5 Fear Factors - Why we are scared of hypnotherapy!
Why we are scared of hypnotherapy - myths, stage hypnotists, & old wives' tales.
I recently went on a trip to Scotland staying with friends near Loch Lomond. Meeting a neighbour, she enquired into my profession. When I announced that I was a clinical hypnotherapist, she immediately recoiled, squirmed and cringed. You may have thought I had told her I was a murderer, or an evil scientist by trade. She then went onto say that even though she had heard how powerful and effective hypnotherapy can be for all manner of issues, ills, and ailments,it was a fear of the unknown, and the mysteriousness of hypnotherapy which led her to be 'afraid' of this 'thing' forever shrouded in mystery.
And so this conversation led to an interesting discussion with friends - who also said that they felt exactly the same. They explained that it was only through knowing me, and from previous chats we had had on the topic, that even my friends, people who otherwise shared similar world beliefs and views, that had led them to come to understand, appreciate, and even embrace these 'mysterious' phenomenon; Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy.
So why do we fear hypnotherapy?
And how can it be explained so that people can get passed the stereotypical viewpoints, and really get to understand, and thus benefit from this powerful treatment.
Here are the top 5 fear factors unravelled and explained;
1. Fear of the unknown...
Most of us fear what we don't know, and hypnotherapy is no exception. But in fact hypnosis and hypnotherapy are things not to be feared but instead to be appreciated and embraced. Being hypnotised, and being in a trance is simply being in a deeply relaxed state. All of us experience altered states and trance-like states every day of our lives. For example, when you relax infront of the TV, when driving a car on auto-pilot, and just before you fall asleep at night.
Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to guide people into a deeply relaxed state.
The therapeutic work carried out in this deeply relaxed state is called hypnotherapy.
When we are relaxed we are more conducive to heal & change - Fact!
2. Stage hypnotists and dancing like a chicken!!
Stage artists have really given hypnosis a bad name in the sense that people now associate this form of entertainment with hypnotherapy. Please know that these two things could not be more different. Of course there is nothing wrong with or harmful about stage hypnosis. It is simply entertainment! Like hypnotherapy, it is completely safe. However, it has a time and a place. And it is not the form which hypnotherapy takes. Hypnotherapy is used to relax people so that they can then heal, change, and transform their own lives using the power of their own subconscious mind.
3. Relaxation, sleep, or being controlled?
Most people think that when they are hypnotised they will feel uncomfortable, everything will be out of their control, they will be told what to do/think/feel, and they may be fast asleep - WRONG!!
None of these are correct.
In fact, you will feel completely relaxed at all times, (most people are disappointed when they are brought out of a trance as they enjoyed it that much, feeling so relaxed, that they want to stay there longer!!).
You are always in control. You can never be told what to do. Your subconscious mind always knows what is best for you, and so therefore will only allow you to do the things which are in your best interests.
Our subconscious mind accounts for 90% of our entire mind,and is our most powerful asset. Sadly it is the human being's most under-used resource!!