Glasgow Hypnotherapy Frequently Asked Questions

As an experience Glasgow Hypnotherapist, I get asked all sorts of weird and wonderful questions about Hypnotherapy - here are some of my best answers:

1. Will I still be in control of myself?

This is what most people are afraid of. They are terrified that if they really submit to the relaxation of hypnosis and go fully into a trance like state that they will no longer be in control of themselves and can be easily controlled by the person that is hypnotising them.  But be assured that you are still fully in control of yourself when you are hypnotised. You are still conscious, but your conscious mind is extremely relaxed.  No one can take control of you and make you do stupid things while you’re hypnotised unless you allow it.

2. Am I surrendering my free will if I get hypnotised?

Absolutely not. When you are in a hypnotic state you are more aware and more focused on yourself then you are in a normal state. You are not giving up your free will or allowing anyone to turn you into a “zombie”  or a chicken.  Despite what you’ve seen in films hypnosis doesn’t make you the slave of the person hypnotising you.  The person hypnotising you also can’t make you fall in love or out of love with someone else, make you change any essential part of who you are, or do anything that you don’t want to do.  You are in full possession of all your faculties throughout the hypnosis session and you are not under a “spell” or in anyway under the direction of someone else. The things that you’ve seen on the tele or in stage shows where people get “hypnotised” and run around acting like chickens or saying silly words on command is not real hypnosis. You will never do anything while you are hypnotised that you wouldn’t do under normal circumstances.

3. Can I be hypnotised without my consent?

One of the most common frequently asked questions about hypnosis is “can I be hypnotised without my consent?”. It is an area of concern for a lot of people that don’t know a lot about hypnosis. But don’t worry, no one can hypnotise you without your consent. Hypnosis isn’t magic, it’s just a state of very deep relaxation.  If you don’t want to be hypnotized then you won’t be able to relax and you won’t enter a hypnotic state.  The process of entering a hypnotic state takes some time because it will take time for your body and mind to reach the deep relaxation that is necessary for hypnosis. You can stop the hypnosis session at any time during that process if you’re not comfortable or if you don’t want to be hypnotised. You’ve probably seen hypnosis done in films or on TV where the person doing the hypnotising snaps their fingers and the other person immediately falls into a trance and is incapable of doing anything but what they are told. That’s not how hypnosis works.

4. What happens if I can’t come out of hypnosis?

It’s physically impossible for that to happen, because you are not unconscious at any point during the hypnosis.  You will be in a deeply relaxed state but fully conscious and you can come out of that state at any time that you want to.  You can also come out of that state when given a verbal cue by the hypnotherapist. Sometimes when you get the verbal cue to come out of your hypnosis you may not want to because the relaxed state you are in feels so good.  When that happens it may take you a few minutes to return to your normal awareness but that is only because you want to stay in the relaxed state, not because you are being forced to stay in it or because you can’t come out of it on your own.  You are always in control, even when you are deep in a hypnotic state.

5. Can I hypnotise myself?

Yes you can hypnotise yourself, it could even be argued that all hypnosis is self hypnosis as you are in control of what you are doing.  You will need to learn the proper way to do it but once you’ve had some instruction it’s possible to hypnotise yourself.  Some people prefer self-hypnosis because they can relax easier on their own and in familiar surroundings. You can also hypnotise yourself between sessions with a hypnotherapist if you feel you need a little extra relaxation or a boost in your therapy.  When you’re using self-hypnosis though you aren’t getting the expertise and therapeutic help that you would be getting from a trained therapist so if you’re using hypnosis to help you deal with Anxiety, Depression, or psychological issues then you should probably see a professional therapist instead of relying on self- hypnosis.