About Hypnosis

Many people have questions about hypnosis – there are a lot of misconceptions about how it works. Here, I will try to clear up a few of them.

Hypnotism is a normal, relaxed state; you will not ‘feel’ hypnotised. What you will feel is similar to driving a car, or watching TV or doing something when you are so ‘in the moment’ that you don’t realise what else is going on around you. Because being hypnotised is actually a natural state, people have a feeling of familiarity when they are in a trance.

You will feel relaxed. Hypnotism helps you find a natural, relaxed state that you can imitate if you close your eyes and take a deep, calming breath. This is similar to the feeling you get when you are hypnotised.

You will not fall asleep. You will feel relaxed, but completely aware of everything that is happening.

You will not lose control; you cannot be made to do something that you don’t want to do when you are hypnotised. Nobody can say ‘when you wake up, act like a chicken’ and you will do it – unless you feel like clucking. Because the state of hypnosis is relaxation, we are able to communicate more easily with your subconscious mind and make ‘suggestions’. The suggestion to quit cigarettes is something that you need to be open to and accept.

You need to learn to go into a trance – as well as being natural, it is a learned state. For each stage of hypnotism there are several tests, and the more successful you are, the deeper the hypnotised state you can achieve. Most people can be hypnotised as long as they are willing, and if you are willing to accept the suggestion to quit smoking, that is what you will do.