{"id":61158,"date":"2018-12-03T19:56:47","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T03:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=61158"},"modified":"2018-12-05T20:29:10","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T04:29:10","slug":"hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>Hypnosis is a technique that is both widely used and controversial. Many see it as a form of stage entertainment. True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments &#8211; from anxiety and depression to chronic pain. To help you gain a deeper understanding of hypnosis, let\u2019s look at how it works and unpick some of its misconceptions.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is hypnosis?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bps.org.uk\/downloadfile.cfm?file_uuid=A7AF6617-1143-DFD0-7E14-10B42D589040&amp;ext=pdf\">British Psychological Society (BPS)<\/a> defines hypnosis as an interaction between a \u2018hypnotist\u2019 and a \u2018subject\u2019. Your therapist (hypnotist) will attempt to influence you (subject) by means of suggestions. By giving you instructions, the end goal is to change your feelings, behaviour, thinking or perception. You can also perform self-hypnosis, that is after you have received the proper instructions and training.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How does it work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A hypnotist is far removed from the stereotype you see in movies. They are not armed with special powers and won\u2019t put you under their spell and at their complete mercy. In fact, for a hypnotist (or hypnotherapist) putting a person under hypnosis involves training and deep knowledge of psychology and the human psyche in order to develop the special skills needed.<\/p>\n<p>Contrary to popular belief, you won\u2019t enter a sleep-like trance when you\u2019re hypnotised. Instead, you\u2019re in a state in which you have:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Highly focused attention<\/li>\n<li>Heightened suggestibility<\/li>\n<li>Vivid fantasies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People under hypnosis may appear sleepy or zoned-out but that\u2019s not true. They are intensely aware. A trained therapist can put you under a hypnotic state by using visualisation and verbal repetition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What does it feel like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While under hypnosis session, you\u2019ll feel a sense of deep relaxation with your attention focused on the suggestions of the therapist (British Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis). This is a relaxation technique that gives you time to reflect and resolve the issues that trouble you. While science can\u2019t give a definite explanation as to how hypnosis works, the medical community acknowledges its results.<\/p>\n<h3>It\u2019s also true that you can\u2019t get hypnotised if you don\u2019t want to. In order for hypnotherapy to work, you should approach the session with an open mind and willingness to face the problem. In addition, there are no physical risks involved during the session. Even during under hypnosis, you\u2019re still under control.<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Theory about hypnosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>According to the Hilgard\u2019s \u2018dissociation theory\u2019, people who were hypnotised experienced a split consciousness. One follows the hypnotist\u2019s suggestions. The other self, however, disassociates from the hypnotist and remains consciously aware.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Effects of hypnosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Not everyone reacts to hypnosis in the same way.\u00a0 People who got hypnotised gave various reports like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A sense of detachment<\/li>\n<li>Extreme relaxation<\/li>\n<li>Some are unaware of their actions<\/li>\n<li>Others are fully aware and can still talk to other people while under hypnosis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Still, hypnosis can alter one\u2019s perception. Research shows that people under hypnosis were able to be instructed to not feel pain. Even if their arm is placed in a bucket of ice water, they would not respond to the cold, whereas the expected normal reaction would be to instantly pull their arm out.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Conditions that hypnosis treats<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Psychologists use hypnotherapy to treat patients with a number of ailments. People <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hypnosispractice.co.uk\/depression\/\">consider hypnosis<\/a> for a variety of reasons. Many who suffer from either chronic and anxiety pains use hypnosis for pain relief. Others turn to hypnotherapy to change or improve their behaviour. These include people who want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lose weight<\/li>\n<li>Quit smoking<\/li>\n<li>Stop bed-wetting<\/li>\n<li>Get rid of their addiction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hypnotherapy is also used to treat a number of medical conditions including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anxiety and depression<\/li>\n<li>Relieving the symptoms of dementia<\/li>\n<li>Dealing with chronic pain<\/li>\n<li>Helping people with ADHD<\/li>\n<li>Reducing nausea and vomiting experienced by cancer patients during chemotherapy<\/li>\n<li>Improving the skin conditions against warts or psoriasis<\/li>\n<li>Easing the suffering of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The possibility of getting <\/strong>hypnotised<\/h3>\n<p>We always come across people who believe that they would be impossible to be hypnotised. However, they could be wrong considering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only 10{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of adults are highly resistant to hypnosis.<\/li>\n<li>People who often engaged in fantasies find it easy to get hypnotised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Misconceptions about hypnosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Now that you learned about the benefits of hypnosis, it\u2019s time to correct some misconceptions about it, these include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>You will not remember a thing while under hypnosis (untrue).<\/strong> Admittedly, you can experience posthypnotic amnesia. This is a state where you forget certain things that happen before and during the hypnotherapy session. The effects, however, are only temporary and limited.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hypnosis is used to help people remember crimes that they witnessed (untrue).<\/strong> Unfortunately, you can\u2019t enhance your memory through hypnotherapy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Getting hypnotised against your will (untrue).<\/strong> In every session, you need to volunteer, to get hypnotised.<\/li>\n<li><strong>People under the influence of hypnosis can improve their athletic performance (untrue).<\/strong> You cannot use hypnotherapy to make yourself stronger or faster beyond your current physical abilities. On the other hand, it can enhance your performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>What happens during a hypnotherapy session?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Firstly, tell your hypnotherapist what you want to achieve during the session. They will then explain the procedure they will carry out, which usually starts something like this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Being taken into a deep and relaxed state.<\/li>\n<li>You are then led to your desired goal. For example, getting \u2018suggestions\u2019 to quit smoking.<\/li>\n<li>Once the session is near the end, you\u2019ll slowly come out from the trance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>How to choose a suitable hypnotherapist<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you wish to use the services of a hypnotherapist, this is what to look for, to ensure you find the best specialist to treat your needs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aside from a hypnotherapy certification, choose someone who also has a medical background. This means a doctor, psychologist or counsellor.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re suffering from a mental ailment or serious condition, choose someone who is familiar with your condition.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re choosing a therapist for your child, pick one who has worked with children before.<\/li>\n<li>See if the therapist is registered with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These tips are important because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hypnotherapy\/\">UK hypnotherapists<\/a> are not required to do any specific training under the law. This means that anyone is free to offer hypnotherapy.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Leigh Adley is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist\/psychotherapist based in Milton Keynes.\u00a0 Her site, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hypnosispractice.co.uk\/\">Set Your Mind Free<\/a> aims to help people get rid of their unwanted habits or addictions.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Resources:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/what-is-hypnosis-2795921\">https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/what-is-hypnosis-2795921<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hypnotherapy\/\">https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hypnotherapy\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hypnotherapy\/\">https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/hypnotherapy\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmihealthcare.co.uk\/health-matters\/health-and-wellbeing\/does-hypnotherapy-work\">https:\/\/www.bmihealthcare.co.uk\/health-matters\/health-and-wellbeing\/does-hypnotherapy-work<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hypnosis is a technique that is both widely used and controversial. Many see it as a form of stage entertainment. True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13668,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[62,74,66,4629],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-04T03:56:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-12-06T04:29:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SetYourMindFree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/\",\"name\":\"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-04T03:56:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-12-06T04:29:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c939831529f07b1b4eb80bbd42024bdd\"},\"description\":\"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c939831529f07b1b4eb80bbd42024bdd\",\"name\":\"SetYourMindFree\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/657eae82b94bbc89a6410c10f9bf359b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/657eae82b94bbc89a6410c10f9bf359b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SetYourMindFree\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/setyourmindfree\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?","description":"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?","og_description":"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2018-12-04T03:56:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-12-06T04:29:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SetYourMindFree","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/","name":"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-12-04T03:56:47+00:00","dateModified":"2018-12-06T04:29:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c939831529f07b1b4eb80bbd42024bdd"},"description":"True hypnosis, however, is very different and has valuable medical and therapeutic benefits, providing effective treatment to a variety of ailments","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/hypnosis-whats-fact-and-whats-fiction\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hypnosis \u2013 what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction?"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c939831529f07b1b4eb80bbd42024bdd","name":"SetYourMindFree","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/657eae82b94bbc89a6410c10f9bf359b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/657eae82b94bbc89a6410c10f9bf359b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SetYourMindFree"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/setyourmindfree\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61158"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13668"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}