Can Anyone Be Hypnotised?

There are two preconditions to hypnosis. One: you must be willing to try it, not necessarily to believe it, but just to try. Two: you must be capable of focus and concentration, and of course, willing to do so.

You must also understand that hypnosis is not some magical, deep trance of the type you may have seen on television. See I Wasn’t Hypnotised – I Heard Every Word.

Hypnosis is a natural state that we all enter every day. It occurs when we are deeply relaxed but also when we are focussed.

For hypnosis to work, it is important that the hypnotherapist uses the correct method for you. Some people have a very logical mind and as such, a simple relaxation induction is unlikely to work for them. There are many types of induction available in the hypnotherapist’s toolbox.

However difficult it may appear for someone to be hypnotised, there doesn’t even need to be a trance for Hypnotherapy to work, providing the two conditions are met.

I once had a client for depression who, despite appearing to be a hypnotisable subject, did not respond to the hypnosis in the first session. I knew he had not been hypnotised and after the session, I asked him how he felt. He admitted that he did not think I had done my job as all he had thought about throughout the session was of all the little jobs he had to do and how little time he had to do them in. When I asked why he had been thinking of these things, he said that he thought that was what he was supposed to do. My client had seen ‘hypnosis’ on the television several times and he believed that the subject wasn’t meant to hear what the hypnotherapist was saying so he hadn’t bothered to listen!

I advised him to come again for a second session and this time to do exactly as I told him, rather than deliberately allowing his mind to wander. At the next session, I reminded him to concentrate on my voice and follow the instructions given. Sure enough, the difference was apparent and the client got what he wanted.

So, if you are willing and able to focus on what the hypnotherapist is telling you, you can be hypnotised. Just don’t be expecting that deep, magical trance you’ve seen on television.

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