotherapist is saying. Some people simply cannot resist allowing their minds to drift away, as they gain so much relaxation pleasure from it.
Myth 9: You can be made to reveal your deepest secrets when in a hypnotic trance.
Since your mind is fully aware and awake during a hypnotic session, this is not possible. If you really do not want to talk about something then you are under no compulsion to do so. A person can easily lie and are more likely to be creative with the truth when in a hypnotic trance, which is why courts will not accept the testimony of witnesses who are in hypnosis.
Myth 10: Hypnotherapists have special powers.
It’s funny how even quite intelligent people sometime believe this! A hypnotist is a normal person who eats, sleeps, feels happy and sad, and loses their car keys. There is nothing special or magical about them at all. We have simply been trained, and have honed this training with experience, to help guide people into a hypnotic state.
A stage hypnotist may play on having ‘hypnotic powers’ in order to add excitement and drama to their shows, but they too will readily admit that they are simply using techniques that have been learnt and developed with practice and experience.
_
So there you go, hypnosis and hypnotherapy is not magical or mysterious when you know the true facts. It is simply a group of techniques for focusing the mind so that the unconscious can absorb pre-agreed suggestions, in order to facilitate change. However the reality has been bent and distorted by sensationalism. This is a pity because this can, and probably does, prevent many people, who would greatly benefit from hypnotherapy, from daring to try it for the first time.
I urge you to make a commitment and try hypnosis even once. It is perfectly safe so you have nothing to lose. If it is not for you, then simply disregard it. If hypnotherapy is for you, then you will have unlocked a whole world of possibilities for personal growth, change and improvement. Many people’s lives have been turned around with hypnosis. Don’t let this potential opportunity slip you by.
For Mental Health Practitioners (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Counselors, Coaches, Trainers...)
Learning to use hypnosis as a part of your therapeutic or training repertoire can help you in helping your clients and participants create a sustainable positive shift in their lives within a short duration of time.
Integrating Hypnosis with the processes and principles from Neuro Linguistic Programming, Life Coaching and Cognitive therapies can further enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
If you would like to learn to use Hypnosis, Neuro linguistic Programming, Coaching & elements of cognitive therapies in a integrated manner, do check out the course on Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching and Psychotherapy