Many people are aware of ?hypnosis? and ?hypnotherapy?. They are familiar with the terms, although they might not be able to tell you the difference between the two.
Technically the term ?hypnosis? is a generic term for the discipline of utilising hypnotic trances. It is generally a quietening of the conscious part of the mind, rather like daydreaming. ?Hypnotherapy? is therefore using hypnosis for therapeutic purposes.
There are two main uses for hypnosis. They are stage hypnosis and, as already mentioned, clinical hypnotherapy. ?Stage hypnosis? is often given the generic name ?hypnosis?, probably because it is the best known of the two disciplines.
Often people perceive stage hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy as the same thing. This is not all that surprising. Although there are probably far more clinical hypnotherapists than stage hypnotists, more people are familiar with stage hypnosis. This is because the media seems far more interested in reporting (sometimes quite creatively) the antics of stage goers at hypnosis shows than they are about covering people successfully treated in a quiet surgery somewhere out of the spotlight.
Just in case you didn?t know, a stage hypnotist is an entertainer. They are there to put on a show for both the audience and the participants. People attend these events because they want to have fun, either by laughing at the antics of others, or by being allowed to exhibit themselves in front of a crowd. A clinical hypnotherapist has a completely different role. Their role is to listen to a clients problems and find ways of helping them by using the discipline of hypnosis.
One is an entertainer and one is a therapist. That?s quite a difference in roles, yet the two are almost indistinguishable in many peoples? minds. A lot of people seem to expect a clinical hypnotherapist to be a stage hypnotist, yet they don?t expect a stage hypnotist to be a clinical hypnotherapist. I have had people attending my clinical hypnotherapy surgery feeling very anxious because of this. Often they are wary that I am going to play some stage hypnosis tricks on them and ?turn them into chickens? or Mick Jagger. The reality of my sessions is very different.
Whilst it?s true that some people have trained to be both a clinical hypnotherapist AND a stage hypnotist, the majority are either one or the other. Those that can do both are very aware of their expected role in either discipline. A stage hypnotist would not be asked to perform again if he spent an hour curing someone of a phobia. That would not be very entertaining. In a similar way, a clinical hypnotherapist would not have a good reputation if instead of treating a person for an addiction, they instead made them sing and dance around the surgery like Elvis!
When you think about it then it is quite obvious. Stage hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy are two very different things, and the two seldom meet. They both use the natural trance state but for two very different goals.
So don?t let this fool you. If you want treatment for issues such as weight loss, smoking, IBS, confidence, skin complaints and even relationship issues then hypnotherapy can help you. It can do this in a discrete, caring, safe, and professional way by a well trained practitioner, without any of the tricks that you would see in a stage show. Clinical hypnotherapy might not have the glitz and glamor of stage hypnosis, with the loud music and flashing lights, but think for a moment. What?s more exciting than making positive permanent changes, where your life is enhanced and enriched for the better?
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