Common Questions about Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of focused awareness and concentration, where a person is more responsive than usual to suggestions made by the hypnotist. The hypnotic state is usually created by verbal guided relaxation techniques.

During hypnosis, the hypnotist guides their client through an inner experience and give them suggestions and ideas based on their goals. The hypnotist will use different forms of hypnosis along with teaching forms of self-directed neuroplasticity techniques to help you make automatic changes.  You remain aware of your surroundings and later remember what happened.

No, hypnosis is not the same as sleep. People under hypnosis remain awake and aware of their surroundings, while those who are asleep are unconscious. However, hypnosis and sleep share some similarities – both involve decreased peripheral awareness and increased response to suggestion. 

Most people can be hypnotized to some degree, though willingness and the ability to be hypnotized varies from person to person. Hypnotizability is influenced by factors like focus, imagination, openness to new experiences and trust in the hypnotist. People with severe mental disorders are generally not considered good candidates for hypnosis.

Hypnosis performed by a properly trained hypnotherapist is not dangerous. However, misuse of hypnosis or employing it irresponsibly could potentially be dangerous and unethical. As with many healing modalities, the competence and integrity of the practitioner are key.

No, the hypnotist cannot make you do anything against your will while under hypnosis. You remain in full control of your behavior and retain awareness of what you are doing. The hypnotist acts as a guide to help you focus internally and become more open to positive suggestions.

Hypnosis cannot force you to reveal truths against your will. However, hypnosis may make people more open to discussing memories and experiences they have hesitated to talk about in everyday consciousness. Even in this state, people remain capable of lying if they choose to do so.

Because of the nature of memory and the power of our creative mind, hypnosis is not a good tool to use to recall forgotten or repressed memories. Hypnosis can help some people recall forgotten or repressed memories, though memories “recovered” under hypnosis may be real, imagined, or a mixture of both. The reliability of hypnosis for recovering memories remains scientifically controversial.

At X-Factor Hypnosis, we do not use hypnosis to find a repressed memory or a lost item.

Hypnosis can help enhance memory in some cases, especially memory of procedures or learning. However, its effectiveness and reliability for memory enhancement are limited. For best results, hypnosis should be combined with other cognitive strategies like spaced repetition. 

Yes, hypnosis can help improve concentration for many people because the hypnotic state naturally involves focused and absorbed concentration. Hypnotic suggestions can specifically target strengthened attention skills.

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Research shows hypnosis can effectively reduce anxiety for many individuals. Hypnosis promotes relaxation, reframing of fears, new coping strategies and feelings of self-mastery which can lessen anxiety responses. Over a series of sessions, hypnosis helps create new neural pathways so that the challenges that used to bring up anxiety no longer affect you the same way.

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Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis techniques to promote positive behavioral and emotional changes. A hypnotherapist induces hypnosis and provides suggestions to help clients achieve goals like managing pain, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, overcoming fears or breaking habits.

Many high performers including entrepreneurs, actors, and athletes report improved performance through hypnosis. Hypnosis can help improve motivation, increase focus, reduce performance anxiety and instill visualization and other mental rehearsal techniques. 

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Hypnosis can enhance creative thinking, problem-solving and artistic expression for some individuals. The enhanced focus, imagination and access to the subconscious mind achieved through hypnosis can allow creative juices to flow more freely for some people.

Hypnosis is sometimes incorporated into spiritual practices to enhance meditation, promote feelings of inner peace, and access to mystical experiences. Powerful and meaningful spiritual experiences can be explored and the lessons learned through them spread across your life. Those spiritual experiences may originate through meditation, plant medicines, or many other modalities.

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A hypnotic suggestion is a verbal statement made by the hypnotist intended to produce a response, change thoughts or influence behavior in the hypnotized person. Suggestions may be direct (“You are feeling very relaxed”) or metaphorical (“Imagine yourself floating in the clouds”).

Yes, hypnotists often describe different levels or depths of hypnotic trance. Light hypnosis produces relaxation and heightened focus. A medium hypnotic state enhances responsiveness to suggestions. Deep hypnosis increases absorption in imagination and may induce amnesia afterward. There is no correlation between the depth of the feeling of a hypnotic trance and the results that a client receives.

It takes multiple sessions of hypnotherapy to achieve your desired results. Your hypnotherapist will spend time to understand your desires and goals and then work with you to create a series of sessions that take you there. A hypnotic session may include conversational hypnosis along with deep trance. Your hypnotist may teach you techniques to alter your state of mind and create a feeling of confidence or calm.