I know, I know, for a hypnotherapist like myself to claim that hypnosis is a safe and secure tool to help you recover from your most blocking issues may sound like a biased claim. But hear me out, hypnosis is safe. It is helpful and it’s been helpful to hundreds of people in the past. Why miss your chance to benefit from this wonderful tool if you don’t really understand what it is and how it works? Keep reading to find out why it’s safe, how it works and how can you ensure a positive hypnosis experience.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is often misunderstood, let’s demystify it. Rather than being some form of mind control or a mystical state, hypnosis is actually a natural and focused state of heightened awareness that we all experience daily—like getting absorbed in a good book or daydreaming while driving. During hypnosis, we bypass the critical mind to access the subconscious, where lasting change can take place. This makes it a powerful tool for breaking habits, reducing stress, overcoming fears, and more. Hypnosis allows tapping into your mind's natural ability to heal and grow and ultimately offers a practical path to your own transformation.

How does hypnosis work?

During hypnosis, the mind enters a deeply relaxed and highly focused state, allowing to bypass the conscious mind and directly access the subconscious. This is where your core beliefs, habits, and emotions are stored. Through carefully crafted suggestions, metaphors, stories, rewriting memories, and visualization techniques, hypnosis helps reframe and retrain negative patterns while reinforcing positive behaviors. This process helps align conscious goals with deeper motivations.  

Is hypnosis safe?

Physically, hypnosis is a state that is very similar to meditation. The body is calm, and relaxed and the brain waves are slower than usual. Hypnosis won’t alter your perception if you are not consciously receptive to that thought in the first place. Without your receptivity, no one can change your thought process, including hypnotherapists.  

For hypnosis, place yourself in a comfortable room without distractions, and make sure to stay away from driving and heavy machinery for the duration of hypnosis as your body will be relaxed.

Risks of hypnotherapy

Essentially, hypnotherapy is as risky as sleep. In other words, there are no mental or physical risks of hypnosis. After being hypnotized and awakened, you can drive a car, continue your day, and do other activities you wish. Often it is advised to avoid negative or triggering environments on that day as your subconscious mind still will be processing.

Rarely some people report feeling a light headache which usually dissipates within a day. Most commonly, people feel like waking up from a refreshing nap and in a deeply calm state following hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy safety

Just like in many other services and experiences, there are some safety measures you should follow when working with hypnosis and hypnotherapy as well.

-       Vet your hypnotherapist

Work with a reputable hypnotherapist who is certified and experienced in hypnosis. It’s very easy to call yourself a hypnotist but vetting the person you are working with, googling their name, and researching their credentials is up to you. Ensure that you are working with a reliable person who is using best practices for hypnosis.

-       Beware of regression work

Whenever someone reaches out to me regarding memories and regression work, I approach with caution. We now know that emerging memories during hypnosis not only maybe false but also, that the person is more likely to be affected by these memories because they are in a highly suggestive state. Imagine, you inquire a hypnotherapist hoping to remember a childhood trauma and they “help” you remember a significant hurtful event. Can you be sure of that memory? No. Will it still affect you emotionally? Yes. So what’s the point? I recommend avoiding regression work to remember trauma. You can learn more about why and how hypnosis can make this worse in my previous article by clicking here.

-       Beware of grandiose claims

Be cautious when someone makes grand claims like “You will be fixed in one session”. Most issues that we deal with are deeply rooted issues and hypnotherapists are not magicians. You are not broken to be fixed in the first place. When someone uses catchy phrases to drag you in beware.

-       See your doctor first

If you struggle with a physical health issue or mental health issue, seek help from a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional first as this will ensure that you receive the most appropriate help first. When all else is ruled out, or you’d like to use hypnosis as an adjunct to your ongoing treatment, that’s when you will receive the most benefits of hypnosis.

-       Go with an open mind

Hypnosis is one of those things that will only work when you surrender. If you are going to hypnosis “to see if it works” or thinking “it won’t work for me”, probably you will not get the best results. Go with an open mind to experience the wonders that will come out of using your mind efficiently. Know that you contribute to the process just as much as the hypnotherapist.

-       Be open

As you start working with your hypnotherapist, if something doesn’t make sense to you or if you disagree with your hypnotherapist, communicate your feelings to your hypnotherapist. Everyone is different and most likely your hypnotherapist is working hard to understand your pain points. Your openness and communication will help them provide you with better help.

-       Check your environment

Keep in mind that hypnosis is a deeply relaxed state. Make sure not to practice hypnosis in the car while driving or in the driver seat in general. A car is a place in which we want to be alert. During hypnosis, the neck tends to tilt forward or backward. This can lead to neck injuries. Make sure to support your neck with a pillow to avoid any injuries or discomfort. Finally, hypnosis shouldn’t put you to sleep as we are not really tuning into our minds when sleeping. When hypnotized, try to situate yourself in a laying position with 40 40-degree angle.