Can Hypnosis be Dangerous?

Can Hypnosis be Dangerous?

There’s no danger in hypnosis, only in hypnotists. Do
not number yourself among them. Only use hypnosis when
you’re sure you know what you are doing.
Hypnosis can be misused. Deliberately or unwittingly.
Deliberate misuse of hypnosis is what a philandering
physician did when he tricked his hypnotized wife into
swallowing a fatal overdose of pills.
Unwitting misuse is like the British stage hypnotist who
was convicted of causing a volunteer extreme distress because
he regressed her to an age when she recalled being sexually
assaulted. He should have suggested she act like a six-year-old,
rather than be six years old.

Deliberate misuse is when you knowingly attempt to do
something with hypnosis that is outside your competence.
􀂾 Unless you’re trained in gynaecology and the birth
process you should not hypnotize a pregnant woman.
􀂾 Unless you’re trained in psychology and
psychopathology you should not hypnotize a depressed person.
􀂾 Unless you’re trained in psychiatry or psychopathology
you should not hypnotize a person suffering with a
personality disorder.
􀂾 Unless you’re trained in how to handle abreactions you
should not hypnotize someone who’s been through anykind of trauma.
􀂾 Unless you’re trained in sexual and gender issues you
should not hypnotize someone who’s struggling with
identity or relationship concerns.
If you know you can’t recognize when someone has a
personality disorder, or has been abused or is clinically
depressed, go for the necessary education.
And that’s not in hypnotherapy. It’s in psychology,
psychopathology, counselling and so on.
If you know you aren’t competent to use hypnosis with a
particular person or problem, refer them to someone who is.
[See http://hypnosis.org/kn-how.html for sources].

Unwitting misuse can come about because you lack
sufficient self-knowledge. Maybe you’re unaware of:

• your need to control others, or,
• that you’re dying to please, or
• that you’re judgmental, or
• afraid of conflict, or
• terrified of anger, or
• embarrassed about sex, or
• uneasy about money.

The point is not that you have to be an all-knowing
wonderful person to practice hypnosis. But that you need
sufficient self-knowledge and skills to do no harm.
It seems the subconscious accepts instruction literally. So
your words might be more significant than you realise.
For example, you may suggest to someone who wants to
gain weight that, “From now on you eat more and more foods
that you know will make you bigger and heavier.”
What’s wrong with that suggestion?
There’s no time limit. So, after the weight-gainer has
achieved his goal he’ll likely continue to eat, and eat, and eat . .
A safe use for hypnosis is to change yourself:

• your feelings
• your attitudes
• your behaviours

But remember “DUH”:
Do not use hypnosis on yourself to:
D eal with mental illness U ncover the “truth”H ash over negativitity.
Hypnotizing yourself when you suffer with schizophrenia
or bi-polar disorder, for example, could make your conditionworse.
If you have a mental illness, only use hypnosis with the
guidance of a competent professional.
Hypnosis is not a truth serum. There is no point in you
going into hypnosis with the aim of uncovering a “truth.”
In fact, the opposite could happen: your imaginings while
in hypnosis could seem so real nothing will convince you suchand-
such didn’t happen, even though the event is entirely a
figment of your imagination.
t’s easy to use hypnosis in a negative way. That is, to
reinforce negative wishes or experiences. For instance, rehashing
cruel remarks someone made to you, or beratingyourself for a failure.
Instead, use the power of hypnosis only in a positiveway.
Imagine yourself impervious to cruel remarks, or
forgiving yourself for failure. Even better, imagine yourself strong
and successful.The only person you can change is you.