MYTHS ABOUT HYPNOSIS

1.  A common myth is that a person under hypnosis is out of control.  The exact opposite is true.  You don't lose control while under hypnosis, but rather take control.  It has been discovered that all hypnosis is basically self-hypnosis.  The hypnotist is just a guide leading you into a state that you are capable of achieving.

2.  Too often, people associate hypnosis with a polygraph or truth serum.  With hypnosis you are aware of everything around you.  You have the choice to answer or not to answer a question.  You also have the ability to tell the truth or fabricate a lie.  You are always in control.

3.  Myth number three is that only certain people can be hypnotized.  In reality, any person with normal intelligence can be easily hypnotized.  It has been proven that a strong-willed person actually goes into a hypnotic state quicker than a weak-minded person.

4.  In movies we see people who are hypnotized becoming stuck in hypnosis.  It is an impossibility to ever be stuck in a hypnotic state.  It has never happened, and it will never take place in the future.

THE DEFINITION OF HYPNOSIS BY THE MAYO CLINIC

"Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which  you have heightened focus and concentration.  Hypnosis is usually done with the help of a therapist using verbal repetition and mental images.  When you're under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and are more open to suggestions.

"Hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors or to help you cope  better with anxiety or pain.  It's important to know that although you're more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you don't lose control over your behavior."

GENESIS

My interest in hypnosis began at the age of ten after reading an uncle’s book on the subject.  I still remember the shiny black book jacket with green and white print.  While words like “catalepsy” and “somnambulism” didn’t hold any meaning, I quickly skimmed through to the induction stage – how to induce a trance.

Anxious to get my “career” started, I rounded up girlfriends who willingly obliged to be subjects, but alas, never got beyond the close  your eyes, you are getting sleepy stage.  This simply produced giggles, likely for the best, as there was no concept of what I was going to do if and when they did “go under.”

Then I borrowed another book from my uncle, this one on the works of Edgar Cayce and soon became fascinated with past life regression.

It would be nearly 20 years later before I signed up for classes with Dr. Steve Steiner, founder of the Canadian Institute of Hypnosis.  My mind danced with ideas of discovering past lives,  but surprisingly Dr. Steiner did not touch on the subject.  Instead, his focus was on the here and now.  I still remember his three magic words “FROM NOW ON,” which proved to be extremely beneficial.

After spending the summer studying with Dr. Steiner, my career as a hypnotist was still on hold in that only psychologists and medical doctors were allowed to practice hypnosis.  It would be decades before the legislation changed, and finally in 2010 I took the plunge and studied to become a certified consulting hypnotist with Dr. Georgina Canon and became a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists.