Let me start this post by saying this about hypnosis:
Hypnosis is a very common state and you drift in and out of it many times per day.
Are you shocked? Did you imagine hypnotic states were something associated with men in black capes waving pocket watches around, whilst telling their clients they were under their spell and to stop smoking immediately, or risk being made to cluck like a chicken for the rest of their life?
Have you ever driven for a period of time and suddenly realized you can’t remember passing through the previous town or even how you got to be where you were?
What about being so engrossed in an activity that you lost all track of time? I don’t mean you think you have been doing whatever it is for twenty minutes and it turns out to be thirty, but you ‘lose’ two or even three hours?
Ask a kid that plays video games if they have ever done that? I can guarantee the answer will be yes.
That is hypnosis, or the trance state as it is also called.
People often talk about trance being an altered state of consciousness, and in many respects it is. However, meditating alters your state of consciousness as does being sleep deprived and drinking vast quantities of alcohol.
Therefore, I’m not sure how useful expressions like ‘altered state of consciousness’ are when they have some people imagining grinning hippies in loin cloths, dancing in slow motion to Jethro Tull at the Burning Man Festival.
I am going to ask you a few questions and see if you know the answers. Don’t peek down below and spoil the fun, see how much you know about hypnosis or whether you are wrapped up in some of the myths. I will then answer each one in turn
- There is a danger that if a fire broke out or a real emergency whilst hypnotized, the subject would be unable to respond
- Hypnotherapists can get you to tell them intimate details about yourself and do things against your will
- Hypnosis has been used to preform major surgery without anesthesia
- People have stayed stuck in hypnosis for long periods of time
- Really intelligent people can’t be hypnotized
- Good hypnotherapists can hypnotize anybody
- Good hypnotherapists can hypnotize some people against their will
- You have only been in a deep trance if you can’t remember what happened
- Hypnotherapy can make quit smoking overnight
- Brownson has used hypnotic language patterns in this post and I now feel compelled to hire him, or at least send him a large sack of cash.
1. There is a danger that if a fire broke out or a genuine emergency whilst hypnotized, the subject would be unable to respond:
Think about those occasions when you slipped into a trance whilst you were driving. Can you remember a time when you had to break hard or swerve for some reason? My guess is, if you can, you were somewhat shaken up and a bit confused about what happened, but you still dealt with it perfectly adequately even if you didn’t know how.
Even when you have shifted into a state where you conscious mind is not quite where you think it is, your unconscious mind is still very much on the case. If somebody were to shout ‘Fire!” whilst you were in a trance you would immediately return to a fully alert waking state.
2. Hypnotherapists can get you to tell them intimate details about yourself and do things against your will:
It’s an interesting concept and one that I’m sure would have produced some fascinating books from unscrupulous types, but it’s simply not true.
People will often back up this belief by pointing to stage hypnotists. The people that volunteer to go up on stage at such events are the kind of people that can’t wait to strip naked and jump into the local fountain after half a dozen tequilas. They are extroverts waiting to happen.
3. Hypnosis has been used to preform major surgery without anesthesia:
This is actually true. During World War One when anesthesia was often unavailable, numerous surgeries including amputations were undertaken using hypnosis. Nobody is quite sure if the patient doesn’t feel the pain, or whether the pain isn’t actually created in the first place. Either way, it is a better alternative than half a bottle of scotch and a piece of wood to bite on.
On a lesser scale, I have a friend that had four impacted wisdom teeth removed using hypnosis (they probably used some pliers too, but you know what I mean). Not only did he not feel pain, he also hardly bled.
4. People have stayed stuck in hypnosis for long periods of time:
There is only one recorded case of a person getting ‘stuck’ in hypnosis and it is this guy.
5. Hypnotherapy can make you quit smoking overnight:
It cannot make you do anything. If the will is there, hypnosis can be a very useful tool in helping smoking cessation. However, the desire and belief of the client is necessary. Also, it may work in one session for one client and take ten or more for another, depending on their abilities as a hypnotic subject.
6. Good hypnotherapists can hypnotize anybody
That is only true is the subject wants to be hypnotized or is completely unaware they are being hypnotozed. If somebody fights the process then it doesn’t matter how good the therapist is, it simply won’t work.
7. Good hypnotherapists can hypnotize some people against their will:
This is true. Bwahahahaha. Ok that’s a bit of a fib, it’s not totally true. Indeed some people can be influenced by unethical practitioners of hypnotic language and NLP, but it is doubtful they can be sent into a deep trance without wanting to. Doubtful, but probably not impossible under extreme conditions.
Again there is probably about a third of the population that can be influenced like this and it has to be said the practitioner has to be exceptionally good. The person coming off the seven day training course is much more likely to make a jackass of themselves stumbling over the words.
8. You have only been in a deep trance if you can’t remember what happened:
This is untrue. Having said that, it is very common for people to develop hypnosis amnesia. The work in (good) hypnotherapy is done with the unconscious mind and therefore the conscious mind is often busy doing other stuff and may not be noticing what is going on.
9. Really intelligent people can’t be hypnotized:
The ability to be hypnotized has nothing to do with intelligence. Really intelligent people are as susceptible to trance as anybody else. About a third of people are naturally very good at entering a trance state, but for those that aren’t, it can be taught. Probably the greatest hypnotherapist of all time, Milton H Erickson, spent as long as 400 hours teaching some people how to enter deep trance and subsequently got some astounding results.
10. Brownson has used hypnotic language patterns in this post and I now feel compelled to hire him or at least send him a large sack of cash:
This is true. You can e-mail me the cash or hire me by clicking here. I am full through early July, but you don’t mind that at all because you just want the best and you are prepared to wait as long as it takes.
Great hypnotherapists like my friend Michael Watson are brilliant story tellers and experts at getting to the unconscious mind and eliciting change with metaphors and advanced language. Unfortunately there are a lot of people running around waving three day certification certificates and claiming to be hypnotherapists. They’re not.
Hypnotherapy is a really cool tool and can help a lot of people. Like NLP, it’s not a cure all and it can’t do everything, but under certain situations (smoking, weight loss, changing habits, pain control etc) it is the most sensible route for many people. And best of all, it carries zero danger and I would throughly recommend you try it out even if it’s only for the experience.
So no fibbing, how many did you get right?
If you have any other questions about hypnotherapy, drop them in the comment area and I’ll do my best to answer.
By the way, if you live in the Orlando area and would like to learn hypnosis. Click here. I do NOT stand to make any money if you do sign up, but I do highly recommend this course over several weekends. In fact I did it myself a couple of years ago.
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I got a 100%! But then you are not surprised are you Tim! I have been toying with the idea of using hypnosis for anxiety management. Would you share with me and others what a person who is looking for a good hypnotist should look for as far as credentials and such? Thanks!
I do not remember how many I got right because I read the questions, then had to get up and by the time I read part 2 I pretty much decided what you said was what I said.
Do stage hypnotists get the same training as regular hypnotists?
I’m very curious about the efficacy of hypnosis on managing chronic pain but the person I have in mind to do it would be very unlikely to give it a try!
How do you know if you are very good at entering a trance state or not?
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@ Laurie – Not at all surprised. Here’s what I personally would look for:
Training of a minimum of 10 days initially and preferably a lot longer (It really is possible to get a certificate after a weekends course).
At least 3 years experience with ongoing education.
Lots of testimonials and also people you can speak to that have worked with the therapist.
Knowledgeable about Ericksonian hypnosis.
Preferably done NLP to Master Practitioner level.
Then when working with them I would shy away from anybody that didn’t do at least 45 minutes background work and started reading from a book of scripts. Lots of people do this btw.
It can be very helpful with anxiety and so can NLP which is why if you can get somebody that does both, so much the better.
@ Tracy – I almost included a part on stage hypnotists and how they work, but yeh, pretty much the same. Although the key to them being successful is lots of BS and confidence. I may do a follow up on that seeing as I’m short on guest posts ;-)
Hypnosis is brilliant at pain management, really, really brilliant. It does take practice though.
People who are good subjects are often (but not always) those that some people may see as gullible (which isn’t the case btw, but they will be suggestible), are good at zoning out and also at focusing intently.
Being in a state of trance or being conscious but unaware of the surrounding for a moment. Hmm. Similar to #1, I too was thinking of ordering one certain type of dish, only to verbally say another dish not knowing until the plate was served. Okay maybe un-related.
#3 for your friend is pretty amazing! The closest experience I had was that I had all 4 of mine removed in day 1 (bled and was in total pain after anesthesia wore off), only to mentally psyched myself to go for a huge buffet the very next day to all my friends and superiors’ surprise. :)
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Very informative post.
You certainly opened my eyes with this one, Tim. And as always, made me laugh out loud at least once.
Love your “myth-busting” approach to a much misunderstood, but often extremely beneficial practice/art.
But I have to move on now because…
My eyelids getting very, very heavy…
Mary Anne Fishers last blog post..How Doing, Being and Having More Could Be Screwing Up Your Life
Tim,
I like this post, lots of interesting information. With all of the confusion and myths, I would like to know if there’s any hard data to support this. I wonder about the physiological impact from hypnosis. What are the physical changes a person undergoes in a trance? I’d imagine it’s relaxing and would have benefits related to that. I’d also imagine that certain levels of sleep are reached and the brain would be functioning at different frequencies. What types of measurements are used to determine if a person is truly hypnotized? I think if it could be proven that the body is in fact physically altered (brain waves, heart rate, etc.) it might be easier to shatter these myths. Thoughts?
@ Daniel – To be fair what I forgot to say was he is a hypnotherpist himself, so did self-hypnosis!
@ Mary Anne – Quick send me some cash, you know you want to.
@ Ron – There is lots and lots of hard data regarding hypnosis, which bit in particular?
There is no such thing as being ‘truly hypnotized’ and that makes a lot of the results difficult to quantify as they can often be anecdotal and vary from person to.
Some people will say they just fell asleep, yet will wake up the instant the therapist counts down. Some people will remember nothing, others remember everything. Some will enter a catatonic state and others move and fidget. None of those really tell us much at all.
Heart rate tends to slow, but can also speed up, blood pressure even out by may also increase. Brain waves have been seen so slow way down similar to meditation, but they can go nuts too depending on the experience the recipient is undergoing.
I guess the results are all we have to go by and that makes them somewhat unreliable. However, we’re not talking about some ‘new age’ science that has treated a few thousand people, we have over two centuries worth of evidence across millions of people and that has to be worth something!
Whoever wrote this has never met Richard Bandler
@ Richard – Actually you’re right, I haven’t met Bandler.
I have friends who have though and some that have trained with him extensively.
I have also seen dozens of hours of his work on DVD and even VHS, listened to close on 100 hours of his seminars and read most of his books. I have also trained with his best friend John La Valle.
I’m curious, so which of the above do you think doesn’t apply to him?
@ Richard – On further reflection I may have not explained point 7 very well. Bandler could probably hypnotize a great many people conversationally without them knowing it. What I meant was, if they knew he was trying to hypnotize them and fought it, he’d not be able to get them into a trance. I doubt even he would argue with that.
@ Richard – It’s not you is it? ;-)
Hi Tim – I’ve used a few hypnosis CD’s and downloads and I find them really useful.
There’s one thing I’m wondering though. Some of them – especially the Paul McKenna ones have parts where he seems to be saying two different things at the same time.
Why does he do that? Is it subliminal messaging or something?
@ Cath – McKenna is a really good hypnotherapist imho. Not sure I care for the guy that much, but that’s beside the point.
If you can hear it, it isn’t subliminal.
What he is doing is using some junk logic and in the case you are referring to, confusion techniques. When the conscious mind gets confused two things happen. Information can get through to the unconscious without filtering from the conscious. Also, as with junk logic (words that don’t make literal sense) the conscious snatches at bits it understands and will attempt to follow commands.
It was a method that (I think) Bandler developed in the late 70’s or early 80’s.
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I’ve just started my hypnotherapy career and loving it. its unbelievable to see the change in people!
I would also suggest seeing a reputable Hypnotherapist for support with this.
An interesting article and good debate – sometimes you don’t need to understand how things works – but seeing is believing for many people that are open mi nded enough to give it a try