Hypnotherapy isn’t what you think - Here are the facts

Camilla E
Jan 17
3 min read

Updated: 7 hours ago

There’s a whole stack of myths floating around about hypnotherapy.

Mind control. Losing awareness. Someone clicking their fingers and poof, you’re suddenly doing embarrassing things against your will.

Thanks, Hollywood, and Stage hypnotists for the drama. (Read the difference Stage hypnosis vs hypnotherapy here)

So what's the reality

The reality is far calmer, far safer, and far more grounded and scientific than the stories, tales and images suggest.

Hypnotherapy isn’t mystical trickery or a stage show gimmick, it’s a well-established therapeutic approach that works with your mind, not against it.

Let’s gently slice through the nonsense and set the record straight.

Myth 1: “I’ll lose control during hypnotherapy”

This is by far the most common fear and the easiest to clear up.

You never lose control in hypnotherapy.

Not even a little.

Hypnosis is a natural state of focused awareness, similar to when you’re absorbed in a good book, daydreaming, or driving on autopilot. You can hear, think, speak, move, and stop at any time.

At CE-Hypnosis, hypnosis is collaborative. You’re always aware, always in charge, and always able to say yes, no, or “I need to go to the bathroom”.

If anything, clients often say:

“I’ve never felt more present and calm.”

Myth 2: “Hypnotherapy is just relaxation”

Relaxation is part of it, but that’s only the doorway. However there are some therapists that only use relaxation, but you will likely notice it isn´t that effective.

Hypnotherapy works by helping your subconscious mind update patterns that once made sense but are no longer helpful. These patterns might show up as:

Stress or anxiety
Allergies or physical reactions
Phobias or fears
Emotional blocks
Old habits that won’t budge
Nervous system overload

Relaxation allows the subconscious to become receptive, but the real change happens in how the mind and body learn new responses.

Myth 3: “Only weak-minded people can be hypnotised”

This one couldn’t be more backwards.

People who respond best to hypnotherapy are often:

Reflective
Imaginative
Analytical
High-functioning
Used to thinking deeply

In fact, many clients are professionals, parents, athletes (very common but use the name mental coaching), healthcare workers, teachers, and business owners, (yes CEOs, Doctors etc) . Some have tried years of traditional therapy without the results they hoped for.

Hypnotherapy is a shortcut to change.

Myth 4: “Hypnotherapy is dangerous or unscientific”

Modern hypnotherapy is widely used worldwide and supported by growing research into neuroscience, the nervous system, and mind-body regulation.

It works with:

The autonomic nervous system
Stress and threat responses
Learned emotional and physical patterns
Neuroplasticity

At CE-Hypnosis, hypnotherapy is never about forcing change. It’s about listening to what the body and subconscious are already communicating and helping them recalibrate safely and respectfully to your wishes.

Myth 5: “If I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help, hypnotherapy won’t either”

Many people come to hypnotherapy after feeling stuck, not because therapy “failed”, but because they were working mainly at a conscious level.

Hypnotherapy works beneath analysis, beneath overthinking, and beneath repeated storytelling. It works at the subconsious level. That’s often why people experience shifts even when nothing else has worked.

And no, you don’t have to relive trauma to heal it. Because we use a developed method called the CE-method.

Read about subconsious here

So… What

Actually

Happens in a Hypnotherapy Session?

A typical CE-Hypnosis session feels:

Calm and really relaxed
Safe and comfortable
Surprisingly ordinary

You’re guided into a relaxed, focused state, where we work with the subconscious mind using language, imagery, and techniques tailored specifically to you and what you have requested as change.