Hypnosis Education Association
A Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation

One of the first things that a therapeutic hypnotist must do in order to establish rapport and trust is to clear up some of these misconceptions. Included here is a list of several false ideas that some clients may hold and which must be addressed. 

·        It is the power of the hypnotist that causes hypnosis to occur.

Many unethical hypnotists like to capitalize on this idea, yet hypnosis is a collaborate process that arises as the natural result of a special communication between two people. The idea that the hypnotist has some mystical “power” that causes hypnosis is disempowering to the client and contrary to the therapeutic process.  Some would say that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis” and that the hypnotist is simply a facilitator of the natural process. 

·        Some people can be hypnotized and others cannot

Because hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomena and we all go in and out of trance throughout the day, we know that it can be experienced by anyone.  The issue is more a matter of working cooperatively with the client and training them in hypnotic process.  If the client is willing to participate in the hypnotic experience, it is not a matter of whether the client can be hypnotized or not, but rather a question of how to best facilitate it.

·        You can be hypnotized to do things against your will

This is a commonly held idea that has it’s source in stage shows and other venues that capitalize on the “power” of the hypnotist. It’s worth noting that occasionally a similar issue is raised - “Can someone be hypnotized to do things they wouldn’t normally do?”  Of course, the answer to that question is “Yes” when you consider that the purpose of hypnosis is often to do things differently than we have done in the past. However it’s notable that these changes are not against the client’s Hilgard’s (1977) work at Stanford demonstrated a principle known as “The Hidden Observer” which indicates that there is part of the client which monitors the hypnotic process and which will protect them from responding in a manner that violates their ethical and moral standards.

·        You could get "stuck" in hypnosis

On rare occasions, a client may not choose to emerge from hypnosis as quickly as the hypnotist request emergence, and as a result this misconception has developed, but the hypnotized client always has the ability to come out of trance.  If, for example, the hypnotist simply left the room without completing the process, the client would wait for a while and then just naturally return to waking consciousness.

·        Under hypnosis you will always tell the truth and could even reveal personal secrets

You can lie under hypnosis just as easily as in the waking state.  In fact, as hypnosis gives you greater access to unconscious resources, you may even be able to tell more creative lies when in trance.

·        Highly intelligent people cannot be hypnotized

Studies have indicated that more intelligent individuals can enter hypnosis more easily and can make even better use of their trance experiences. 

·        You will be unconscious if you are hypnotized

Much therapeutic hypnosis is performed interactively with the client and the conscious attention is often involved.  On other occasions, a client may tend to “drift” away from time to time, but always retains the ability to pull the attention back.  This misconception is a statement of the fear that clients have of being  out of control and as such it is unfounded.  Once again, the “hidden observer” is aware and can attend to anything that might arise during the hypnotic session.

·        You will be relaxed if you are hypnotized

While in clinical practice relaxation is generally in integral part of the hypnotic experience, it is by no means a requirement of the trance state.  Hypnosis has been defined as a state of concentrated, focused attention and can be thought about in the same way as the experience of being “captivated” by a movie or a good book …. If these stories are stimulating (as in an involving action film or a compelling mystery), one might not be relaxed, yet the focused involvement could easily be described as a naturally occurring hypnotic state.

·        Hypnosis is therapy

This is a very common misconception.  The fact that one is in hypnosis, does not necessarily mean that the trance in therapeutic.  Hypnosis is a powerful tool that can be used as an adjunct to therapy.  Many hypnotists are capable of facilitating good trances, but with no therapeutic results.  When you are doing hypnotherapy, it’s important to remember that after the induction, something of therapeutic value needs top be done.  I often encounter lay hypnotists who seek additional training because, as they say, “I know how to perform an induction, but don’t know what to do next.”

·        Hypnosis can be used to recall historical events with great accuracy

There is a phenomena in hypnosis referred to as “hypermnesia” which implies an increased capacity to remember things that have happened in the past.  While there seems to be an increase in the vividness of the memory, the accuracy of the details are still open to question.  There has been great debate, especially in the forensic community about hypnotic memory and it’s use has been banned form legal proceedings in several states.  In therapy, however, the information recovered in age regression (revivification) or simply by asking the client to remember an event continues to be useful information as it reflect the client’s understanding of the situation being recalled.