FAQ

No. Anyone who is not a willing participant or actively resists hypnosis cannot be hypnotized. Additionally, if you are drunk (i.e. more than just a beer or glass of wine) or have an IQ of less than 70, hypnosis will not work.

No. You cannot be made to do anything against your will. More importantly, an ethical hypnotist would not dream of doing such a thing. In a clinical setting, the focus is on your goals – and that is all that will be addressed.

This confusion mainly comes from people’s experiences with stage hypnosis shows. By going up on stage, you’re agreeing to follow the performing hypnotist’s suggestions; it’s your decision in that moment.

While stage and clinical hypnosis use some of the same techniques, they have very different goals, and you cannot be made to do anything you do not agree to or are not willing to do.

Similarly, you cannot be made to reveal any deep secrets while in hypnosis. You are fully aware, and if you don’t want to talk about something, the hypnotist cannot force you to do so. In fact, you could even lie to the hypnotist if you wanted – but why would you when you’re here for help? This reality is why courts will not accept the testimony of someone who is in hypnosis.

Not at all. Everyone can be hypnotized if they choose to be, and it has nothing to do with the strength of your mind. In fact, choosing to employ hypnosis to address life challenges is a positive decision that demonstrates your willingness to address issues and improve your life – a decision that comes from personal strength!

The truth is, each human being experiences some kind of hypnotic state every day. For example, if you’ve ever driven to work and can’t remember how you got there, you were in a hypnotic state; you know the route so well, you can focus your mind to other things while driving.

When you imagine something, create an image in your mind, or daydream, these are also hypnotic states.

No. While you are in a deeply relaxed state, you are also an active participant at all times and remain aware of and responsive to your environment.

No, you are not in a trance and you cannot get stuck there. You are simply in a deeply relaxed state while remaining aware of everything around you, including any noises like a car horn honking as well as the hypnotist’s voice.

Every once in a while, a client will not come out of hypnosis immediately. This is usually because they are enjoying the relaxing state so much that they don’t want to come out! All it takes is a few gentle prompts from the hypnotist to ‘bring you back’.

Some people have expressed fears that they will not be able to come out of hypnosis without the aid of their hypnotist. This is also not true. The worst thing that could happen is you would just go to sleep and wake up on your own when ready – but it would be your choice to do so, seeing as you can ‘come back’ any time you choose.

Related are fears that if there were a fire or some other kind of emergency, you would not be aware of it or be able to come out of your hypnotic state.  Not true.  Remember – you are aware at all times of what is going on around you. If a fire broke out or another emergency occurred, you would immediately come out of your hypnotic state and respond appropriately to the situation.

No. In fact, your willingness and ability to focus on the hypnotist’s voice is a key element of your success. In some sessions, you will be asked to respond to questions under hypnosis, and you would definitely need to be able to hear the hypnotist in that case!