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Fact or fiction?

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy — how much do you really know?

Hypnotherapy is an increasingly popular and effective way to help people. Yet for many of us, the only picture we have of it comes from the entertainment industry.
Separating fact from fiction

Most of what people “know” about hypnosis is borrowed from television

Stage hypnosis, films and television have given hypnosis a reputation that has very little to do with clinical practice. What most people picture — loss of control, being made to act against their will, remembering nothing afterwards — is not what happens in a therapy room.

Clinical hypnotherapy is a structured therapeutic approach that uses guided relaxation and focused attention to support psychological and behavioural change. You remain aware, in control, and an active participant throughout.

If you are curious about how it actually works, the best way to find out is to come and see for yourself — or read what our graduates say about their own training.

LCCHI lecturer speaking at an Open Day while the session is filmed
Common myths

Four things hypnosis is not

“You lose control”

You remain aware and in control throughout. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, not unconsciousness, and you cannot be made to act against your values.

“You are asleep”

Despite the language of “going under”, you are not asleep. Many people report feeling unusually alert and absorbed.

“Only some people can be hypnotised”

Responsiveness varies, but the great majority of people can work with hypnosis given a practitioner who adapts to them.

“It is the same as stage hypnosis”

Stage hypnosis is entertainment built on showmanship and self-selection. Clinical hypnotherapy is a therapeutic method used towards an agreed goal.

Want to understand it properly?

Come to an Open Day and ask the questions that matter to you, or request the prospectus to read about the training in full.
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