Top 10 Common Myths or Misconceptions About Hypnosis
When we consider the incredible potential of Past Life Regression Therapy (PLRT) to help individuals overcome long-standing problems it’s akin to people who are suffering choosing to walk to their destination for days being skeptical about the safety of flight.
There is a whole multi-Billion dollar powerful mafias out there who wouldn’t want a low cost holistic healing modality like PLRT to get prevalent and added to main stream healing modality, along with this is also the unqualified quacks who practice it for monetary benefits defaming such a sacred modality and helping fuel the following myths.
As we discussed the following myths regarding PLRT or the Ericksonian Hypnosis that the Amarantos 15-Stage PLRT process uses.
Myth # 1: Some people can’t be hypnotized.
Fact: Contrary to popular belief, everyone has the inherent ability to be hypnotized. Hypnosis is a natural state that we experience daily during waking up, falling asleep, or when we become fully engrossed in a captivating movie or TV show. Hypnotizability may vary among individuals, but with the right approach and techniques, anyone can benefit from hypnosis.
Myth # 2: You can be hypnotized to do things against your will.
Fact: A skilled hypnosis practitioner merely guides and facilitates the process. During a hypnotic session, you remain fully aware and in control. The notion of being compelled to act against your will is derived from stage shows and theatrical performances, which sensationalize the power of the hypnotist. In reality, hypnosis cannot make you do anything that contradicts your ethical or moral standards.
Myth # 3: Under hypnosis, you will always tell the truth and reveal personal secrets.
Fact: While hypnosis can provide access to unconscious resources, it does not guarantee truthfulness. Just like in the waking state, you can lie under hypnosis. Furthermore, you have complete control over what you choose to reveal or conceal during a hypnotic session. Hypnosis is a tool that empowers individuals to explore their own thoughts and experiences without compromising their privacy.
Myth # 4: You won’t remember anything the hypnotist says.
Fact: People experience hypnosis differently. For some, it is a state of focused attention and heightened awareness of the hypnotist’s words. For others, it resembles daydreaming, with thoughts occasionally drifting. Both experiences are valid and effective, depending on personal style. Rest assured, whether your attention is fully focused or wandering, you can still benefit from hypnosis.
Myth # 5: A person can get stuck in a trance forever.
Fact: Hypnosis is a natural state that we enter and exit on a daily basis. There have been no reported cases of individuals being permanently stuck in a hypnotic trance. Trained hypnosis practitioners are well-versed in bringing clients out of hypnosis, and even if left alone, a person will naturally emerge from the trance state within minutes. Hypnosis is a safe and temporary state of altered consciousness.
Myth # 6: Intelligent people can’t be hypnotized.
Fact: On the contrary, studies suggest that individuals with above-average intelligence, strong concentration abilities, and vivid imaginations often make excellent subjects for hypnosis. Intelligence does not hinder the effectiveness of hypnosis; rather, it can enhance the experience by allowing individuals to engage fully in the therapeutic process.
Myth # 7: A person under hypnosis is asleep or unconscious.
Fact: Hypnosis is neither sleep nor unconsciousness, although it may appear that way from a physical perspective. While the body may experience relaxation, slowed breathing, and closed eyes, the individual undergoing hypnosis remains mentally alert and responsive. They can think, talk, and even move if necessary. Hypnosis allows for various levels of awareness, from deep relaxation to a dream-like state, depending on the individual.
Myth # 8: Hypnosis is contrary to religious beliefs.
Fact: Hypnosis, when used ethically and professionally, is compatible with most religious beliefs. While a few religious sects may hold reservations about hypnosis, the majority of religious groups, including Roman Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, accept and acknowledge the positive potential of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. A responsible hypnosis practitioner respects and honors the religious beliefs of their clients.
Myth #9 : Hypnosis isn’t an effective modality.
Fact: Extensive research and comparison studies demonstrate the effectiveness of hypnosis as a therapeutic modality. According to a study published in American Health Magazine, psychoanalysis showed a 38% recovery rate after 600 sessions, behavior therapy achieved a 72% recovery rate after 22 sessions, while hypnotherapy achieved an impressive 93% recovery rate after just 6 sessions. These results highlight the powerful impact hypnosis can have on personal transformation and healing.
Myth # 10: Hypnosis can erase or manipulate memories.
Fact: One prevalent misconception about hypnosis is that it has the power to erase or manipulate memories. However, hypnosis cannot alter your memories or make you forget information against your will. While hypnosis can enhance recall and access forgotten memories, it does not enable the creation or modification of memories. The integrity of your memories remains intact, and you are always in control of what you choose to remember or forget.
Hypnosis is used in Amarantos in its most refined and indirect form, thanks to Dr. Milton Erickson.
Now let’s clear our way to learning PLRT by quickly going through NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) which powers the Hypnosis used in Amarantos.
[Optional Read]
As Many Hypnotists That Many Types Of Hypnosis
Over the years different flavours of Hypnosis are available and to get a complete picture of how it’s practiced across and how Amarantos ended up choosing the Ericksonian Hypnosis can be learned by going through the different definitions of Hypnosis .
Over the years people have defined hypnosis differently, and it still remains a contentious issue. Here are a number of important definitions:
Kirsch, I. (1994). APA definition and description of hypnosis: Defining hypnosis for the public. Contemporary Hypnosis, 11, 142-143.
Hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or subject experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviour. The hypnotic context is generally established by an induction procedure. Although there are many different hypnotic inductions, most include suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included in hypnotic inductions.
People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe their experience as an altered state of consciousness. Others describe hypnosis as a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. Regardless of how and to what degree they respond, most people describe the experience as very pleasant.
Some people are very responsive to hypnotic suggestions and others are less responsive. A person’s ability to experience hypnotic suggestions can be inhibited by fears and concerns arising from some common misconceptions. Contrary to some depictions of hypnosis in books, movies or on television, people who have been hypnotised do not lose control over their behaviour. They typically remain aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia has been specifically suggested, they usually remember what transpired during hypnosis. Hypnosis makes it easier for people to experience suggestions, but it does not force them to have these experiences.
Hypnosis is not a type of therapy, like psychoanalysis or behaviour therapy. Instead, it is a procedure that can be used to facilitate therapy. Because it is not a treatment in and of itself, training in hypnosis is not sufficient for the conduct of therapy. Clinical hypnosis should be used only by properly trained and credentialed health care professionals (e.g., licensed clinical psychologists), who have also been trained in the clinical use of hypnosis and are working within the areas of their professional expertise.
Hypnosis has been used in the treatment of pain, depression, anxiety, stress, habit disorders, and many other psychological and medical problems. However, it may not be useful for all psychological problems or for all patients or clients. The decision to use hypnosis as an adjunct to treatment can only be made in consultation with a qualified health-care provider who has been trained in the use and limitations of clinical hypnosis.
In addition to its use in clinical settings, hypnosis is used in research, with the goal of learning more about the nature of hypnosis itself, as well as its impact on sensation, perception, learning, memory, and physiology. Researchers also study the value of hypnosis in the treatment of physical and psychological problems.
The term ‘hypnosis’ denotes an interaction between one person, the ́hypnotist ́, and another person, the ́subject.’ In this interaction the hypnotist works with the subject to bring about a therapeutic change in perceptions, feelings, thinking and behaviour. The hypnotist will use ́suggestions ́ and invite the subject to use associated imagery which will allow the subject to experience therapeutic change.
Spiegel, 1972
“Hypnosis is an altered state of awareness in which the individual withdraws his peripheral awareness and concentrates all attention on a focal goal… is related to the ability to concentrate in an attentive, responsive manner, even to the point of dissociation”
Erickson & Rossi, 1980
“…a communication of ideas and understandings to a patient in such a fashion that he will be most receptive to the presented ideas and thereby motivated to explore his own body potentials for the control of his psychological and physiological responses and behaviour”
Irving Kirsh 1994
“Hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or subject experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviour. The hypnotic context is generally established by an induction procedure. Although there are many different hypnotic inductions, most include suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included in hypnotic inductions”.
Heap & Aravind 2002
“The term hypnosis ́ is used to denote an interaction between two people (or one person and a group) in which one of them, the hypnotist, by means of verbal communication, encourages the other, the subject or subjects, to focus their attention away from their immediate realities and concerns and on inner experiences such as thoughts, feelings and imagery. The hypnotist further attempts to create alterations in the subjects ́ sensations, perceptions and feelings, thoughts and behaviour by directing them to imagine various events or situations that, were they to occur in reality, would evoke the intended changes”
APA 2003 / 2007 The Division 30 Definition and Description of Hypnosis
Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion for using ones imagination, and may contain further elaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behaviour. Persons can also learn self-hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one ́s own. If the subject responds
to hypnotic suggestions, it is generally inferred that hypnosis has been induced. Many believe that hypnotic responses and experiences are characteristic of a hypnotic state. While some think that it is not necessary to use the word “hypnosis” as part of the hypnotic induction, others view it as essential.
Details of hypnotic procedures and suggestions will differ depending on the goals of the practitioner and the purposes of the clinical or research endeavour. Procedures traditionally involve suggestions to relax, though relaxation is not necessary for hypnosis and a wide variety of suggestions can be used including those to become more alert. Suggestions that permit the extent of hypnosis to be assessed by comparing responses to standardised scales can be used in both clinical and research settings. While the majority of individuals are responsive to at least some suggestions, scores on standardised scales range from high to negligible. Traditionally, scores are grouped into low, medium, and high categories. As is the case with other positively-scaled measures of psychological constructs such as attention and awareness, the salience of evidence for having achieved hypnosis increases with the individual’s score.