The word “hypnosis” comes from the Greek hypnos = “sleep + Latin osis = action or process. But, although the name suggests, hypnosis is not a type or form of sleep. It continues to be called this because the term has been popularized and used in scientific and popular environments for many years (learn about the origin of the term by clicking here).

Although hypnosis was once controversial, its therapeutic effectiveness is attested by several authors from different eras. Today, most health professionals agree that it can be a powerful and effective technique for treating pain, anxiety, and mood disorders, among other conditions. For this reason, it is accepted and used worldwide.

Continue reading to better understand how it works and what its benefits, uses, and myths are!

What is hypnosis?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), with minor considerations from the Brazilian Society of Hypnosis (SBH), hypnosis can be defined as a state of consciousness [intentionally induced] involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterized by an increased capacity for response to suggestion. In this state, the subject is led to experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior [goal-oriented]. 

This definition of hypnosis is the basis for all our actions, content, training, institutional mission, vision, and values of the SBH, as a society of health professionals who use hypnosis in their work ethically, scientifically, and with excellence.

In clinical contexts, it is conducted by doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, dentists, nurses, and several other health professionals duly certified by a reputable institution.

Although the above definition is not unanimous among scholars in the field, it explains the hypnosis process practically and simply. But there will always be slight variations depending on the theoretical approach that supports the practice.

According to American researcher Michael D. Yapko, “the experience is so complex and subjective that trying to find a consensual explanation that accurately describes it may make us lose sight of its real meaning“.

Few people know, but we naturally experience the “hypnotic state” every day. Routine activities, those that do not necessarily require attention to be performed, are good examples of a light or medium hypnotic trance state (which is the same indicated for the therapy process).

It happens when you read a good book, for example, or engage in any other activity where all other things happening around you seem to have been blocked. And it is in this state that we are more susceptible to not blocking suggestions (keep reading to learn more about suggestions).

It is for this same reason that we get emotional with movies. And it is because of this mechanism that television advertisements work during “intervals”. We are immersed in an “automatic” activity, which makes us susceptible to suggestions that can influence us even without our knowledge.

When defining hypnosis (as well as consciousness itself), we try to encompass the basic process involved in it, but still, some fundamental elements, such as expectation and motivation, as well as more details about concepts like suggestion and hypnotic induction, will be left out.

But don’t worry, we’ll explain everything in this article!

Myth or truth? Clear up your doubts once and for all

There are many myths about hypnosis, which end up harming those who could benefit from the technique but do not do so due to fear or misconceptions. To clear up these doubts once and for all, we will provide the correct explanations so that you no longer have any obstacles regarding the practice.

Check out below the ten main myths about the subject that have been built over time by television programs, social networks, and perhaps even by the Psychology faculty:

Myth 1: You will be forced to do something you don’t want to!

Hypnosis depends on you being comfortable and wanting to go through the process. No one will seek treatment for anxiety if they don’t want to end it, right? Therefore, everything done through the hypnosis technique obeys your desires and consent.

Myth 2: Hypnosis only works on those who are weak or suggestible!

All people have the potential to be hypnotized at some level, as this is a state of high concentration and attention. Hypnosis is a common state of consciousness, so everyone can experience it at some level. Due to personal characteristics, the way each subject responds to a type of hypnosis is individualized. And as mentioned above, the hypnotic process involves desire and consent.

Myth 3: You can get “stuck” in a hypnotic state and never get out!

Does your concentration remain at the same high level of focus after you finish a logic exercise? Certainly not. After all, it is a momentary state that we reach for a certain period to perform that task.

With hypnosis, it is no different. When the session ends, you will return to your daily routine normally. Even if a disaster happened to the hypnotist during the practice and he needed to abandon you (exaggerated hypothesis to understand the example), you would exit the hypnotic state when there were no more stimuli to continue. In this same example, if this disaster were something very impactful, such as a building collapsing, as soon as you realized it, you would naturally exit the hypnotic state as well.

Myth 4: You will be forced to reveal your secrets!

In a therapy session, you reveal secrets that you wouldn’t normally share, correct? And not because you are forced or coerced, but because you consider it important to reveal that content for some reason related to your treatment. If during hypnosis you want to share something, the reason will not be different, and it will be you who chooses what to say.

Myth 5: Hypnosis is mysticism or religion!

Hypnosis is a scientific tool and, as such, recognized by councils of various health specialties (as cited below).

Myth 6: You will lose consciousness during hypnosis!

The most that can happen is you fall asleep due to the deep state of relaxation. And, like every time you sleep, you will wake up when you are rested.

Myth 7: Hypnosis is the same as sleep!

While sleeping, you have no control over your thoughts and may dream, although you may not always remember the dream’s content. In hypnosis, your mind will be deeply focused on something, working actively, and you will be able to remember what happened afterward. So no, hypnosis is not the same as sleep!

Myth 8: You will be embarrassed during the hypnosis session!

Although hypnosis can be used as entertainment, the clinical session will occur with confidentiality, privacy, and without embarrassment. Therefore, rest assured, you will not imitate a chicken, stutter, or forget your name during therapy. And the explanation for this is simple: that is not the goal.

Myth 9: You will solve all problems with regression!

This is a very useful technique that shows great results, but it is not the only way to solve psychological issues. It needs to be used carefully by trained professionals, as there is a possibility of retrieving false memories that can hinder more than help if not conducted properly.

[Learn more about memory in the topic “Necessary care with hypnosis”]

Myth (probable) 10: Hypnosis is what you imagine!

After reading the clarifications above, you have probably already noticed that hypnosis is not exactly what you imagined. To understand why these myths have been so strongly ingrained in the collective imagination, including yours, keep reading.

But is hypnosis regulated?

Hypnosis is used worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) approves its use in the health field. In some countries, such as the United States, there is specific regulation for the technique.

In Brazil, the use of hypnosis is provided for in the Unified Health System (SUS) and is authorized by several specialty councils.

Check out some details about the legislation in each area:

• Federal Council of Medicine (CFM)

Hypnosis is used in the field of Medicine according to the medical specialty. In general, doctors can use techniques for pain control, relaxation, and even anesthesia.

It is opinion nº 42/1999 that regulates this use, determining that “hypnosis is recognized as a valuable medical practice, subsidiary to diagnosis or treatment, and should be performed by duly qualified professionals under strict ethical criteria.”

• Federal Council of Psychology (CFP)

In Brazil, CFP Resolution nº 013/00 regulates its use due to the “historical value of using hypnosis as an auxiliary resource technique in the psychologist’s work and, considering that hypnosis is recognized in the health field as a technical resource capable of contributing to the resolution of physical and psychological problems.”

In Psychology offices, it is most frequently used in the process of re-signifying traumatic situations, which, if not treated, can affect the patient’s life intensely and variedly, potentially generating greater susceptibility to developing phobias, psychological disorders, and behavioral limitations.

• Federal Council of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy (COFFITO)

Physiotherapists and occupational therapists are authorized to use hypnosis as long as they prove they have the proper training. This is stated in Resolution nº 380/2010, a document that also authorizes the use of other integrative practices.

• Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO)

The practice of hypnosis by dentists is provided for by Law nº 5.081 of 1966 of the Federal Council of Dentistry, which regulates the practice of Dentistry in Brazil. Professionals must be provenly qualified and usually use hypnosis as a substitute or reinforcement for anesthesia, as well as a procedure for relaxation and reducing patient fear.

• Federal Council of Nursing (COFEN)

In Nursing, the use of hypnosis is included as a possible specialty for nurses in the area of scope I, referring to “Collective Health; Child and Adolescent Health; Adult Health (Men’s Health and Women’s Health; Elderly Health; Emergencies and Urgencies)”, according to COFEN Resolution nº 581/2018.

Even before this Resolution, however, the Code of Ethics for Nursing Professionals did not present any prohibitive data on the use of the technique by nurses, although there was no specific mention of hypnosis.

As an excellent alternative to replace medications and anesthetics, in addition to its various other uses, hypnosis is gaining more and more space in health. It also has the advantage of being a procedure without side effects and without considerable risks.

Attention! It is very important that professionals have the proper qualification for its conduction. The councils mentioned above recommend this prerequisite as a guarantee of an adequate and ethical practice.

A little history: where did hypnosis come from?

The earliest evidence of the existence of hypnosis was found among shamans, who were also called “witch doctors”, “medicine men” or “healers”. The oldest account of cures obtained from the hypnotic method was found in the “Ebers Papyrus”, an Egyptian collection containing over 700 popular remedies.

The so-called “Sleep Temples” of Ancient Egypt were a type of hospital where treatments were performed with chants, dances, and the induction of patients into trance states similar to hypnosis.

Beginning of scientific experimentation

Franz Anton Mesmer

The scientific experimentation of hypnosis began with Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an 18th-century Austrian doctor who, upon moving to Paris, gained much attention in the scientific community. He believed in the influence of celestial bodies for curing diseases and in the presence of a universal fluid that connected stars and living beings.

This magnetic fluid was captured and emitted by magnetized iron, and thus, the magnetized person transferred energy to others. Since it was the man himself who captured the energy, this phenomenon came to be called animal magnetism. 

After performing several surgeries with anesthesia using only hypnosis, which at the time was called “mesmeric sleep”, the expression “mesmerism” was developed from there.

With the great repercussion of the work in the scientific community, the academics of Medicine, the largest group of official science at the time, pressured King Louis XVI to convene the “Commission of the Royal Society of Medicine and the Academy of Sciences – 1784”, composed of the most renowned scientists of the time, to study the hypnotic phenomenon.

After conducting tests, the committee stated the non-existence of animal magnetism, claiming that the results obtained were only consequences of suggestion. Mesmer fell into disrepute in the scientific community, but his theories and methods continued to be employed by his followers.

James Braid

It was only in the 19th century that English doctor James Braid (1795-1859), while watching a surgery performed by Mesmer, began to study the process to reformulate the theory. Braid defined the hypnotic state as a particular state of “nervous system sleep” and coined the term hypnosis, from the Greek Hypnos, which symbolized the God of sleep in Greek Mythology.

This is how the word hypnosis was mistakenly associated with the idea of sleep. Shortly after creating the term, James Braid recanted, as he realized that scientifically hypnosis could not be compared to sleep, being a state precisely opposite to sleep, of intense psychic and mental activity.

The branches of hypnosis

Any attempt to explain why hypnosis works is directly linked to one of its branches. The different approaches are extremely broad.

Neurologist Charcot, from the Salpêtrière school, studied hypnotic states for the treatment of hysterical patients and gained great approval by relating hypnosis to psychic disorders. He considered hypnosis as a pathological state of dissociation, comparing the trance to the hysterical process and abnormalities in the nervous system.

Diverging from the Salpêtrière school, the Nancy School of Liébeault and Bernheim, in turn, resumed Braid’s original idea that hypnotic induction resulted from suggestion, in a natural process inherent to every human being.

The two schools above, with their distinct points of view, discussed in the scientific and academic community the hypnotherapy and made hypnosis a subject of interest again.

In 1889, Charcot organized the I International Congress of Experimental and Therapeutic Hypnotism, which was attended by American psychologist William James, Italian criminologist Lombroso, and the young psychiatrist Sigmund Freud.

Academic evolution of hypnosis

The modern study of hypnotherapy effectively developed in the 1930s, with the studies of Clark Leonard Hull at Yale University, where Suggestibility research was conducted. Through statistical and experimental analyses, Hull’s studies demonstrated that hypnosis has no connection with sleep.

In wartime contexts, hypnosis gained prominence. Especially after World War II, a time when there was more research and greater dissemination. The technique was used as treatment in soldiers in both world wars and the Korean War.

Hypnosis presented quick and cheap results in unfavorable scenarios, acting, for example, in aiding with anesthesia and analgesia for performing surgeries on combatants and in treating the disorder we now call post-traumatic stress disorder (as portrayed in this documentary about World War II on Netflix).

It was not until 1958, however, that the American Medical Association approved a report on the use of hypnosis, leading the American Psychological Association to approve the technique as a branch of its therapeutic sphere.

The development of modern hypnosis

Although it presents excellent results, modern hypnosis is still a little-used resource. Until the mid-19th century, two important circumstances in the history of Medicine contributed to hypnosis being sidelined: the discovery of anesthesia in 1846 by Morton, which provided adequate and safe relief from operative pain, and Freud’s choice of psychoanalysis, abandoning the use of hypnosis in his work.

In 1846, Scottish surgeon James Esdaile published a book describing the use of mesmerism in 73 surgeries and 18 cases of pain treatment. Two years later, the already mentioned James Braid proposed the term hypnosis, instead of mesmerism.

In the 20th century, Milton Hyland Erickson (1901-1980), an American psychiatrist and psychologist, represented a milestone in modern hypnosis. In his 60 years of activity, he published over 300 articles and dozens of books related to the topic.

He played an important role in founding the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (1957) and was the founder and editor of the Society’s journal for ten years. His works and ideas influenced John Grinder and Richard Bandler, creators of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He also promoted the importance and validity of brief therapy.

In 1976, it was the turn of Milton Erickson, Rossi, and Rossi to publish a classic book on the hypnotic approach, favoring indirect suggestions and how to present them. This first publication encouraged other researchers to speak on the topic, such as Yapko, who released his book of basic information on hypnosis in 1995 and, in 2003, another book, whose reading is recommended in the main hypnosis teaching centers in the country.

Another reference in the study of hypnosis is the book authored by Weitzenhoffer (2000). And Stewart was responsible for conducting a review on the use of hypnosis in contemporary medicine, published in 2005.

Persistent doubts

It is clear that the neurophysiological changes associated with hypnosis are very complex, and for this reason, there is still a lack of knowledge about the process as a whole. It is known, however, that there are special patterns of neuronal activation and deactivation involving various regions of the brain during hypnotic suggestions. Especially of the limbic system.

Given the lack of consensus in the scientific community, popular beliefs and legends about hypnosis have gained more and more strength. Shows and movies on the theme have become more frequent, and the exaggerated and distorted definition created by them contaminates the popular imagination. This negatively affects the view of hypnosis as a science and as a therapeutic method.

To complete, in several universities, there is much ignorance and prejudice about the topic, which, combined with the lack of scientific dissemination, further distances people from the correct explanations.

What is hypnotic induction?

Hypnotic induction can be described as the procedure used to induce the hypnotic state, which can occur through various techniques. The goal is for the person to feel comfortable, willing, and confident in the professional’s work, who will conduct everything ethically.

To give you an idea, Charcot induced hypnosis by striking gongs, flashing lights, and applying pressure to people’s heads. Braid thought eye fixation was necessary, while the Spiegels have people rolling their eyes and many hypnotists simply ask subjects to close them. Most contemporary inductions include suggestions of relaxation, but the professional may simply ask the subject to be attentive and tense.

The elements of induction are generally not more important than the ritual and expectation. It is possible to produce all the effects of hypnosis by giving subjects placebos and telling them that the medication produces a hypnotic state (Baker and Kirsch, 1993; Glass and Barber, 1961). People’s responses to suggestions during hypnosis depend on their expectations about how they should respond.

What is suggestion?

Suggestion can be defined as a communication resource, direct or indirect, that suggests to the subject the emission of an unintentional behavior. It differs from an instruction because its response must happen “unintentionally”.

Let’s exemplify to make it clearer! Imagine you want someone to experience their arm levitating:

• “Raise your hand” is an instruction;
• “Your hand is getting lighter and starting to rise” is a suggestion.

Do you see how the message is different? The first requires an intentional act; the second directs toward an unintentional response. Similarly:

• “Take this medication” is an instruction;
• “This will help you sleep” is a suggestion.

The second sentence suggests to the person that taking the pill will automatically induce sleep.

But suggestions are not always verbal. Various suggestive information is transmitted through tone of voice, context, facial expressions, gestures, touches, and even by the size, shape, and color of a pill, for example. The subject’s interpretation of the stimulus plays a fundamental role here.

It is important to note that for the verbal or non-verbal stimulus to be or not be a suggestion does not depend on the subject’s response. Suggestions are suggestions, even when people do not respond to them.

The main objective of the suggestion is to use all available communication resources to lead the subject to experience physiological changes, in sensations, emotions, thoughts, or behavior during hypnosis.

The changes experienced occur from the so-called system 1 of brain processing (Kahneman, 2011), which is fast, parallel, automatic, intuitive, unconscious, and driven by emotions and associations.

It is possible to say that there are three basic types of suggestion:

1. Ideomotor suggestions: those in which a specific action, such as arm levitation, occurs automatically, without the awareness of willpower.
2. Challenge suggestions: when the person cannot perform an act that is normally under voluntary control, such as bending an arm (the arm becomes rigid).
3. Cognitive suggestions: are for various cognitive or perceptual distortions, such as selective amnesia, pain reduction, and hallucinations. Note that some cognitive suggestions contain challenges! Amnesia suggestions, for example, require the person not to remember specific information.

We have already seen that hypnosis is characterized by an increased capacity for response to suggestion. So does this mean that suggestion works even without hypnosis? Yes!

One of the first things learned through experimental research on hypnosis was that all behaviors observed during hypnosis can also be obtained without it (Kirsch, 1999).

And not all the effects of hypnosis are suggested by the hypnotist. Many of its effects originate and are transmitted by culture itself.

A 20th-century study has already demonstrated this phenomenon happening (Young & Cooper, 1972). In it, participants were divided into two groups and reacted differently to a phenomenon according to the information they received. Check out the result below:

Another interesting discovery in this data is that, in both groups, 75% of individuals who expected amnesia experienced it, while none of those who did not expect amnesia experienced it.

This leads us to another important concept to understand hypnosis: expectation!

What is expectation?

We can divide expectation into two categories: stimulus expectation and response expectation.

Stimulus: is what the subject expects regarding how the intervention by the professional will be.

Response: is what he expects from his own response to this stimulus.

They are derived from direct and indirect experiences:

Direct: when we live the experience.

Indirect: when someone we trust tells us that this is how it works.

The response expectation can be self-confirmed and consequently reinforced. For example: expecting to have more energy after having breakfast is confirmed after going through the experience, which reinforces it.

The expectation of what will happen is a very important part of the hypnosis process. The subject who will be hypnotized knows what is likely to happen because they have heard stories or aligned their expectations with the professional. By expecting this response, they increase the probability of it happening.

Has it ever happened to you to lie to someone about a headache and soon after actually start feeling your head hurting? Expectation has this ability to create bodily states when we expect them. A process similar to what happens in the “placebo effect”.

What is the placebo effect?

This effect is what occurs when someone ingests a pill without medicinal properties, such as a flour pill, with the expectation that it will cause a certain effect.

Even if its chemical composition is not of a real medication, the person who ingested it can (and probably will) feel the described effects just by the expectation created, whether they are positive or negative.

To date, there is no consensus on all the variables that enable the placebo to work, we only know that they are directly linked to the information received and the expectation built.

Recent studies indicate that placebos work even when they are announced to patients: about 60% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome reported improvement after taking two placebo pills a day, even knowing they were not real medications. Among patients who received no treatment, only 35% improved.

Attention! There is an important difference between placebos and hypnosis, and it is worth highlighting it for practical reasons. The administration of placebos implies deception, and hypnosis does not. Doctors and psychotherapists do not use placebos therapeutically for this reason.

Since the use of hypnosis does not require deception, it can (and should) be used as a means of exploring the therapeutic potential of suggestion.

What is clinical hypnosis or hypnotherapy?

The word “hypnotherapy” is a combination of hypnosis and therapy. It is defined in a Ministry of Health ordinance that recognizes and regulates the practice by the SUS:

“Hypnotherapy is a set of techniques that, through intense relaxation, concentration and/or focus, induces the person to reach an increased state of consciousness that allows altering a wide range of unwanted conditions or behaviors, such as fears, phobias, insomnia, depression, distress, stress, and chronic pain. It can promote self-knowledge and, in combination with other forms of therapy, helps in addressing a series of problems.”

The concept itself explains that hypnotherapy is a set of techniques, in this case, of hypnosis, used for therapeutic purposes. Therefore, it is a tool that can be used to enhance results and increase patient engagement in treatment.

Hypnotherapy is not just about entering a trance; it is a technique to create experiences and generate new learning.

It is important to emphasize that hypnosis is not a therapy in itself; it requires a therapeutic theoretical approach (usually from psychology) that supports the professional.

What can hypnotherapy be used for?

Studies have already proven that hypnosis can help with various demands, such as:

• depression
• anxiety
• phobias
• addictions
• compulsions
• obesity
• childbirth
• medical procedures and recovery
• pain
• to improve studies and memory
• and several others.

Necessary care with hypnosis

Attention! Anything that is not recommended to do without hypnosis continues not to be recommended with hypnosis. 

The use of hypnosis does not pose any special risk or side effect. The risk is the person seeking help from an unprepared professional – but this is something we are subject to in any type of treatment, right?

In the case of hypnotherapy, as in any psychotherapy, we are dealing with a person in suffering, in a situation of greater emotional vulnerability, so there is a complexity to handle. The professional needs to have greater sensitivity and care, so it is necessary to research to avoid consulting with an unqualified and unprepared professional.

Each professional should stick to their area of expertise. A psychologist is not the most suitable to extract teeth, right? Similarly, someone without training in Psychology or Psychiatry cannot propose to “cure depression”.

Besides the danger and inconvenience of an inadequately qualified professional venturing into practices beyond their domain, we can highlight four main cases where the use of hypnosis requires greater attention:

Cases of pain

In cases of pain, the patient needs to have some diagnosis and medical follow-up. Can you imagine the risk of removing a headache that may indicate something serious is happening with the person? Or even a lesion that could be a fracture? Pain serves as an alert from our body, so it is recommended to always contextualize the demand before controlling it with hypnosis.

Memory recovery

Memory is a very complex process. But, to simplify, let’s imagine it as a puzzle assembled in our mind. As time passes and we have new experiences, some pieces end up becoming loose, and we fill their spaces with imagination.

This imagination is as “real” to us as the other memories. Therefore, we run the risk of retrieving or even creating new – false – memories. However, this is not an exclusive risk of hypnosis (although it can be heightened). We create false memories all the time in our daily lives.

Cases of psychosis

Individuals with cases of psychosis may trigger crises during experiences in altered states of consciousness, given the dissociative nature of hypnosis. Although this can also occur due to several other simpler daily events, such as after an emotionally impactful news, the loss of someone, or the use of psychoactive substances like cannabis, it may be better to avoid hypnosis as a precaution.

Strong emotional discharges during pregnancy

Although there is no consensus in the literature, some hypnosis practices involving strong emotional discharges are not recommended during pregnancy. Stress can reach the baby through physiological reactions, through the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which in large quantities can pose risks to pregnancy.

However, it is known that it is very beneficial, although little publicized, the use of hypnosis by pregnant women in preparation for childbirth, mainly aiming at reducing pain and anxiety.

How to find a reliable therapist?

As in any profession, there are professionals with adequate qualification and training and others not. To ensure you are seeking a reliable hypnotherapist for health treatment, make sure they have completed a training course at a recognized institution.

The professional’s association with an organization or hypnosis association ensures that an institution is responsible for overseeing and receiving complaints regarding their practice. This can also mean that it is a professional engaged and dedicated to specializing and updating.

If you need help finding a professional who works with hypnosis, click here. We certainly have the right professional to help you anywhere in Brazil.

If you’ve made it this far and still have any questions, leave your comment. Let’s make hypnosis overcome myths and be used to help people of all ages!

This publication is also available at: Portuguese (Brazil) Spanish