Some people feel that when a person is in hypnosis, that person is asleep. The word "hypnosis" stems from hypnos, the Greek word for sleep. However, people who experience hypnosis are not actually sleeping - far from it. They may appear to others to be asleep, but they can think, talk, open their eyes, respond to suggestion, and move in any way. Electroencephalograms, or EEG readings, taken on people during hypnosis show a high incidence of alpha wave activity that indicates a relaxed yet attentive brain.
Some people are afraid that they won't emerge from hypnosis. Anytime you want to emerge from hypnosis, all you have to do is have the slightest thought that you don't want to be in this relaxed state anymore, and instantly it's over and you're back to your normal awareness. Even if the hypnotherapist/hypnotist went away and left a subject in hypnosis, the subject would either return to full consciousness on his or her own or would enter a sleep and awaken after a pleasant nap.
Some people have the misconception that they will tell me all their deep, dark secrets when they are in hypnosis. However, while you are in hypnosis, you are always in control of what you choose to do or say. If you don't want to tell me something, you never will. If I were to ask you for information that was none of my business, you would simply tell me that it was none of my business. Nobody can make you divulge information that is proprietary. Similarly, hypnosis is not truth serum. If a person wishes to be untruthful while hypnotized, he or she can easily lie.
And
then there is that powerful misconception that the hypnotherapist/hypnotist
can control the patient and make him or her do anything the hypnotherapist/hypnotist
wants the patient to do. In reality, the subject is always in control,
hyper-alert and concentrating at a high level. In this mental state,
he or she can have the experience structured by a hypnotherapist/hypnotist,
but the choice of whether to cooperate or not is his or hers alone.
Thus, you will not do anything you do not think is acceptable. You
cannot be made to violate your own values or accepted patterns of
behavior.
Some people say, "Wait a minute! I hear what you
are saying, but I've seen stage hypnosis work, and I know those
people control those folks. I've seen them bark like a dog and do
other silly things." Through a series of questions, observations,
and audience participation exercises, the stage hypnotist picks
those volunteers who are somewhat exhibitionistic. Those people
want to have fun and they don't mind being made fun of. That is,
they will play the game and do silly things. They have taken the mental attitude "I like that idea and its going to work for me", and it works. Those that don't want to do the silly things asked of them by a stage hypnotist are often sent back to their seats, or, if the show is still going on, the hypnotist ignores them for the remainder of the show.
