You have been hypnotized many times in the past without even recognizing the state. Hypnosis is the Alpha state of consciousness that we pass through every night as we fall asleep. And we pass through it again as we awaken in the morning.

WHO CAN BE PLACED IN HYPNOSIS?

Hypnotherapists have found that all normal people are hypnotizable to a greater or lesser extent. People with an I.Q. of under 70 generally are not able to be hypnotized. People who are in an active state of psychosis normally can't be hypnotized. Most senile people are difficult to hypnotize.

DO I HAVE TO BE A "DEEP" SUBJECT TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

For the restorative applications of hypnosis we most often deal with, depth of any kind is not required. A subject can be the lightest possible subject and still receive all of the benefits from hypnosis that the deepest subjects will obtain. I strongly feel that over the years, far too much importance has been placed on how deep a subject can go. If the client is deep, it can be of benefit. This however, may not necessarily be the case. In fact, with the latest hypnotic methods like Ericksonian hypnosis and state of the art "NLP" (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), depth is one of the least essential aspects, which contribute to a successful outcome.

ARE THERE ANY DANGERS IN SELF HYPNOSIS?

There are essentially no dangers to the practice of hypnosis. It is impossible to "get stuck" in hypnosis. The most terrible thing that can happen while a person is in self-hypnosis is that she might fall into a natural state of sleep for 20 or 30 minutes. She would wake up rested and no longer in a state of self hypnosis.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SELF-HYPNOSIS:

There are many misnomers about hypnosis. Most of them can be attributed to stage and TV shows. As luck would have it, it is because of the fact that the TV can hypnotize you that these misnomers are so strongly entrenched in people's minds.

IS SELF HYPNOSIS SLEEP?

The largest misconception about hypnosis is that it is sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are asleep, you are unconscious. If you are unconscious, you can't hear anything. If you can't hear anything, then the hypnotist can't help you. Hypnosis is a state of keen awareness. The subject is wide-awake and aware of everything around her.

IS THERE A HYPNOTIZED FEELING?

The second largest misconception is that there is a hypnotized feeling. There is no particular hypnotized feeling. Most people feel very relaxed when in a hypnotic state, as relaxation seems to be the essence of the state of hypnosis. Some people feel heavy. Some people feel light. Some people have other sensations and feelings. Other people have absolutely no feeling that they are in a state of hypnosis, and believe they haven't been hypnotized when they most definitely have.

CAN THE HYPNOTHERAPIST TAKE CONTROL OF ME?

NO! A hypnotist can't force you to do anything against your will. There is always an observing ego state. Should the therapist make a suggestion that is offensive to you; this ego state would reject the suggestion.

CAN THE HYPNOTHERAPIST MAKE ME DIVULGE ANY OF MY SECRETS?

You will not reveal any secrets while in hypnosis unless you want to do so. The hypnotist doesn't have any control over the subject. Quite the contrary, the subject has more control over herself since at this time she can directly communicate with her own unconscious. The subject can easily decline any suggestion the hypnotist makes, no matter how simple or complicated the suggestion might be. The subject can open her eyes, emerge from the state of self-hypnosis, and walk out of the room at any time she chooses.

MUST PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH WHEN IN THE HYPNOTIC STATE?

NO! People can lie when in hypnosis.

DO HYPNOTHERAPISTS HAVE SUPER NATURAL POWERS?

This is a common misnomer. The hypnotist doesn't have any special powers, nor does he have any special vibrations with which to propel you into the state of hypnosis. In reality, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist leads the subject into a state of self hypnosis. In other words, the ability of self-hypnosis is within the subject.

WHY DO PEOPLE FAIL TO REACH THEIR GOALS USING SELF HYPNOSIS?

Perhaps the principal reason for the failure to reach one's goals through hypnotherapy is an inadequate amount of practice where self-hypnosis is concerned.

The biggest reason for the return of a symptom or "relapse" is the premature discontinuance of hypnosis with the Hypnotherapist or recorded program. While self-hypnosis is important, it is generally the hetero-hypnosis with the hypnotist or hypnosis recording which has the greatest impact upon the unconscious.

This is because of the training and experience that the hypnotist has vs. the lack of training and experience of the client. Some people are penny wise and pound-foolish. They mentally set an amount of time or money that they are willing to spend for help. And then they prematurely abate their sessions because; "I didn't lose 50 Lbs. in two days, so it isn't working." Self-hypnosis should be an ongoing affair on a daily basis. Ultimately, YOUR SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU!

WILL I BE BETTER OFF HIRING A HYPNOTIST, OR WILL PURCHASING A RECORDED PROGRAM WORK BETTER?

That is a wonderful question. Normally I would recommend that you utilize the services of a reputable hypnotist. The reason is that by meeting with you, a good hypnotist / NLP'er will be able to customize his approach to your personality and your favored representational system -- the way you favor taking in information through the senses to make sense out of it and react to it.

In my opinion, ninety-nine percent of the recorded self hypnosis CDs available at this time are based on Traditional Hypnosis, and consist of only one or maybe two sessions of it at that. Traditional Hypnosis is nothing more than a set of direct post-hypnotic commands: "If you eat a brownie you'll barf." "You won't have urges," etc.. This technology has an exceptionally poor track record of success because the people in our generation have been taught to question everything. That's why you, your friends, and your kids usually do the opposite of what they are told to do. This is called a polarity response.

That being said, having sessions with any hypnotist / NLP'er who has enough experience to be able to actually help you can cost a great deal of money. There are some hypnotic programs that are based on Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that have overcome those shortcomings. They've managed this by using a mix of NLP, Traditional Hypnosis, Ericksonian Hypnosis, and the highly regarded Video Hypnosis technology.

These are all modalities that are designed to do away with the resistance factor. In fact, Video Hypnosis and the NLP technology that it's based on do not utilize post-hypnotic suggestions at all. They rely on using the thought processes that have created a problem, to eliminate it!

Look for companies that offer these methods in multi-session products. These are programs that generally have six to eight different hypnosis or NLP sessions, so you are exposed to a broad variety of techniques. It takes a lot of work to script and record this type of program, but the high success rates achieved are well worth the effort.

I recommend that you stay away from the "one size fits all" -- "do-or-die" hypnosis CDs and downloads. Many are attracted to these programs because they are inexpensive, usually under ten dollars. But is it cheap if it just wastes your valuable time and doesn't work?

If you purchase a program and it doesn't work, then you get mistrustful and start to expect the next approach to fail. And you get what you expect. Do you really think that the same exact post-hypnotic commands will work for everyone? Do you think that they will work for you? Do you as a rule do exactly as you are told? Or do you usually feel the desire to do the opposite of what you are told?