Q: Do you have any opinions on hypnosis? Is it safe and does it work? A friend suggested that I could try being hypnotized to help curb my appetite. I need to lose weight.
A: There is nothing really magic about hypnosis although professional “show” hypnotists make it look as though it is. Hypnosis is just a state of relaxation where a person is more likely to respond to certain suggestions.
You are not unconscious and no one can make you do something that is against your moral principles, such as getting undressed or behaving in an embarrassing manner. I know that in the shows, audience volunteers are sometimes made to bark like dogs when a certain word is mentioned, but they wouldn’t do it if they were really against the idea.
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The key to being able to be hypnotized is how trusting you are, and how willing to accept suggestions from others. This relates to your personality type. Some more suspicious individuals may not be suitable. About 17 percent of the population cannot be hypnotized by anybody. You will notice that the shows generally begin by the performer asking how many people are “stuck” and unable to get out of their seats. The ones that are are the most suggestible and therefore the easiest for him to hypnotize. He goes on to pick his volunteers from that group.
Most therapists who perform hypnosis have taken courses at the Institute of Hypnotherapy in New York, so they know how to act responsibly. There are some dangers involved if hypnosis is used to “recover” childhood or other traumatic memories. For one thing, these may not be accurate and you could be led to believe that you were physically or sexually traumatized as a child, when in fact nothing of the sort occurred.
Because of your highly suggestible state at the time of hypnosis, it is easy for you to believe anything the therapist says. He or she may not knowingly mislead you, but hypnosis should not be used to delve into the past for this type of therapy.
When hypnosis is used to help with weight loss or smoking cessation, a method known as post hypnotic suggestion is used. This is similar to the barking dog phenomenon in the shows.
During the procedure, it is suggested to you that the high calories foods such as pastries and ice cream will taste bad, or are crawling with maggots. Hopefully this will put you off eating them. This will only last for a maximum of two weeks, but may be enough to get you started on a more sensible and low calorie regime. The same applies to smoking. It can be repeated, but will become less effective in subsequent sessions.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
