hypnotherapy demystified

Often when people enquire about Hypnotherapy I am amazed just how little they know about it before they call. For most people the only idea they have about what a Hypnotherapist does is based upon what they have seen with stage Hypnotists or in corny movies. In stage Hypnosis it appears that the Hypnotist only has to utter a suggestion to a “victim” and they will carry it out regardless how stupid it makes them look.  The truth about stage Hypnosis is that people who volunteer want to act daft and that is why they do so. You cannot make some body do something against there will in Hypnosis.

The question I get asked all the time is “why can’t you do it like the stage Hypnotists and just give me the suggestion that I forget I ever had the problem?” The answer is always the same; they can’t magic away persons problems and neither can I. I had a friend once who went on stage for a Hypnotic show and afterwards asked the Hypnotist to help her stop smoking. She quit for three days. The truth about Hypnosis is that it is not a magic trick; we cannot erase the past or wave away somebody’s problems. We can only help a person. Hypnotherapy is a treatment and not a “cure all”.

People who expect the quick fix will often feel cheated because the experience did not match their idea of what Hypnosis was like. This is because their idea was based upon fantasy and not reality. Quite often people ring me up desperately seeking a miracle cure expecting me to wave a magic wand and instantly remove a problem. These people have usually bought into the idea of stage Hypnosis style dramatic effect and are setting themselves up for a big disappointment.

The truth about Hypnotherapy is that it isn’t mysterious at all. Hypnosis is a very useful tool when used in conjunction with Psychotherapy and it usually helps to speed up the change process. It also helps people to change their negative perceptions about them selves and strengthens commitment and resolve. Hypnosis is extremely relaxing but at no time does a person go under. The word under is a media produced fallacy, which scares many people away from the positive benefits of Hypnosis. The media love to invent stories touting the power of Hypnosis and mind control.

Think about Hypnosis like this: Hypnosis is a tool when used in conjunction with the therapists professional expertise and a clients co-operation results can come by quicker and easier than traditional methods of treatment. It is only when a person lets go of the fantasy about Hypnosis that a real difference can occur. Hypnosis is not a cure all but in around 80% of cases it definitely makes a difference. I do hope that you don’t mind me being frank with you but I do believe in telling it as it is.