Although some definitions describe hypnosis in terms of interaction between people, hypnosis is not something one person “does” to another. Hypnosis is like daydreaming: a form of relaxed concentration. First the body is relaxed and secondly, the conscious part of the mind.

Some hypnotherapists believe our everyday sense of reality is actually a trance. That we need to awaken, to de-hypnotize from the myths of what we think is real. For most practitioners the most common view of hypnosis is that it is an altered state of consciousness; your awareness differs somehow to your everyday sense of reality. This is often referred to as being in a trance. However, for many, perhaps most people being in hypnosis does not seem much different to how they feel at other times.

No. Often all a person new to hypnosis will note is that they feel relaxed. Often more deeply relaxed than they’ve ever felt before. This has led to claims that hypnosis is nothing more than profound relaxation. But laboratory tests prove hypnosis is something more than relaxation: e.g., after hypnosis the heart rate remains slowed down longer than after relaxation alone.

People are readily suggestible without hypnosis – the mammoth advertising industry attests to that – and people in hypnosis by definition want to cooperate. Of course they accept suggestions. They suspend their disbelief as they would while reading a novel. But suggest something that is distasteful to them and they'll quickly stop cooperating – just as they’d drop a novel which offended them.

Some theorists say that people think or do things in hypnosis because it's expected of them and by them. They are fulfilling a role. They want to please the hypnotist. So there’s no altered state of consciousness, there's simply a motivation to act as though hypnotised. This theory might hold for stage performances and the like but can hardly apply to surgery. Thousands of hypnotised persons have benefited from operations with no chemical anesthetic.

No, when you are in hypnosis you are conscious, awake and aware.

Altered state, relaxation, heightened suggestibility, role-playing, conditioning or dissociation, whatever hypnosis is, it enables a person to experience thoughts and images as though they were real.

Not necessarily. Many hypnotists define hypnosis as the bypassing of the critical [conscious] mind and an accessing of the subconscious.

Although some people equate the subconscious with the brain's right hemisphere, the subconscious is probably better understood in a metaphorical sense. For example, Freud claimed it is a cesspool of sexual and violent urges while present-day theorists are more likely to consider the subconscious to be either a wellspring of goodness or a storehouse of memories that normally lies outside our conscious awareness. Perhaps there’s no such thing as the subconscious.

Those by Michael Yapko and those by the APA (American Psychological Association).

Generally speaking, yes. But not:

• if the person doesn’t want to be
• if the person is weak-willed
• if the person is drunk or stoned

A more traditional answer from Steve G. Jones is: YES. The lightest state of hypnosis (Alpha) is achieved easily. Everyone enters a hypnotic state every day, several times per day. It’s that state you are in when you are watching TV, reading a good book, or playing video games. It’s the state you are in when you are just waking up or just going to bed. You are not fully conscious, but you are not fully unconscious either. In this state you're up to 200 times more suggestible than when you are fully awake (Beta). Many people, when they hear about hypnosis, say, “Well, I can’t be hypnotised.” These people have been misinformed, mostly by Hollywood, about what hypnosis is and is not. It is not necessary to be in some sort of otherworldly trance to be in hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a natural state which everyone moves in and out of throughout each day. Many of our everyday normal activities are actually performed under hypnosis without us being aware of it. An example is playing video games. Some people can play for hours in one sitting. If someone talks to you in a video game session, you are able to respond. Another good example of a hypnotic state is being on the computer. People using a computer are focused on what they are doing but can intelligently answer the phone when it rings. So, hypnosis is no different to playing video games or working on a computer. Most people engaged in these activities would not think they are in a trance, but they are. They are in a light hypnotic trance known as Alpha.

By the way, reading a fascinating article (like this one) is another form of hypnosis...surprise! You're in hypnosis! In alpha, your mind is slowed down just a little, your focus is narrow, your breathing is slow, and you are relaxed. Since you are up to 200 times more suggestible even while you are in the light state of alpha, anything beyond this is unnecessary for most purposes (i.e. programming someone to lose weight, stop smoking, overcome fear of flying, etc.). You can have an extremely effective hypnosis session while being aware of and able to recall every word spoken by the Hypnotherapist.

— Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist

Yes. Hypnosis is an inborn talent of the client. Its use, deliberate or unwitting, varies from person to person. Your development of this skill can be enhanced with the guidance of an experienced hypnotist. Then the talent can subsequently be even more useful and enjoyable when employed by you on your own.

Not much. People who are highly intelligent are more easily hypnotised as are people who have been sexually abused as children (possibly because to survive they had to dissociate).

Yes. When a person is in hypnosis specific parts of the brain “light up” in brain scans. Also, for decades Candace Pert, a scientist, and Ernest Rossi, a psychologist, have explained how hypnosis has measurable effects arising from thoughts and behaviours through the intermediary flow of neurons and hormones.

Yes. It’s the opposite of the well-known “flight-or-fight” response. It’s the calm-and-confident response.

No. Memory is selective and malleable. There is no unblemished record of your life stored somewhere just waiting for you to rediscover events from your past. With hypnosis you may be able to recall some events that you are consciously unaware of but there is no guarantee that the recall is accurate.

Only as much as the client wants to be controlled. Bad movies and books notwithstanding, since the client is awake and aware, they decide what they'll agree to.

Yes. For example, when you are so mesmerised while surfing the Net that you would buy something you don’t need just because you are in a daze. More seriously, you might want to be de-hypnotised from the food industry’s TV ads or from the negative messages implanted in your head by well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) parents.

You will only say what you want to say. In therapy it is often beneficial to reveal a secret. But if you are revealing a secret while in hypnosis it’s because you choose to do so, not because you're hypnotised.

No. This question is often asked by someone wanting to know for sure if their partner is really being faithful. However, the partner could tell lies while hypnotised. Hypnosis does not act like a truth serum.

No. There's no danger in hypnosis, only in hypnotists. Hypnosis can be misused. Deliberately or unwittingly. Deliberate misuse of hypnosis is what a philandering physician did when he tricked his hypnotised wife into swallowing a fatal overdose of pills.

No. But they could create a false belief. Inadvertently because they suggest something that didn't actually happen or deliberately because it's part of your therapy. Let me explain: the hypnotist might by accident ask a “leading question” such as “And who else is in the room with your 7-year-old self?” which would likely cause a hypnotised client to imagine someone being in that room even though in reality there had been no other person present. On the other hand, the hypnotist might very deliberately and positively suggest a client who is afraid of public speaking imagine themselves giving a great speech at their next business meeting.

No. If the hypnotist stopped talking to you after a while, you’d either drift off to sleep or you’d open your eyes to find out what’s going on.

No. You are the one in control of what you say and do. Even in a hypnotic trance, you are aware of your actions.

This is traditionally answered by ”it feels different for each person“ which is a bit like claiming that no two snowflakes are alike. When used in a therapeutic context many people report:

• feeling relaxed,

• uncaring about their everyday concerns,

• only vaguely aware of their surroundings,

• barely hearing extraneous noises,

• focused on their imaginations,

• arms and legs either pleasantly heavy or light,

• enjoyable tingling sensations,

• sense of peace and lethargy,

• mind super alert.

To an observer the hypnotised person looks as relaxed as if she were asleep. In particular, the face becomes placid and sometimes a little flushed. The eyelids may twitch a little.

The best way is from the results achieved. If you experience the kind of physical and imaginative details described above, you probably won’t even ask this question. However, if, like a lot of people, you don’t feel much different physically or mentally while supposedly in hypnosis there are three possibilities:

1. You were hypnotised but because of false notions about hypnosis decided you weren’t.

2. You chose not to be hypnotised.

3. You were not hypnotised.

The late hypnotherapist Michael Carr-Jones answers this by saying your question is his “biggest bête noire.”

“Of course, you hear every word. You are awake, aware, fully conscious. If you could not hear every word we would all be wasting our time and your money.”

Yes. Hypnosis is safe for everyone. Children can readily benefit because, even more than adults, they slip in and out of hypnosis naturally all day as they play make-believe.

No. It is, of course, preferable to relax when you are in a therapist’s office. But you could (and often do) go into hypnosis while exercising vigorously (e.g., running a marathon) or in an emergency (such as a car crash).

The use of hypnosis in police and similar investigations. The North American acknowledged expert in this field is Inspector Marx Howell.

Strictly speaking, no. The label is often applied when a therapist uses hypnosis with a client. But, however refreshing it is to enjoy being in hypnosis, the experience by itself is not therapeutic. Therapy is done while a person is in hypnosis, not by hypnosis.

You follow these guidelines: How To Choose the Right Hypnotherapist

Donald Robertson writes, “The false premise of the question can be exposed by comparing it to asking: ‘How long do beliefs last?’ Hypnotic suggestions are simply ideas which are accepted as beliefs at a particularly ‘deep’ level. In fact, there's no simple answer. A post-hypnotic suggestion could last a few minutes or a lifetime, it depends upon a multitude of factors, including the psychology of the client, their subsequent life experiences, the precise nature of the suggestion, and the means of its delivery.“

Perhaps. If you are frequently in the formerly phobic situation but now feel comfortable, it’s unlikely you'll need a “top up.” The new habit of being non-phobic will have replaced the old phobia. However, if the phobic situation is one that you rarely encounter but you do find yourself once again about to face it then you might need brief hypnotherapy. Or you could use the self-hypnosis techniques taught to you by your therapist.

“Depth” in hypnosis is subjective. But what might be called a “light trance” is sufficient for therapeutic change such as stopping smoking or losing weight. Presumably, though, you’d want to be deep into hypnosis if it was the only anesthetic you were using while undergoing surgery.

Some hypnotherapists like to have their clients listen through headphones to a relaxing induction mix of words and music. Others will use a metronome, pendulum or other device for focusing the clients’ attention. No device is actually essential. Most hypnotherapists simply talk their clients into hypnosis on a one-to-one basis.

No. Unless he’s trying out for a part in a Hollywood movie. Real-life hypnotherapists use whatever voice they’ve been graced with. Of course, it helps if the voice is soothing rather than grating. And a confident tone is important. Apart from that any kind of voice is sufficient.

Thorough grounding not only in the techniques of hypnosis but in psychopathology, psychotherapy, human behaviour, ethics and marketing. It’s essential to be properly mentored.

Yes. And everything. It’s best to first experience hypnosis with a competent practitioner.

Yes. Although their advocates will argue otherwise, here are a few of the many practices that are basically hypnotic:

• Creative visualization

• Guided imagery

• Yoga

• “Flooding” (a technique used by psychologists)

• Emotional Freedom Technique [EFT]

• Eye Movement and Desensitisation and Re-Processing [EMDR].

No. You can keep your eyes open. There are three reasons a hypnotherapist will ask you to close your eyes:

1. Doing so sets the stage for you doing as they ask,

2. You focus more easily on whatever you are imagining,

3. It’s quite disturbing to the therapist to watch an unblinking client for an hour or so.

There are so many applications for hypnosis that you might consider it a panacea – i.e., a solution for all emotional, psychological and physical problems. Especially since hypnosis can be used with people of all ages and with a myriad of problems:

• phobias

• weight control

• insomnia

• alcoholism

• depression

• psychosis

• hypertension

• eating disorders

• sexual dysfunctions

• smoking cessation

• medical illness

• post-traumatic stress, and

• bipolar affective disorder

For sure. Hypnosis can be used to enhance:

• your sports activities

• your love life

• your work habits

• your confidence

• your creativity

Because it deals with fundamental beliefs. Supposedly stored in what we call the subconscious (or “unconscious” in England) these beliefs are what guide us in our everyday living. Change these beliefs and you change your life.

There are hypnotherapists who make such claims. While some remarkable physical effects of hypnotherapy are possible, the actual curing of diseases such as cancer and diabetes seems to be a somewhat outlandish claim, not to mention probably illegal in most jurisdictions. However, hypnosis, its imitators and derivatives, are certainly powerful in helping sick people to be relaxed and to lead less-despairing lives.

Hypnotherapists who specialise in pain control say that the focusing may begin first on the pain. Alleviation of some discomfort helps the client feel they still has some control. Then, when they’re ready, they exercise the ultimate in self-control: letting go.

No. On the contrary. You will remember everything you want to remember. Unless:

• you request a suggestion for amnesia

• you choose not to remember, or

• you spontaneously forget

Either because your subconscious considers you are not yet ready to consciously face whatever you were dealing with during the session, or because you are one of the estimated 3% of the population who enjoy such a high talent for hypnosis that amnesia occurs automatically. Even for these fortunate people (sometimes known “somnambules”) a few verbal hints will suffice to activate recall.

Something within your brain that Ernest Hilgard, scientist and hypnosis researcher, postulates is always there keeping an eye out, so to speak, to keep you safe. It’s the reason somnambules can recall what went on when prompted to do so.

No. But as with all therapies, placebo plays a large part. (Perhaps more than 50%, claims Ernest Rossi, psychologist).

Yes. From prayer to music to ritual procession to repetitive chants to awe-inspiring buildings, religions benefit from techniques that could be considered hypnotic.

Some of these are:

• suspension of disbelief

• inculcation of new beliefs

• repetition through sermons

• hymn singing or chanting

• rituals to reinforce beliefs

• repetitive drumming or dancing