Safety
Hypnotherapy is totally safe and very relaxing.
Control
You stay in control at all times - including in a trance.
It is a myth that hypnotherapy is mind control. People dancing
like chickens on stage is the image many people think of.
Professional, clinical hypnotherapy is respectful and nothing
like this. People dancing like chickens on stage are often
the sorts of people that put lamp shades on their head at
parties! There is also pressure to perform - you don't want
to embarrass the hypnotist or look like a spoil sport in front
of an audience.
Success
rates
A hypnotherapist should not quote unsubstantiated success
rates. To have genuine figures, they would need to conduct
a proper scientific study, following up all their clients
many years after therapy. Also, how long should a person go,
without a problem returning, before hypnotherapy is seen as
a success? A day? Week? Month? Year? Lifetime? Statistics
can mask all sorts of information. Hypnotherapy works for
most people, most of the time, and with most problems. Like
medicine, it is not 100% effective. The only way to really
find out is to try it. Like taking medicine, it requires a
leap of faith and works most of the time.
Side
effects
There
are no negative side effects from hypnotherapy. A positive
side effect is feeling more relaxed.
Guarantees
No hypnotherapist (or doctor, psychologist, etc for that matter)
can guarantee success. Hypnotherapy works for most people,
most of the time, and with most problems. It usually produces
lasting results.
Number
of sessions
Everyone is different and therefore the number of sessions
varies. Some people are highly motivated to change, some need
a slower pace. Some people set very difficult goals to achieve
and require more sessions, others set easily achieved goals.
Some issues are self-contained and some are complexly inter-related
problems. So there are many factors involved.
There is no such thing as a 'miracle cure'; change takes time.
3-6 sessions is common. Some people achieve
faster results. Others should not feel disappointed in themselves
or with therapy if they require more sessions. Ultimately,
it is the change that really matters.
