Is Hypnosis Dangerous?

Many, many doctors and psychologists state that there are no dangers involved with hypnosis-- only in being ignorant of it.

Dr. David Cheek, M.D., a noted authority writes:

"We can do more harm with ignorance of hypnotism than we could ever do by using hypnosis and suggestion constructively"

Dr. William S. Kroger, author of "Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis," states:

"Platonof, an associate of Pavlov, who used hypnosis over fifty years on over fifty-thousand cases, reports as follows: 'We have never observed any harmful influences on the patient which could be ascribed to the method of hypno-suggestion therapy, or a tendency toward the development of unstable personality, weakening of the will, or pathological urge for hypnosis."
As stated in "The Psychology of Mental Health," Dr. Louie P. Thorpe, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California, writes:

"Hypnotism is a natural phenomena, and there are no known deleterious effects from its use."

Leslie N. LeCron, Psychologist, states:

"As to self-induction, many thousands have learned it and I have yet to hear a report of any bad results of its use"

Andre M. Weitzenhoffer, Ph.D., a highly regarded authority in the field of mind science, writes:

"As far as it is known today, hypnosis per se is no more dangerous than natural sleep. There is no evidence that hypnosis in itself weakens the will, damages the nervous system or in any way adversely affects the physical or mental well being of individuals."

Can you make me do a thing which I do not want to do?
Put simply 'No'. It is possible that you have seen 'stage' hypnotists getting people to do silly things under the influence of hypnosis, but the reality of the situation is that the people on stage want to be there. In hypnosis you accept the suggestions you want and reject the ones you don't.

When I am 'under' will I be asleep?
You will be aware of everything that is happening and being said the whole time, however you will be so deeply relaxed that you may find yourself drifting into different levels of awareness.  Remember, your subconscious mind is active throughout and it is this that your therapist is working with.

Will I remember everything afterwards?
That depends how deep in hypnosis you are, but generally most people do remember either everything or certain parts of the experience.  You will find that suggestions which have been given to you in hypnosis will resurface in your conscious, thinking mind after your hypnosis and these will be the thoughts that produce changes in your behaviour or way of thinking and feeling.

Will I give away any secrets whilst I am hypnotised?
No, you won't say or do anything at all that you don't want to.  If you were given suggestions that you didn't morally agree with you would come out of hypnosis.

Can I be hypnotised?
Studies at Stanford University found that ninety percent of people can enter hypnosis with the help of a hypnotist. Many hypnotists feel that this study was somewhat limited; it employed only a small number of techniques and with the greater number of techniques available to the modern hypnotherapist trance is more accessible. The only people who do not go into hypnosis are those who, for any number of reasons do not want to. You cannot be hypnotised against your will.

Definitions of hypnosis
Can be defined as: A state of heightened awareness and focused concentration that can be used to manipulate the perception of pain, to access repressed material and to re-program behavior.
Not all expert agree on similar definitions. It is up to the practitioner to research the most precise meaning.
Here are some sources on the web that may help with your research:
- Free Dictionary defininition http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hypnosis
- Webster Dictionary definition http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/hypnosis
- UK Hypnotism definition http://www.ukhypnosis.com/Definitions.htm