Television provided me with my first glimpse into the world of hypnosis. I saw zombie-like people, arms stretched out in front of them, walking and talking under the control of a mad man looking to do some bad things.
More realistic movies like "The Manchurian Candidate" further deepened my suspicion of this strange art. If it can be used in such evil ways, why doesn't somebody do something about it? I mean, it's still legal today.
Still, I was fascinated by hypnosis, even though I didn't fully understand it.
That is, until I became a hypnotherapist myself.
Here are what many people still believe about hypnosis:
1. People in hypnosis are under the control of the hypnotist.
This scares most people, and with good reason. Nobody wants to be turned into a zombie, their minds and bodies hijacked for some unknown purpose.
I know I wouldn't like that.
The good news, however, is that this is a myth. I know, it's convincing when you see people on TV under hypnosis making fools of themselves, but trust me, they're willing participants. If not, they wouldn't be doing that.
You might be thinking: Maybe they're just very suggestible.
To that, I say that I have been in hypnotic trances hundreds, if not thousands of times. I've been hypnotized by hypnotherapists of all kinds.
I know myself to be extremely suggestible.
Yet, if anybody were to put me in a trance and tell me to bark like a dog, I would either laugh at them or get up and walk away.
You see, the very first thing real hypnotherapists learn is that all hypnosis is self hypnosis.
Now, if I wanted an excuse to act foolish or to be on TV, hypnosis would provide me with an excellent one, much like being drunk.
You could always say, "I had no control; I was hypnotized."
This is the main reason people proudly proclaim to me, "I can't be hypnotized." They say it like it's a good thing. This leads to misconception number two.
2. Some people can't be hypnotized.
Again, this stems from ignorance about the nature of hypnosis. People want to believe that nobody can control them. It's true, you can't hypnotize an unwilling subject. But let me ask you a question.
Suppose you needed surgery, but were allergic to the anesthesia. What if using surgical hypnosis was your only option? Would you want to be hypnotized then?
I know I would.
My point here is that if you have a valid reason for wanting to be hypnotized, anybody can experience it. For some people, their emotional pain is so great, hypnosis offers the ultimate relief.
For others, obesity drives them to seek help in any way they can. Still other people recognize the fact that smoking cigarettes is killing them. Do you think that would be motivation to undergo hypnosis?
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