Dispelling the myths of hypnotherapy
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Rosemary Powell, CMS, CHT, FNLP.
This is article No. 6 in a series. See previous The Loop newspaper issues for more information, education and inspiration in how Joyful Life Hypnotherapy can help you have the joyful life you deserve.
As a professional hypnotherapist, I've encountered many misconceptions about hypnotherapy. Today, let's dispel the myths. Let's tackle six of these misconceptions.
It's easy to form misconceptions about a practice most closely associated with the subject quacking like a duck upon the hypnotist snapping his fingers or an insane hypnotist forcing a victim to commit murders.
1. You don't have to be "mentally weak" to be hypnotized. The first myth about hypnotherapy is that to be hypnotized you must be weak minded. Every time we daydream, use our imagination, or take on a task with intense concentration, we enter a form of a hypnotic trance.
2. Hypnotized people maintain their free will. The old "quack like a duck" trope has led to the very popular misconception that patients surrender all control of themselves during a hypnotherapy session. On the contrary, a patient's mind is fully aware during a hypnotherapy session, and clients can pull themselves out of the trance-like state at any point during the session.
3. Hypnotized clients do not reveal deep secrets against their will. There's a myth that hypnotherapy can be used to manipulate clients to reveal facts about themselves that they ordinarily wouldn't – that is false. It is true that during hypnotherapy sessions, clients may learn things about themselves that they have previously forgotten or perhaps never consciously knew. This often assists them to discover a deeper understanding of actions, experiences and feelings that have been previously confusing to them. Clients reveal only what they are ready to learn about themselves during a hypnotherapy session.
4. The mind is extremely conscious during these treatments, and the client is not asleep or unconscious. No one is ever forced to share anything against their will. I have observed over 30 years, hundreds of sessions, that the subconscious mind has an amazing ability to censor what the client may not be ready to know.
5. Hypnotherapy is not a mystical practice. I hear, "Hypnotherapy is so Woo Woo" or, at the other end of the spectrum, that it's valid for use only as a treatment for weight loss or smoking cessation. Hypnotherapy is a clinical practice, just like any other form of psychotherapy, used to treat a wide variety of mental, physical and emotional issues. With the assistance of a professionally trained clinician, clients choose hypnotherapy as a powerful method to reach a trance-like state of heightened focus and concentration.
6. There's no proof that hypnotherapy works. There is abundant proof that hypnotherapy works! Many respected psychoanalysts, both historical and present-day, have successfully used the practice of hypnotherapy in their work. Its effectiveness has been proven again and again, and a variety of medical and scientific organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, British Medical Association and British Psychological Society have independently endorsed hypnotherapy as a valid form of treatment.
Rosemary Powell is a Certified Medical Support Clinical Hypnotherapist. American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. Masters in Counseling at Northern Arizona University. Registered Nurse for over 40 years. Facilitator Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Certified Practitioner Compassion Key. Joyful Life Hypnotherapy is Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.
Located at 116 S. Robinson St., Tehachapi. Serving in office or virtually worldwide.
Contact Rosemary Powell, CMS, CHT, FNLP at Joyful Life Hypnotherapy at (661) 238-9154 or rosemarypowell2352@outlook.com. Visit us at http://www.JoyfulLifeHypnotherapy.com.
