It is illegal to show the process of hypnosis on
television and nothing you have seen on TV (with a very few exceptions)
is likely to have had anything much to do with hypnotherapy.
The
various trance states of hypnotherapy have more in common with the
focused meditative states found in some religions or the "zone" of top
sports people than "stage hypnotism" which is much more about people
being given permission to be the centre of attention in public. It has
no therapeutic applications!
Real
hypnosis has clinical applications in terms of pain control in surgery,
demonstrating its measurable power. Those who are interested can see a video of a colleague of mine using hypnosis to allow someone to have surgery without an anaesthetic.
In
other cases hypnosis can reduce anaesthetic use and hospital time thus
reducing recovery time in dentistry, child birth and even eye-surgery.
Despite
its power hypnosis cannot be used to manipulate you into doing things
that are against your wishes, you will not be asleep, unaware or
otherwise "out of it" during hypnosis. Some people report a somewhat
daydream like quality, many report feeling very alert and focussed yet
relaxed with the normal insistent external voices and demands of life
silenced for a change so the person can focus on themselves.
It is about helping you achieve the kind of directed state that allows you to achieve your goals.
Can Anyone be Hypnotised?
Trance states are entered naturally by everyone every day.
If
you have ever found the time has just flown by when enjoying something,
lost in the moment, then you have been in a light trance.
If
you have ever got home and just suddenly realised that you are
desperate to use the loo and therefore must have been suppressing this
pain for some time then you have used a light trance to block pain.
Hypnosis
is the process of inducing trance states, with the permission of the
one being hypnotised, to achieve an agreed therapeutic goal. Anyone who
allows this to happen can have it happen. Just as you cannot be forced
to learn how to swim you cannot be forced to be hypnotised. It is a
thing that you allow to happen to you.