My new clients ask a lot of questions in their first sessions which I adore and one of the common questions is Hypnosis true and my answer is yes with a butt.

True means fact or reality so hypnosis is true, yes, as it is a fact and part of science, but it works with alternate realities in order to help you make changes. if we want to get technical we can say hypnosis is not part of reality but the results are real and the science is real.

Let me explain further

Is hypnosis scientifically Proven

Yes, Hypnosis is scientifically proven. In one example from 2012, Dr. David Spiegel on Brain Biology of Hypnosis part 1 youtube video talks about how hypnotizable someone is and includes some pretty cool images of the brain lighting up during hypnosis. It’s a bit dry so if you want to skip to the brain bit skip to the 2.57 min mark.

What do hypnosis and hypnotherapy mean?

Hypnosis is a state of consciousness, you’re neither ‘awake’ or ‘asleep’ rather, you’re simply in a state where the part of your brain that is responsible for your habits and behaviors is open for suggestion or change and Hypnotherapy is the use of Hypnosis in a therapeutic setting.

How does it work

When a Hypnotherapist helps you go into hypnosis they use certain words to help you first relax and slow down, focus your attention and associate or disassociate with your body to induce hypnosis.  Then you are taken deeper into this hypnosis state until your mind is open for the changes you seek.

It’s like turning off all the noise around you and having a portal to your mind.

Why does it work

Hypnosis works because it works with your mind and your wants and needs. It focuses your attention and lights up the parts of the brain responsible for the habit or behavior you would like to change.  Think the ‘law of attraction’ or ‘the placebo effect’ we have control over our lives more than we realize.

Here’s another example

Say you want to buy a Mercedes, you jump online and do a bit of research, you imagine what it would be like to get that Mercedes.  Next thing you know when you are out driving you to see Mercedes everywhere!

Hypnosis works because that’s how our minds work normally, hypnosis just helps you get there faster.

Hypnotic language

A hypnotherapist is not just saying any old thing to you.  It may seem like its all common words but the words are put together in a way that your mind is used to and can understand but also in a way that would cause the least amount of resistance.

How long has this Hypnosis business been around

Some say Hypnosis dates back to Egyptian days and eastern cultures have centuries-old practices that are a very similar feeling to the hypnotic experiences we encounter. The earliest documented was A Persian Physician Avincenna was the first to document the characteristics of the ‘trance’ state in 1027. In those days hypnosis was rarely used and wasn’t really introduced again until the 18^th century by Franz Mesmer but that’s a whole other blog post on Franzy and his shenanigans

But there’s more

See if Hypnotherapy is right for you, try before you buy.

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What has Hypnosis been used for?

Hypnosis has been used over the years for entertainment, experiments on woman with hysteria, anesthesia, pain relief, curing disease, mental disorders and most commonly known for weight loss, quit smoking, anxiety, fears, sexual dysfunction, addiction, and phobias but the list goes on, there are virtually no limits on the benefits of hypnosis or hypnotherapy

What scientific studies are there?

There are a lot but considering it’s centuries-old really not enough and there are mixed results some are extremely high results and some are not very good results, its all a bit iffy and wafty.

Here’s the problem with scientific studies.  There are 3 factors that will change your results dramatically.

1. The skill of the hypnotherapist
2. Participants willingness to change
3. The quality of the ‘script’ that is used during the session

None of the studies talk about any of these factors.  Imagine the person doesn’t go into trance or didn’t want to change or what they said during the session was just basics.  

Let’s break down why this is important

The skill of the hypnotherapist

If you have a hypnotherapist that does not know how to put someone into a trance or even be able to read the signs that someone is in a trance or able to put a less hypnotizable client into a trance, then your whole study goes out the window before it starts.  You have to hypnotize the clients in order to see if the study works and I question this process.  I would like to see details of evidence that they put someone in trance.

The participant’s willingness to change

If for example you want to quit smoking but love it, you want to quit, but only if someone can make magic happen… then it’s more likely not going to work.  If a client really doesn’t want to change then they won’t.  Hypnotherapy works with YOUR mind and its not magic so I’m guessing the participants that come along to these things could possibly be fence sitters when it comes to quitting.

I ask a lot of questions before clients get to sit in my chair and If I feel they are not ready I let them know.

Quality of the script

If you get someone in trance and they are willing then what you do next is a pass or fail and in my experience, some hypnotherapist doesn’t know what to do with a hypnotized client so again, it’s a big question for me.

A script is a guide of things we hypnotherapist would need to say as a minimum or can be maximum detailed and complete hypnotherapy sessions.  Some of my most successful sessions I wrote and revised over and over and over making them more and more effective every time.  Most of it is said off the top of my head now but it’s complex and wordy so even I would refer to something I wrote and said thousands of times.  This script is golden, it is the hypnotherapist treasure chest of what works and what’s been improved on over the years.  My quit smoking script is now around 98% successful in one session but it wasn’t always that way.

An even playing field study

I would like to see a study conducted grading those that really want to change, showing brain activity, confirming someone was in trance, the skill and expertise of the hypnotherapist and them using the same script over and over with every client.

But in saying that, someone else script can be so much better than the trial so I would like to see researchers improve the method at least over time or even divulge what’s in the script. 

In my experience, the direct suggestion doesn’t really work on anyone other than those highly suggestible so the script is golden and I would ninja fight anyone trying to steal mine.

Karate chop!

Below are some randomly picked studies that you might want to go down the rabbit hole and try to figure out what the hell they are on about… I wish you well on your journey into Alice in Wonderland world journals and studies.

Other things to consider

Is Hypnosis Illegal

No, hypnosis is perfectly legal.  The only thing to consider is what qualifications some needs to have to perform hypnotherapy and this varies from country to country. See our post on Is Hypnosis illegal to find out what’s required in your world

How accurate is hypnosis?

Hypnosis can be very accurate, it all depends, on you or the skill of the hypnotherapist.  There are factors like; Your willingness to change, How much you trust the hypnotherapist, How open you are for Hypnotherapy, Your suggestibility rate.  The skill of the hypnotherapist and the quality of the ‘script’ or the hypnotic language used during your session.