Myths around Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is often misunderstood and often surrounded by myths.

Some people imagine stage shows, losing control, being “put under," or having someone else take over their mind. But clinical hypnotherapy is very different from that. 

In therapy, hypnosis is usually a calm, focused state where you remain aware, involved, and in control. You are not asleep, and you are not being forced to do anything. It is more like being guided into a relaxed and attentive space where your mind and body can respond differently.

For some people, hypnotherapy can support anxiety, stress, fears, phobias, habits, confidence, and emotional patterns. It is not magic, and it is not a quick fix. But it can help people slow down, connect with themselves, and work with thoughts, feelings, images, memories, and body responses in a different way.

Another myth is that only “weak-minded” people can be hypnotised. In reality, hypnosis is not about weakness. It often involves focus, imagination, openness, and collaboration. The client is not passive, they are part of the process.

Hypnotherapy is also not only for stopping smoking or phobias. It can be used in different areas of emotional and physical wellbeing, depending on the person, the issue, and the training of the practitioner.

The evidence base is strongest in some areas and still developing in others. NCCIH notes evidence for gut-directed hypnotherapy in IBS, a growing evidence base for some pain conditions, promising but not conclusive evidence for anxiety linked to medical or dental procedures, and conflicting evidence for smoking cessation. 

NICE guidance also includes hypnotherapy as one possible psychological intervention for IBS when usual advice and medicines have not helped after a year. So perhaps hypnotherapy is not about being controlled.

Maybe it is about being supported to connect with yourself differently — safely, gently, and with curiosity.

Hypnotherapy is not magic or mind control. It is an evidence-informed therapeutic approach, with stronger evidence in some areas such as IBS and pain and a developing evidence base in others.

Further reading available from American Psychological Association, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/04/science-of-hypnosis

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/hypnosis

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg61/ifp/chapter/managing-irritable-bowel-syndrome