“The easiest way is to not understand and call it a fake. That’s an avoidance of understanding.”<\/i><\/p>\n
– Milton H. Erickson, Psychiatrist and Hypnotherapist<\/p>\n
For centuries, hypnosis was regarded as a ‘dark art’ or just ‘mystical mumbo-jumbo’. And despite its long scientific, as well as anecdotal, pedigree, many people still ask, “Yes, but does hypnosis work<\/i>?”<\/p>\n
Fortunately, we are not in the business of trying to get our clients to believe or disbelieve in the ‘power of hypnosis’. We are in the business of helping them get over their problems<\/em>.<\/p>\n If they<\/i> feel that their scepticism is getting in the way, we can help them redefine it so it becomes less of an issue.<\/p>\n If a client has expressly explained their sceptical feelings, it’s unwise to ignore them and try to act ‘as if’ the scepticism isn’t there. We need to respect their take on things. Yes, you are quite sceptical about hypnosis, and that is a good thing! Because a part of you knows that dreams exist, because you yourself have dreamed dreams while sleeping. And a part of you knows that different states of mind exist, because you yourself are sometimes tense and sometimes more relaxed. You also know that relaxation and rest are real, and that things that used to be a problem for you can stop causing you so much difficulty when you make certain changes inside. You know that sometimes time seems to pass very slowly and sometimes very quickly. You know that you can focus so intently on a TV program or a book that you almost forget your surroundings for a while. You know that ‘hypnosis’ is just a word meaning all the things I’ve just mentioned that you know to be true…<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n These statements acknowledge<\/i> and accept<\/i> the scepticism, while gently dissecting the idea of hypnosis into parts of experience they can more readily relate to and accept.<\/p>\nHere’s how to get past “does hypnosis work” so hypnosis can<\/i> work for your client<\/h2>\n
1. Acknowledge the scepticism and reframe hypnosis<\/h3>\n
\n\nSo you might say something like:<\/p>\n