When you see a hypnotist on the TV they seem to be able to get people to fall under their control within seconds. Is this for real?’ Well… let me share a little secret of stage hypnotists…
(Click on the pic to watch the video version of this blog post)
I get asked about this all the time. So here’s my take on it:
There are a small percentage of people who are extremely easy to hypnotise. Part of a stage hypnotist’s preparation is to size up his audience and make sure he chooses the most suggestible subjects for his show.
You can think of that audience like a spectrum: there are the people who are desperate to get on that stage and make a fool of themselves; who will ‘fall under the spell’ within seconds, and then at the other end of the spectrum are the resistant, cynical people who stubbornly refuse to even participate.
If you’ve been to a stage hypnosis show, you’ll have noticed that they usually start with some little ‘games’ such as getting everyone to clasp their hands together and then pull them apart. Some people will get their hands ‘stuck’, and others won’t be affected at all.
The hypnotist will choose the people who have ‘passed’ those tests, invite them up on stage, and get them to do all kinds of silly things in the name of entertainment.
And this is one of the big differences between stage hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy. A hypnotherapist can’t choose only the easily suggestible people. They have to deal with the whole spectrum, even the really resistant ones.
The way I personally approach this in my practice is to adapt my style of hypnotherapy to suit each person. For some people, I keep it very light and interactive, so that they’re effectively guiding the process themselves. For others, I might be more directive and guide them into a deeper trance.
The great thing is, it doesn’t matter how deeply you feel you’ve gone into hypnosis – the process can work just as well even if you feel like you’ve remained totally conscious throughout it all.
I find hypnotherapy works amazingly well with issues such as anxiety, anger, rage, depression, and even relationship issues such as jealousy and insecurity.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to try hypnotherapy, but you’ve been a bit scared about the thought of falling under somebody’s spell, there’s honestly no need to worry. If you’d like to give it a try, get in touch to book a free consultation.
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