What is Hypnosis? At Talking-Cure, clients often present with some fundamental misunderstandings of the process. Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy using hypnosis (Hypno-psychotherapy), are very safe, and often pleasant methods of dealing with issues such as smoking, depression, anxiety, weight loss and phobias or fears. Here I address some of the issues and dispel some of the more common misconceptions surrounding hypnosis:
One common mistake is the belief that hypnosis is caused by the ‘power’ of the hypnotherapist. This is simply not the case; the reality is that the hypnotist may direct the client’s experience, but only to the degree that the client allows it. Another is that only certain people can be hypnotised, again this is incorrect, there may be differences in response, but at Talking-Cure, I aim to make every client’s experience of hypnosis safe and pleasant.
You may have heard the myth that ‘anyone who can be hypnotised is weak minded’. All of us enter spontaneous states of hypnosis at times; it’s a perfectly natural occurrence, have you ever daydreamed? In fact, the client chooses whether to enter hypnosis, and indeed when. Once you have been in hypnosis, you can choose when and if you want to be there again.
The idea of saying or doing something against the will is something else that worries some clients. At Talking-Cure, the emphasis is on ethical and sensitive application of hypnosis. The UKCP and NSHP codes of ethical conduct are at the heart of this practice. It is important to ensure your therapist is fully qualified, as there are currently no regulations on hypnotherapy in the North West, or the UK as a whole.
Hypnosis, used properly by a qualified practitioner is a safe and effective method of aiding change, the goal is to encourage self-reliance and personal power, not dependence on the therapy, something which concerns some clients. Similarly, it is a myth that you can become ‘stuck in hypnosis’, the client controls the experience at all times, by choice.
In hypnotherapy, the client is not asleep; a level of awareness is ever-present. Even in deep hypnosis, the client remains oriented to the external environment to some degree, and therefore always safe and in control. At Talking-Cure I take these concerns very seriously, and if you have any questions just contact me, I’ll be more than happy to answer them.