While a good stage hypnotist presents a compelling mix of art, science, hypnotic technique and drama, much of what the audience sees is not intrinsic to the hypnotic state in and of itself.  And though stage hypnosis is both real and a remarkable form of entertainment, it leaves the viewer with some ideas about hypnosis that may not be quite correct.  Let’s discuss the 5 most common misconceptions about hypnosis.

1.)  Hypnosis is like sleep

This is the number one misconception about hypnosis because in both hypnosis for entertainment as well as hypnosis for therapeutic purposes, the subject (the person being hypnotized) often has their eyes closed, is profoundly relaxed, and at least in the case of hypnosis for therapy, they don’t move around much.

But that’s where the similarities to sleep end.  In fact, while hypnotized, subjects are exceptionally alert, attentive and focused.  A hypnotized subject is never unconscious, though they are often deeply and profoundly relaxed and comfortable.

2.)  While hypnotized, a person can be made to do anything.

This is not only a common fear, it’s an understandable one!  But the truth is, while hypnotized, you are not only fully alert and aware (see misconception #1, above), you are in full control as well!  It is impossible to be made to do anything that you don’t want to do while in a hypnotic state.  If a suggestion is ever given that you don’t agree with, you will simply not follow it.

3.)  While under hypnosis, a person will reveal deep personal secrets.

Related to misconception #2, this old belief is also untrue.  If you have secrets that you don’t want to share, you simply won’t share them.  Again, you’re awake and aware the entire time, so you remain in control.  The choice to share is entirely your own.

4.)  You don’t remember what happened while hypnotized.

While some people do experience amnesia of a hypnosis session, it has nothing to do with hypnosis itself.  The number one reason that people don’t remember what happened to them while under hypnosis is simply because they believe that they won’t remember what happened to them.  This belief creates the amnesia.

By itself, unless it’s specifically suggested, hypnosis does not create any form of amnesia or forgetfulness.  Because you are extremely alert, focused and aware during a hypnosis session, some people actually have extremely vivid memories of the process.  Still others enjoy the relaxed, dreamy quality of hypnosis, and therefore their memories can feel vague and dreamlike.  But there is nothing about the experience itself that will create amnesia.  What you remember is up to you.  You can choose to pay attention, or to let your mind wander.

5.)  Only gullible or stupid people can be hypnotized.

Quite the contrary!  Anyone can be hypnotized, but it does require an ability to focus, concentrate and follow direction, which means that it’s often the case that the more intelligent you are, the more likely you are to be successful with hypnosis.  The most difficult hypnotic subjects to work with are those that are under the influence of drugs or alcohol – precisely because they often can’t focus enough to engage in the process.

While the idea of an all-powerful, mysterious character being able to command people with merely his voice is a romantic one, it’s not terribly true-to-life.  It’s possible to use hypnosis on stage to present that illusion, but when it comes down to it, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.  When you choose to be hypnotized, you are entering into a cooperative relationship with a trained professional.  You are allowing them to guide your mind, but you remain in control the entire time.  There’s nothing scary, weird or bizarre about it, and in fact, it doesn’t “feel” like anything in particular.  Hypnosis is a safe, effective and entirely natural state.  The choice to visit a hypnotist to address concerns – such as to stop smoking, lose weight, improve study skills or for general relaxation and stress relief – is the choice to employ your own natural ability, with a bit of guidance from a professional, to create powerful change in your life.  There is nothing to fear, and everyone has something to gain from the process.

For more information about hypnosis and how you can use it at home, visit The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science.  There you will find audio programs to help you stop smoking, lose weight and relieve stress, all with the power of hypnosis.

Let’s start at the beginning.

What’s Is a Subliminal Message?
A subliminal message is any “message” that is designed to be transmitted to you, the recipient, below the level of conscious awareness.  Images flashed quickly on a screen, too fast for the eye to consciously notice, are one example of a “subliminal” message.  Masking a verbal message with sound, music or other audio, so that you can’t consciously hear the words, is another.  Many companies sell self-help audio recordings that are filled with positive messages and affirmations, which are then “masked” with music so that you can’t consciously hear them.  Listening to them sounds like simply listening to the music.  The messages are buried in the recording, so you never actually hear them spoken.

How Are Subliminal Messages Supposed to Work?
The idea behind subliminal messages is pretty simple.  There are a lot of things going on around us that we’re not consciously aware of, but that our mind nevertheless picks up on at an unconscious level.  Think of the last time you were singing a song in your head, unsure as to why it suddenly popped to mind, only to discover that your friend was quietly singing it next to you just moments before.  You weren’t consciously aware of having heard the song, but it popped into your mind because you unconsciously heard it.

Subliminal self-help programs are designed to work in a similar way.*  You want to lose weight?  Listen to a subliminal message program loaded with positive messages about weight loss – exercise more, avoid sugary snacks, cut back on the calories – and, according to the thinking, your unconscious mind should absorb them and put them into action, even though you can’t actually hear what’s being said.

*I say similar, but the real difference is that in the example, you didn’t hear the song being sung because you weren’t paying attention.  In the case of subliminal messages, you can’t hear the messages because they are intentionally hidden, which means that, even if you do pay attention, you won’t hear them.

The Catch
But here’s the catch – there’s no evidence that subliminal messages actually work! Sure, it’s a great idea.  And wouldn’t we all like to increase our confidence while we sleep?  Or improve our memory while we watch TV?  But the evidence for subliminal messaging is just not there.  In fact, it’s quite the contrary.  Scientific research has not been able to replicate any of the claims made by marketers, and has not shown any measurable impact on test subjects beyond a placebo effect [1].

Most psychologists agree that subliminal messaging has shown no lasting impact upon the behavior of subjects tested [2].  While research has shown that subliminal messaging may create a momentary change in thinking, this effect is – when present – extremely fleeting, and often impacts only those already primed for a particular behavior.  The standard example given is that of beverage advertising.  If an already thirsty test subject is subliminally shown images of beverages, their desire for a beverage may increase slightly for a short duration [3].  But even this example is fraught with misconceptions, due to the now infamous “experiment” run by James Vicary, and where we get the term subliminal advertising.

Beware The “Evidence”
Perhaps the most common example of subliminal advertising – and subliminal messaging – in the popular mind is the one associated with popcorn, Coca-Cola and movie theaters.  Virtually every person has heard stories about how movie theaters run subliminal ads before and during the show to encourage people to buy food and drinks at the concession stand.  This entire myth is based upon one event only, and one that turned out to not even be true.

The year was 1957 and a market researcher named James Vicary claimed to have run an experiment in a movie theater in Fort Lee, New Jersey, wherein he flashed the messages “Drink Coca-Cola” and “Hungry? Eat popcorn” for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals, throughout the duration of a film that was showing at the theater.  He claimed that sales of Coca-Cola, as a result of this subliminal advertising, increased by 57%, while popcorn sales increased by 18%.  So successful were his experiments, he went on to form the Subliminal Projection Company, while the CIA took an interest in his studies, issued their own report based upon it, and the US government banned the use of subliminal advertising.

Problem is, the study was never actually conducted.

In 1962, James Vicary admitted to having made it all up [4].  The experiment was never conducted, and Vicary confessed to having made up the story as a marketing gimmick for his company.  Subsequent actual studies have been conducted, and have all failed – naturally – to duplicate the claimed results.

The most common – and most often cited – example of the power of subliminal messaging turns out to not only be false, but completely made up!

So, can subliminal message programs deliver what they promise?  The bottom line is this: scientific research shows little-to-no benefit.

That’s not to say that scientifically engineered audio programs won’t work.  Only that in regards to the specific claims of subliminal programs, there is currently little evidence to support them.  Of course, science doesn’t know everything, and researchers will continue to investigate, gather data and develop new programs that may indeed be effective.  But as consumers, we should all keep in mind the age-old adage – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

While the claims of subliminal programs may be questionable, there are a host of other psychological therapies that do have a positive track record when it comes to self-help, losing weight, quitting smoking, depression, anxiety and other wide-ranging concerns.  Among them are traditional therapy and psychotherapy, sports psychology for the athlete, hypnosis and hypnotherapy, group therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.  At the end of the day, these therapies have a proven track-record, while the record of subliminal therapy is highly questionable.  And while none of the traditional therapies listed above can promise “instant change” or “change while you sleep”, many do deliver fast, permanent and powerful changes.  If you’re struggling with a problem and feel you need help, there are effective options open to you.  But when it comes to the claims of subliminal audio programs – buyer beware.

The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science is dedicated to providing the latest in hypnosis news and information.  A leader in at-home hypnosis and hypnotherapy programs, The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science develops and distributes proven, effective, results-oriented programs to help you through the issues impacting your life.

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The answer turns out to be yes, and Carol Ginandes and Daniel Rosenthal of the Harvard Medical School are working hard to prove it!

In an article entitled Hypnosis helps healing: Surgical wounds mend faster (Cromie, W. J.,  Harvard University Gazette), Ginandes is quoted as follows:

“Hypnosis has been used in Western medicine for more than 150 years to treat everything from anxiety to pain, from easing the nausea of cancer chemotherapy to enhancing sports performance,” Ginandes says. A list of applications she provides includes treatment of phobias, panic, low self-esteem, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, stress, smoking, colitis, warts, headaches, and high blood pressure.

Working with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Ginandes and Rosenthal recruited a group of patients with broken ankles.  The patients all received the same treatment over a period of twelve weeks, with one crucial difference – half of them were hypnotized once per week.  At the end of the study it was shown conclusively, and confirmed by an independent radiologist, that the group that received the hypnosis treatment in addition to the normal treatment healed significantly faster than the non-hypnosis group.  How much faster?  Try this – after only six weeks of treatment, the hypnosis group showed healing equivalent to eight and a half weeks!

Hypnosis can be used to heal broken bones, a significant finding on the part of Western mainstream medicine!

While this study was small, it was nevertheless encouraging, and the researchers have since been pursuing more opportunities to explore the power of the mind to heal the body.

For more information on at-home audio hypnosis programs, visit The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science, where you’ll find programs to address everything from smoking habits to athletic performance.

Quitting is hard. So hard, that sometimes even the pharmaceutical methods don’t work. Are there other options? Yes, and hypnosis is one of the most common non-pharmaceutical ways to stop smoking. It’s also extremely effective, involves no chemicals, and is entirely safe. In most cases, all it takes is one session to stop smoking, though some people find value in the ongoing support of hypnosis simply because it’s a remarkable tool for relaxation and eliminating stress. Hypnosis addresses more than just your physical addiction, getting to the core of your mental and emotional dependence and reprogramming your entire experience of the act of smoking, leaving you a confident non-smoker, without all of the nervous habits and longings associated with most stop smoking methods.

But where to start?  There are three options when it comes to quitting smoking with hypnosis:

1. Work with a local hypnotist, one-on-one, in their office.

   This is a great method for people who prefer a hands-on relationship in a “doctor’s office” setting.  If you feel comfortable working and confiding in a personal therapist, and have no problem with letting yourself relax in front of another person while hypnotized, this may be the method for you.  The biggest drawback is the hit to your wallet.  One-on-one sessions do not come cheap, and if you do choose to pursue multiple sessions it can get pricey very quickly.  If you don’t mind the price, prefer an in-office setting and have no problems working with a scheduled time slot, a one-on-one session may be the way to go.

2. Find a local group session.

   Usually advertised in local papers, group sessions are typically run by a visiting hypnotist.  A banquet or conference facility is usually rented and for a fee – not small, but less expensive than a one-on-one session – the hypnotist will work with you, along with dozens and sometimes hundreds of others, all at the same time.  This method requires you to be highly suggestible, extremely comfortable with letting yourself relax in front of a crowd, and because the entire group is present, they tend not to be very personal.  In most cases there’s no chance for a follow-up session, because the hypnotist typically moves on to the next event in the next town.  Don’t let that discourage you though – if you are the kind of person who is comfortable with a crowd and you happen to be very suggestible, this method does produce results.

3. Use an at-home audio hypnosis program.

   Some of the best results come from hypnosis programs that you listen to privately, at home.  A quality program consists of an audio CD (or CDs) that contains a full hypnotherapy session, as delivered by an experienced hypnotherapist.  It’s private and, because you should be alone while listening to it, eliminates the anxiety of being in front of others – either one-on-one or in a group.  That anxiety is the number one stumbling block on the road to success with hypnosis, and at-home programs eliminate it by design.  Best of all, you can listen to an at-home program as many times as you want, without any extra fees, which means that if you want to have multiple sessions, or you simply enjoy hypnosis for the relaxation and stress reduction, you stand to save a lot of money while seeing more results.

If you are truly committed to kicking your smoking habit, hypnosis can help!  Even if you’ve failed with other methods, because it works at a fundamental level, hypnosis can be the answer you’re looking for.  The key is in finding the method that is best for you, your personality, and your wallet.

Looking to find the best information on how to stop smoking with hypnosis, then visit The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science to find the best advice on hypnosis programs for you.

Children’s hospital to use hypnosis from DutchNews.nl

While common with adults, the use of hypnosis for children is a bit more rare.  But there’s no reason that it should be.

The article states that the Juliana children’s hospital will be “using hypnosis in an effort to reduce pain, stress and fear among patients.”

One of the factors that led them to this decision was the following statistic:

[H]ospital research carried out in 2007 showed that 85% of children with mysterious stomach pains saw their symptoms clear up with hypnosis. But only 25% of children given medicine got better.

Hypnosis is historically very good at treating pain, be they mysterious pains or not.  We’re glad to see that the hospital’s research was so encouraging!

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The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science is a leader in at-home audio hypnosis programs and hypnosis education.  Learn more at www.neurohypnoticscience.com.

Real Science.  Real Solutions.

Putting hypnosis in contemporary perspective, by Lainey Ebright

Ms. Ebright speaks opening, honestly and with an obviously informed knowledge of the subject, and her opening statement agrees with our assessment.

Despite its awesome potential, there are few sciences less understood or more haunted by misconceptions.

[...]

Unfortunately, many superstitions and myths that developed throughout the centuries still exist in peoples’ minds. If you ask the average person what they think hypnosis is, they might respond with any number of answers, including: sleep, unconsciousness, mind control, or even magic. All of these ideas are incorrect yet continue to persist, perpetuated by various forms of media entertainment.

We’re glad that we’re not the only ones who see and are responding to the problem.  She goes on to tell us, however, that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Since the American Medical Association approved its use in 1958, research into its value and potential have intensified.

[...]

[T]here are many areas where hypnosis has proven to be extremely valuable. Pain and stress control, along with memory enhancement, improving study habits and overcoming fears. Eliminating smoking, unhealthy eating habits and nail biting are some examples.

With quality resources and public education, we’re excited to see the science of hypnosis progress.

Click on over the read the entire article.  It’s a good read.

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The Center for Neuro-Hypnotic Science is a leader in at-home audio hypnosis programs and hypnosis education.  Learn more at www.neurohypnoticscience.com.

Real Science.  Real Solutions.

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