By Meredith Vagner
“Unlearn that sinister learning that you think is so clear, deny that deadly knowledge you think you know.”
I know what you’re thinking: Hypnosis? Really? Yeah…I thought so too.
I don’t blame you if you’re skeptical about hypnosis. I fervently believed it was a plebian mind trick forced upon the unsuspecting, the naïve, the gullible. At least, I believed that until I experienced the practice for myself.
The caricatured portrayal of hypnosis in popular media is just that: a caricature. The visual of a shadowy figure holding a gleaming pocket watch on a gold chain in front of a complacent victim succumbing to the mesmerizing object’s powers (and thus losing all psychomotor function in an amnesia-producing trance) is a far cry from how hypnotherapy is used in medical and psychotherapeutic practices today. Even our most beloved Disney animated movies, like Aladdin, subtly blaspheme the cultural view of hypnosis by associating the practice with the central villain, Jafar, who uses his corrupted hypnotic superpower in the form of a staff to control his enemies. Our expectations of what hypnosis is and what we can achieve through it have been subtly primed over time, often through no fault of our own.
The truth is that hypnosis is merely a state of consciousness that involves focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion (G. R. Elkins et al., 2015). So, while hypnosis may appear taboo, if you have had any experience with meditation or mindfulness-based practices, you have likely experienced the same focused attention utilized in hypnosis yourself, despite marked differences in the practices. Moreover, if you’ve ever had a flow experience, that unique state of intense absorption in a task (playing the piano, painting, running, writing, etc.), there are parallels between that sense of absorption and the absorption you may experience in hypnosis (G. Elkins & Alldredge, 2024). Comparing hypnosis to the Mindfulness and Flow Experiences modules on the My Best Self 101 website can be a great way to deepen your knowledge on separate, but related, mind-body practices.
Hypnotherapy, which can be defined as the use of hypnosis to achieve a therapeutic outcome, has been used throughout history as a mind-body practice dedicated to the amelioration of medical and psychological ailments. Some of these ailments include physical and somatic pain, anxiety, hot flashes, addiction, trauma, obesity, insomnia, and more (G. Elkins & Alldredge, 2024; Geagea et al., 2023). By tapping into the autonomic nervous system, hypnosis and hypnotherapy can provide an individual with another integrative channel to healing. It should be mentioned that there is no required “issue” needed to experience the benefits of hypnosis. Hypnosis for relaxation is a great way to promote calmness and cognitively flexibility as you navigate the natural stressors of everyday life.
Now that you know some of the basics about the practice, I thought I would address three of the most common myths propagated about hypnosis.
Myth #1: People are either hypnotizable or they are not.
This is a false dichotomy. Hypnotizability is normally distributed across the population and refers to someone’s ability to experience suggested alterations in physiology, sensations, emotions, thoughts, or behavior during hypnosis (G. Elkins, 2021). It is not an either-or skill. While individuals may vary in their hypnotizability, even people who score “low” on one of the various hypnotizability estimation measures can benefit from hypnosis. This is true especially after repeated sessions over time with a licensed hypnotherapist. It is true that people who are more highly hypnotizable may respond more quickly to hypnosis interventions than those who are not, but that does not mean anyone is excluded from the practice. Also, to address my former bias, namely that people who are more hypnotizable are weak-minded, the opposite might be the case. Increased intelligence is positively correlated with hypnotizability! (G. Elkins & Alldredge, 2024).
Myth #2: Hypnosis is something that is done to you.
One of the biggest mental blocks I had to understanding hypnosis was the misconception that hypnosis is something that is done to me. I believed that someone else was in control. However, it turns out that hypnosis is a skill that can be obtained. It is a process you can learn to experience over time (G. Elkins & Alldredge, 2024). Whether you realize it or not, you have likely experienced the state of consciousnesses involving reduced peripheral awareness or focused attention, whether you knew it was akin to hypnosis (think: mindfulness meditation or a flow state). Hypnotherapists do not have any power over you. They are not magicians, but they can help facilitate hypnotic experiences for you. This is why self-hypnosis works: it is a skill to be learned over time rather than a passive practice inflicted upon someone.
Myth #3: You will forget everything that happened to you under hypnosis.
Reduced peripheral awareness does not mean eliminated peripheral awareness. Individuals in hypnotherapy can remember everything that occurs to them during hypnosis, and amnesia that occurs spontaneously during hypnosis is exceptionally rare. There are ways to induce amnesia hypnotically, but the person experiencing hypnosis is always in control and can breach that amnesia when informed to do so (Geagea et al., 2023). Furthermore, you will not become stuck in a sleep-like trance that affects your memory. While someone could theoretically fall asleep during hypnotherapy from having their eyes closed for a lengthy period, hypnosis does not produce a alternate sleep-like state of consciousness. Everyone experiencing hypnosis should remain awake and remember what happened to them during the session.
Therefore, while a lot of misconceptions exist around hypnosis, I encourage you to explore this incredible psychological tool. Incorporating it into your daily life can facilitate great positive change and personal flourishing. I hope you feel inspired to set aside half an hour and explore hypnosis for yourself. Let the experience be an empowering one!
“You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.”
Resources for more information on hypnosis, self-hypnosis apps, and experiences related to hypnosis:
American Psychological Division 30: Society of Psychological Hypnosis
https://www.apa.org/about/division/div30
Mindset Health
https://www.mindsethealth.com/hypnotherapy
Mesmerize
Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: What you need to know (Free on Kindle Unlimited)!
https://www.amazon.com/Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy-What-Need-Know/dp/B0DRDGVZLF
My Best Self:101 Flow Experiences
https://www.mybestself101.org/flow
My Best Self 101: Mindfulness
https://www.mybestself101.org/mindfulness
References
Elkins, G. (2021). Hypnotizability: Emerging Perspectives and Research. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 69(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2021.1836934
Elkins, G., & Alldredge, C. (2024). Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy: What you need to know. Mountain Pine Publishing.
Elkins, G. R., Barabasz, A. F., Council, J. R., & Spiegel, D. (2015). Advancing Research and Practice: The Revised APA Division 30 Definition of Hypnosis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207144.2014.961870
Geagea, D., Ogez, D., Kimble, R., & Tyack, Z. (2023). Demystifying hypnosis: Unravelling facts, exploring the historical roots of myths, and discerning what is hypnosis. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 52, 101776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101776