Is Hypnosis Wrong For Me?

The title of this article is intended to be at least a little bit funny but it is a serious question. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are probably right for you! However, there are situations where they may be the wrong solution or may not be the right solution yet. Let's look at some of these.

If you and your life are perfect in every way, if you have no challenges to overcome, if you are already the very best version of yourself and lead the best life possible to you, then rock on! You might enjoy stage or street hypnosis for entertainment but you obviously have no use for hypnotherapy.

What about the rest of us, however?

No Magic Wand

Hypnosis is not a magic wand. While far more things are possible than most people realize, it is a fact that hypnosis cannot perform the impossible. Some things cannot be done. Some things take more time or more effort than people are willing to give.

Impaired Brain Function

Almost everyone can be hypnotized (click here to read my article on that subject). Research shows that the state of hypnosis itself is a skill that can be taught and improved with practice. However, hypnosis works via perfectly normal brain functions. It cannot overcome impaired brain function, whether that is caused by a medical condition, some form of physical damage, or various drugs and other substances.

Psychosis

Hypnosis is almost certainly the wrong solution for people who experience delusions, hallucinations, or other so-called "psychotic" disorders. In some cases it can even make them worse because of the way hypnosis amplifies your imagination. I do not work with clients who experience these conditions.

Expecting to Fail

People who are filled with strong negative expectations about hypnosis, such as people who actively expect it to fail or who are only doing it to "prove that it doesn't work", are actually hypnotizing themselves. They want to fail, so they fail. It can be nearly impossible for a hypnotist to overcome that sort of self-inflicted damage. If you do not want to change, then hypnosis and hypnotherapy are not the right solution yet.

The Wrong Reasons for Change

Sometimes people turn to hypnosis and hypnotherapy for the wrong reasons. The most common "wrong reason" by far is an external motivation: changing for someone else. This just boils down to the nature of human relationships: sooner or later the other person disappoints or upsets you. When that happens your motivation flips and you can become self destructive to "pay them back". It doesn't make sense but it is human nature. You need internal motivations for change. You need to turn to hypnosis and hypnotherapy for you. Otherwise, even though it works for you, your motivation may flip and you could revert to your old behavior.

Secondary Gains

Finally, people who are unwilling to examine their motivations and what they "get" from their behaviors may have difficulty achieving long term success with hypnosis and hypnotherapy. The hypnotist does not need to know every detail of your life. There are even "content free" techniques where the hypnotist does not need to know any details at all. But you must be willing to explore these on a deeper level in order to avoid what we call "secondary gain". Everything you do ultimately has a positive intention behind it. At some point in your life it gave you something that you needed. If you are unwilling to examine that then you may leave yourself with an unmet need that will find another way to express itself. By far the best way to avoid this is to simply be honest and forthcoming with your hypnotist.

I hope this article helped you better understand whether hypnosis and hypnotherapy are the right solution for you.

Thanks for reading!