I don’t think I can be hypnotized!

I don’t think I can be hypnotized!

The fact is 90 to 95 percent of adults can be hypnotized. The best subjects for hypnosis are highly intelligent people who have a strong will.

by Irene Conlan —

“I don’t think I can be hypnotized,” and “I went for hypnosis once, but couldnt ‘go under’” are common statements heard in the initial conversations with those inquiring about hypnotherapy.

The fact is 90 to 95 percent of adults can be hypnotized. The best subjects for hypnosis are highly intelligent people who have a strong will. Why? Hypnosis depends more upon imagination than on will, and most intelligent people have active imaginations. Intelligence and a strong will lend understanding of what hypnosis is and motivation to achieve it, lessening any resistance to the process. It is resistance and fear that generally are the culprits preventing hypnosis.

There are some who cannot be hypnotized: children or mentally challenged adults who don’t understand the words of the hypnotist, those who are intoxicated or high from drug use, and those who are afraid. Some people are afraid of the process and some are afraid of what might be revealed or learned. When the fear is relieved, they then become candidates for hypnosis.

If a client is afraid of the process, it is important that he understand that during hypnosis he (or she) is wide awake, knows everything that is happening, is always in control and will not accept, do or say anything he doesn’t wish to accept, do or say. The client is never in a state where he loses consciousness or control. You cannot get stuck in hypnosis and you cannot get trapped in an emotional state experienced during hypnosis.

Hypnosis is simply a tool that allows you to work with the subconscious mind. A client who is afraid of what the subconscious mind will reveal needs to know that he does not have to “spill his deepest secrets” if it doesn’t feel safe. Sometimes, if healing is to take place, deeply held information will need to be examined. If the client does not feel safe in revealing this kind of information, he needs to find a therapist with whom he can feel safe.

We’ve all been in hypnosis without knowing it. If you’ve been so involved in a TV program, a movie or a good book that you didn’t hear someone call your name, you were in hypnosis. If you missed a freeway exit because you were deep in thought about something other than driving, you were in hypnosis. (Now that really is scary!)

The process of hypnosis is a wonderful tool for helping you let go of old, limiting beliefs and programs, and developing new, positive beliefs and programs that lead to a healthier, happier life.

Irene Conlan has a masters degree in nursing, is a certified hypnotherapist and a certified past life regression therapist. iconlan@cox.net.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 23, Number 1, February/March 2005.