Hypnopsis

Hypnosis and its subset, hypnotherapy, have always been steeped in misconceptions. Some consider them to be some type of magic while others refuse to even recognize their existence. Given below are some common beliefs prevalent about hypnosis, and the real facts behind them.


There is no mysticism or rituals involved in hypnosis. It is a very easy technique, which can be understood easily with the help of psychology and other scientific procedures. Even people who have witnessed hypnosis on others usually refuse to believe in it. They believe that the people who have been under hypnosis are mentally not strong enough to withstand the influence of the practitioner. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Even people with strong will power can fall under the charms of a specialist hypnosis practitioner.

Another myth is that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, which again is a serious misconception. A person under hypnosis does not get shut off from the external world, but stays completely conscious of the happenings around him. Hypnosis actually brings forth a state of complete relaxation characterized by a rise in levels of attentiveness, and this heightened sensitivity helps the subject to receive new inputs with considerable ease.

Some scientific discoveries have claimed that only about 5% of the population is capable of being hypnotized, which is the third myth on this list. Researchers have come up with this low result because they have made use of the same hypnosis procedure on all subjects without focusing on their individual traits. Hypnosis can't be oversimplified like that and works only if there are different methodologies for different characters.

People also tend to equate hypnosis to meditation. However, communication between the subject and the practitioner is indispensable in hypnosis, while meditation is like an appointment with the self without any communication involved. Similarly, a period of trance is also sometimes equated with hypnosis, which is not true. The individual doesn't interact to achieve a state of trance, whereas hypnosis is impossible without communication.
A sizeable number of people believe that it is not possible to bring about alterations in one's appearance and conduct through hypnosis training or hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is clearly not wizardry that it can transform the physique of a person just like that. But it can bring about an improvement in physical health by changing behavioural patterns like overeating and chain smoking by raising inspiration levels in an individual.
A common prevalent myth is that hypnosis can only be done by someone else on you. On the contrary, you can perform self hypnosis to reprogram your thoughts and mindset. Self hypnosis is quite similar to meditation but in reality, both are different in terms of implementation and mechanism. For instance, you can hypnotize yourself to think positively and be optimistic amidst tought challenges in life.

If an individual believes in all the misconceptions that exist regarding hypnotherapy and doesn't venture to participate in a hypnotic session, then he will himself burn the bridge to a better and healthier life.