Dispelling the Myths

A brief history of Hypnosis?

• Hypnosis originated around the turn of the 18th century.  The originator was Franz Mezmer who had a travelling stage show helping people with illnesses and the likes.

• Around the same time as Mezmer was performing his stage shows and healing people, James Braid discovered that tiring the eyes of patients allowed them to drift into a trance like state.

• Emile Coue was a pharmacist around the turn of the 19th century who discovered the Placebo Effect thus realising the power of the mind's ability to heal and regenerate without pharmaceutical drugs.  Emile Coue also outlined the 3 laws of suggestion which Hypnotists and Hypnotherapists still use today to take people to their deep state of relaxation.

• Dr James Esdale was a surgeon around the 1840s who performed operations under hypnosis rather than anaesthetic.  His abilities were met with scepticism but have since been found to be real.

• Sigmund Freud "dabbled" with hypnosis, he wasn't very good at it but his endeavours linked hypnosis with the power of the mind,

• Milton Erickson in the mid 1900s realised that utilising indirect suggestion was far more powerful than direct commands.

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Do I fall asleep under Hypnosis?

Hypnosis was named after the Greek God of sleep (Hypnos) because people believed that those subjected to hypnosis were actually going to sleep.  The truth is that the person under hypnosis is really in an extremely deep state of relaxation.

During a session, a client may relax so much that they can fall into a restful sleep, if this happens then the Hypnotherapist dealing with that person can easily bring them back from sleep (simply by mentioning their name) and continue with the session.  If a person does fall asleep under hypnosis and is left there (we wouldn't do this) then they will awake naturally after a restful sleep with no ill effects whatsoever.

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Will you make me "Quack like a duck"?

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, this will not happen!

Hypnosis cannot make you do anything that your conscious or sub-consicious mind wouldn't do when fully awake.  Your personal morals and ethics restrict what you will and won't do under hypnosis.

Stage hypnotists select individuals with "loose" morals and/or ethics to perform with them.  The individuals on stage are selected for their potential lack of inhibitions through a process of checks during the preparation process they undergo.

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Will I tell you my deepest darkest secrets?

The simple answer is NO!

During hypnosis you are aware of what is being asked of you or suggested to you, YOU remain in full control.

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Can you make me do something I don't want to do?

Again, NO!

Hypnosis can only work on those individuals that want changes in their lives / lifestyles.  For example, if your partner wants you to quit smoking but you are not ready to do so then Clinical Hypnotherapy may not be for you.  In this situation, we can positively reinforce the benefits of quitting smoking so you may make the decision yourself that quitting is a good idea but until YOU decide that you want to change then you won't.

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Will I be asleep?

The simple answer to this is NO!

Under hypnosis you will be in a very deep relaxed state as though you were extremely relaxed on the sofa on an evening - have you ever missed a part of a TV programme as you were that relaxed that your "brain turns off"?  In this case, you have already experienced hypnosis.

Everyone goes into a natural state of hypnosis at least twice a day.  Each morning when you awake, just before you open your eyes you are aware of everything around you, this is a hypnotic state called "hypnopompic".  Also when you are about to drift off to sleep at night the same happens, you are aware of things around you just before you drift into a restful sleep, this is called a "hypnogogic" state.