Is hypnosis dangerous? Asking 16 Stupid Questions to a HypnotherapistWhat do you know about hypnosis? Do you consider yourself suggestible, are you afraid of street scammers, do you believe that a competent trance can save you from addiction or heal your inner pain? Many legends have long formed around this topic. To finally debunk all the myths, we asked 16 questions to a person who has long been successfully using this seemingly mysterious method in his own practice.1. Is hypnosis dangerous?—Hypnosis is a method, a direction in psychology that allows you to quickly and effectively solve many problems. If we talk about the techniques that psychologists use, it is not only not dangerous, but very useful. However, if we consider classical directive hypnosis, which was so popular, for example, in the 1980s (remember Anatoly Kashpirovsky), this method can be considered somewhat violent influence on the unconscious sphere of a person due to its non-ecological friendliness, with the subsequent creation of mass psychosis in the country, which was based on imitation and suggestibility. In this approach (both mass and individual), clear instructions are given on what should and should not be done, and sometimes all responsibility is removed from the person, which most people do not like to take upon themselves. But hypnosis always occurs with the voluntary consent of a person, conscious or not. Much more dangerous is that invisible hypnosis, manipulation and suggestions in our everyday life, which is often imposed on us by the media, advertising, and sometimes even by our loved ones. - The interesting thing is that classical hypnosis is completely amenable approximately 20-30% of people, the rest simply do not get involved in this state.2. They say that hypnosis can impair the functioning of certain parts of the brain, is this true? - Such myths arise against the backdrop of people's fear of being hypnotized and used for someone else's terrible purposes. This is largely why I practically do not use the word “hypnosis” in my practice because it carries a certain negative connotation for most people. Trance itself, if we talk about psychological methods, is already therapeutic. This process is similar to the stage of deep sleep, when a person relaxes, rests and recovers as much as possible. The only difference is that consciousness is not completely switched off. A person feels and understands everything, he is simply in a slightly altered state - something between sleep and wakefulness. And if we talk about parts of the brain, then, rather, on the contrary, hypnosis can and does directly improve their functioning.3. During hypnosis, can a person be inspired to do absolutely anything?— No, this is another one of the myths. Hypnosis is a voluntary collaboration, and if the hypnotherapist's attitude does not correspond to the person's values, then there will be a breakdown in rapport. Much also depends on the degree of hypnotizability of the person and his value system. When working in pop hypnosis with a large audience, people who are easily influenced are quickly identified by professionals. You just need to conduct several special tests for hypnotizability in the hall and, based on the reaction of the public, you can immediately identify viewers who belong to the 20-30% of highly hypnotizable individuals. It is indeed possible to inspire a lot of things in such people, but only if it corresponds to their internal ideas and beliefs. This is why myths arise that absolutely anything can be suggested to a person. They often ask: what about gypsy hypnosis? There is nothing easier than deceiving a person who wants to be deceived.4. Some people are afraid that thieves will approach them on the street, say two words and take all their money. Is such quick hypnosis possible?—Fast hypnosis is possible, but not in such a context. There is also more fear than reality here. And if we talk about street cases, then these are fiction and myths. The fact is that street swindlers are very good at identifying suggestible people using certain methods. Everything continues by attracting attention, asking questions or focusing a person’s attention on somethingintimately important things, for example, the health of loved ones, personal life, the future. Then adjustments are added, and if a person’s critical thinking is reduced, he is taken out of the state of internal balance, and then the “seers” and “fortune-tellers” begin suggestion based on fear (something needs to be done so that it doesn’t happen like this -this, or vice versa - for something good to happen). Afterwards, the swindlers ask for a reward for their prediction. And yet, if we talk about a deep, somnambulistic trance, in which you can be forced to take valuable things out of the apartment, this is already extremely difficult and this requires the maximum degree of suggestibility and the extreme degree of professionalism of the swindler. The higher your critical thinking is developed, the greater the protection from attacks on the conscious and unconscious parts of your mind.5. Who is more suggestible: women or men? - As a rule, women are more hypnotizable because they are more open and more inclined to trust. Men, on the other hand, usually rely on a complete analysis of what is happening: after all, we need to constantly keep everything under control. But the main factors are far from these, the main factor is human life. Sometimes the events that happened in our lives teach us to keep everything under control since childhood, regardless of gender and age. A person’s motivation is also important: the higher it is, the easier it is to put him into a trance. Based on my personal experience, I can say that it is easier to work with women.6. They say that during the day a person repeatedly falls into a state of short-term trance. Is this so? - Absolutely true. When you read a book, play sports, choose a dish from the menu in a cafe, drive a car, just walk down the street, lost in your thoughts - all these are the moments when the brain itself lowers its electrical fluctuations and you seem to reboot. According to statistics, We fall into similar trance states approximately 5 to 30 times a day. This is a natural property of our body, inherent in everyone from birth, which also suggests that hypnosis is not dangerous. The hypnotherapist simply becomes a person’s guide to this state. It helps you do what you already know how to do, but on an unconscious level, and gives you more opportunities in this state.7. Can anyone learn hypnosis, or is it necessary to have certain innate abilities?—In fact, there is nothing mysterious about hypnosis. Naturally, no superpowers are needed here. However, it is good for a person to be prone to empathy, understanding the feelings and emotions of other people and be able to tune in with them. Some people are more intuitive by nature, feel people better, while others apply the acquired knowledge superficially, in a formulaic way, without understanding the algorithm and mechanics their actions, without letting them pass through oneself. It’s the same here. You can explain to anyone what needs to be done to put a person into a trance, but not everyone will be able to repeat it quickly and easily. When a hypnotherapist conducts a session, he is actually partially immersed in an altered state with his client. If a person himself does not understand this state, does not know how to feel it, then it will be very difficult for him to work using this method.8. Why do some hypnotists need various attributes like a watch on a chain, shiny balls, and so on? - To fix a person’s attention. Focusing on one thing stops the flow of thoughts and helps the therapist get started. Such an item does not necessarily have to be something bright or shiny. Even a ficus leaf standing in the corner of the room will do. You just need to direct a person’s attention to some detail and ask him to try to focus on it. Try to fix your attention on one point right now. Then start counting from 100 to 0, and you yourself will feel what changes are happening inside.9. Is it possible to recover from addictions using hypnosis? - This is not my profile, and I rarely work with chemical addictions. And yet I can express my personal opinion on this issue. Often a person takes from his addictionsomething he lacks in everyday life. For example - relaxation, lightness, and so on. The need for relaxation arises when there is some tension that cannot be relieved without, say, alcohol. Tension is a consequence of one of the unexpressed negative emotions: fear, resentment, anger, guilt. This is the core of the problem. With the help of hypnosis, you can identify this core and then work with the original source of addiction. As for coding, this is classic hypnosis, but it works not with the cause, but with the effect. Suggestion is usually carried out on the basis of fear, for example: “If you drink a glass, you will feel very bad.” To some extent this method works. But the percentage of returning to addiction after a while is too high. From my point of view, this is imposing your will on another without finding the root of the problem.10. Is it possible to relieve pain with the help of hypnosis? - Of course, such work is carried out both with psychosomatic pain, that is, when pain is the body’s response to psychological discomfort, and physiological. In several European countries, operations are performed in which hypnosis is used as anesthesia.11. Is it possible to remove stuttering? - If it is acquired, then yes. Since this is still the same psychosomatics, muscle spasms due to psychological trauma.12. Does hypnosis have contraindications? - Yes, it is schizophrenia, bipolar disorder... Any condition with a component of delirium will be a contraindication. In my practice, I came across people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Believe me, completely different methods of work are needed there.13. Is it possible to work with children using hypnosis? - It all depends on age. Teenagers tend to have a high degree of hypnotizability. As for children, you can start at the age of 8-10, from the time when the cerebral cortex is sufficiently formed. When working with children, fairytale therapy and visualization using hypnotic phrases are mainly used.14. Why did you personally decide to choose hypnosis as one of the methods of work?— In my practice, I have always put the quality and efficiency of my work first. I am confused by the long periods of therapy. In some areas, the psychologist and the client spend 3-5 years just getting to know each other and finding out the cause of the problem. That is, it turns out that you need to devote a significant part of your life to solving this problem. But why, when there is a way to help a person much faster? Hypnosis allows you to work precisely, more focused and purposefully. This is an excellent tool for identifying the core of a problem and working more effectively specifically on its cause and elimination. - In addition, hypnosis is an excellent way to obtain a resource, additional vital energy. I repeat, with its help you can plunge a person into a state of deep relaxation and recovery, as after a full sleep or rest.15. Do you yourself succumb to hypnosis? - Of course, because I know and understand well how much it can qualitatively improve my life. And if I have any questions that I would like to find answers to, then I use a hypnosis session on my own or with the help of my supervisor (psychological consultant).16. Which of the cases related to hypnosis do you consider the most unusual in your practice? - Despite the simplicity of the request, for me, probably, one of the most unusual, interesting and successfully implemented tasks was related to the client’s desire to find out the exact time of his birth. After all, all the information that was present during our lives is recorded in our subconscious, and in fact we can return to any of the periods we have passed through. In my work, I am always interested in the client’s past. After all, we all come from childhood, but the experience of transporting a person at the moment of his birth was something new for me. I put the girl who came with this request into a trance. Helped her go through several key life events, and she managed to get to the very day she was born, and moreover, see the time of birth on the clock. Well, the most comical request in=27076