Myths and Misconceptions

You will not be giving up the control of your mind to the therapist. You are setting up a state within yourself where your conscious mind steps back to allow your own sub-conscious mind to have a voice. The therapist works with you in guiding you toward the outcome that you set during the interview. Your conscious mind and sub-conscious minds will not receive suggestions that are not aligned with your own internal values. You will not act on post-hypnotic suggestions which are not in keeping with your own desires.

Stage hypnotists are skilled in finding subjects who are looking for an excuse to quack like a duck. They are usually aided by the consumption of alcohol in the casinos, nightclubs and cruise ships where you find these entertainers. If you would not like to quack like a duck, then no one can make you do so under hypnosis.

Most hypnosis is done under a light state of trance. In most cases you will retain conscious memory of everything that happens under trance. Only when you have complete trust and rapport with your therapist will you be able to access the deepest states of hypnotic trance that would be necessary for anesthesia for example. It is my belief and experience, and that of other therapists and researchers as well, that even in these cases, you will retain the memory of what transpires under trance, if you chose to access it.

Hypnosis is not a magic wand. It is a tool that can be used to support your own intentions and effort. People who want the therapist to do all the work for them have a misguided understanding of the process.