Safety and Hypnosis

Because of the prevalence of hypnotic stage shows, it seems that the public's conception is that if you are under hypnosis you are somehow out of control of your thoughts and actions. This is not the case at all. There have been endless experiments by the world's military organizations to 'brainwash' people to act against their morals and it has only ever been achieved by using a combination of drugs and pain. The more you learn about the workings of the subconscious mind, the more you will realize that the wacky behavior of the participants of hypnotic stage shows is entirely voluntary... subconsciously voluntary. Knowledge, after all, conquers fear.

It should also be noted that there is a big difference between Hypno-therapy and stage-hypnosis. People attend each for very different reasons! The theraputic value of hypnosis for musicians and performers has until now been largely un-tapped. When we make mistakes it is usually because of some 'discomfort' with the situation or because it subconsciously reminds us of a bad experience years ago. We label it 'performance anxiety'.

A really deep hypnotic state can be a little like daydreaming, a sort of mental virtual reality. In the same way that you will wake up during a nightmare, you would also come straight out of trance if you were told to do something unpleasant. By the same token, during a particularly pleasant dream you may not wish to wake up. Instead you might prefer to stay deeply relaxed so that you did not have to return to the mundane real world. Sometimes this can be a similar situation with certain individuals in hypnosis and explains many of the stories of people getting 'stuck' in a trance. They find the state SO relaxing and pleasant that seemingly no amount of persuasion will snap them out of it. This is known to the hypnotist as the 'Esdaile State' and the skilled operator will whisper to the subject that if they do not return to normal consciousness immediately then they will never be able to achieve this state again. This always 'awakens' the subject - no problem.

Still unsure about all this mumbo-jumbo? Listen to the podcast for more reassurance.