Will I be taken somewhere scary in hypnosis?

One of the biggest fears I hear from clients who have never had hypnosis before is that I will take them to some place in their mind that doesn’t feel good.

Harry rang me with a question about insomnia, and whether or not hypnotherapy would be of benefit in his situation. He said: ‘the thing is, I’m a logical person and I’ve always been brought up to value science. If I can’t see it, I don’t believe it so I’m worried that you won’t be able to hypnotize me and that even if you can, it won’t work anyway’.

I assured Harry that you don’t have to actually believe in hypnosis for it to work, since the entire premise behind hypnotherapy is the concept of mind over matter.

‘I Had A Crappy Childhood…’

Harry went on to tell me that he had a really crappy childhood and that there were things that happened to him when he was growing up that he had not dealt with, because they were too painful. Furthermore, he wasn’t ready to deal with them and didn’t want to delve into the past.

He was worried they would come up during hypnosis and that they would ‘make him crazy’ (his words) as a result. He said ‘I’m scared you’re going to take me somewhere I really don’t want to go’.

Actually, it’s very rare for your subconscious mind to take you to a memory or past experience that you can’t handle. It’s very good at working out what you’re ready to deal with and what is best left alone.

The most effective way to take a client to a past memory or experience is through a technique called age regression and revivification; but since I take extensive notes and listen carefully to what you tell me every step along the way, I’m never going to take you anywhere without your permission anyway.

You Get What You Pay For

What you need to know about abreactions

This is where the slogan ‘you get what you pay for’ really comes into play. In extremely rare cases, the subconscious will do a spontaneous regression, where it takes you back to a memory or experience from the past all by itself.

If this ever happens, you want to be sure you are working with a qualified professional who has plenty of experience and who is well versed in managing abreactions

An abreaction is the expression of emotions associated with repressed material in the subconscious. It can be frightening, distressing and painful. If you have an abreaction, your therapist can take you out of there quickly and easily, and ensure you don’t have any long-term emotional fallout from the experience.

Work With The Right Therapist

Like I said it’s very rare, but you want to work with someone who knows what they’re doing just in case. A skilled hypnotherapist is constantly watching her client to make sure their emotional journey is a smooth as possible.

There is no situation that cannot be managed, provided you are working with someone you trust.

That’s why it is so important to do plenty of research about hypnotherapy in general, and about your hypnotherapist, her credentials and her experience. The more comfortable you are with your hypnotherapist, the more successful your experience will be.

If you’re worried I will take you some place in your mind that you don’t want to go, you can put your mind at rest; I have the skills, techniques and experience to ensure that doesn’t happen.