In the minds of many people, hypnosis is associated with manipulation, subliminal influence, and the like. Furthermore, many people think that there is something supernatural about hypnosis. Hypnosis has even been associated with the devil. But can hypnosis be dangerous?
Especially when you increasingly hear about the great successes achieved with hypnosis, even on a physical level. And whatever brings a certain power with it can sometimes also harbor dangers. Anyone who has these images in their head when they think of hypnosis can quickly ask themselves: “Is hypnosis dangerous?”
The answer to this question I will give you in this article.
This much in advance: hypnosis is not dangerous when applied correctly. I will also give two examples of how hypnosis can be used incorrectly. Unfortunately, not all hypnotherapists are very well trained. That is why it is also important to know the potential dangers of hypnosis if you want to use hypnosis as therapy.
Because a large part of the question of whether hypnosis is dangerous is tied to the question of what hypnosis actually is. So let’s start with a brief summary of that:
Key Takeaways
- Hypnosis is not about someone taking control of your mind or making you do things against your will.
- Hypnotherapy is a tool for treating mental and physical problems when applied by trained professionals.
- Hypnosis carries some risks and rare side effects, though their severity and occurrence can vary from person to person.
- It is important to choose a qualified hypnotherapist with whom you feel comfortable and in good hands.
What actually is hypnosis?
This question occupies not only people who are interested in the dangers of hypnosis or who are newly engaging with it. Researchers and practitioners also have different answers to this question.
Some use the word “hypnosis” to mean the hypnotic state, i.e., the hypnotic trance. Others use hypnosis to mean the process of “hypnotizing,” i.e., the path into the hypnotic trance.
The most fitting, broad definition of hypnosis for me is this: hypnosis is anything that communicates with the unconscious.
Contacting the unconscious
Every person has a great many unconscious parts. These are active at all times, perceiving our environment, filtering information, and also reacting to it. This includes, for example, heartbeat or body temperature. However, these processes do not happen independently, as many people think.
For example, if you imagine something embarrassing and then blush at the thought, you have influenced something physical with your thoughts. The sum of these unconscious parts—the contact person during hypnosis, so to speak—is what we call the unconscious.
Some want to use hypnosis for a show. Others want to apply it therapeutically. But addressing the unconscious and meeting it where it is remains the main component of hypnosis either way.
Now, logically, anything perceived by the human senses can have a hypnotic effect. If the air is cold and we shiver, that is also hypnosis in the broad definition. The environment naturally harbors its own dangers, so for the sake of clarity in this article, I will reduce hypnosis to everything people can do with their words.
A dangerous unconscious?
So we now know that hypnosis makes it possible to address the unconscious and thereby also influence it in a certain way. The question now is what the unconscious is capable of and what it can be persuaded to do.
Capabilities of the unconscious
Fundamentally, the unconscious controls almost all bodily functions. Because who consciously ensures a proper blood pressure or the dispatch of immune cells? That means if we can influence the unconscious with hypnosis, shouldn’t we theoretically be able to influence all of this hypnotically too?
In theory, yes, but in practice, it doesn’t look quite so clear-cut.
Because we might be able to influence the whole thing to a certain extent, but we can never completely control it.
We can take the heartbeat as an example: we might be able to slow it down with the right words. This happens, for example, when someone calms down or stress is reduced. But we cannot give the heart the command to stop beating.
Almost every process in the body is regulated by various factors. These cannot all be directly influenced. The main goal of the unconscious is survival. If the hypnotist’s suggestion contradicts this, it is simply ignored.
Many misunderstandings about hypnosis happen on this level. Because while the unconscious is more active and more open to suggestions in a hypnotic trance, it still won’t let itself be talked into just anything.
That also partially answers the question: “Does hypnosis make you lose your free will?”. Because the will of the conscious mind might be ignored more in the hypnotic trance (e.g., immobile arms/legs or unconscious twitching). But even so, inappropriate suggestions are filtered out.
So the unconscious fundamentally wants us to be well. We can therefore say that the self-protection of the unconscious protects us from many hypnosis dangers.
Risks and side effects
A false understanding of the potential risks and side effects of hypnosis can lead to misconceptions about its safety and effectiveness.
Here are some important points to consider:
- Rare side effects can occur: Although hypnosis is generally safe, rare side effects can occur, such as anxiety, headaches, dizziness, or drowsiness. These side effects are usually temporary and subside after the session. Read more about this here: Side effects of hypnosis
- Severity and occurrence of side effects vary: The severity and occurrence of side effects can vary from person to person. It is important that you communicate all side effects to your therapist so they can adjust the treatment plan accordingly.
It should be noted that hypnosis may not be suitable or safe for individuals with severe mental disorders. If you have a severe mental illness, you should absolutely discuss this with your therapist before undergoing hypnotherapy. Especially if you have had very traumatic experiences in your past, it is very important to tell your hypnotherapist this in advance.
Furthermore, it is advisable to check whether your insurance covers hypnosis as a treatment option, because most insurances do not cover the costs of hypnotherapy.
If you are well informed about the risks and side effects of hypnosis, you can make an educated decision about its use as part of your treatment plan.
What can be dangerous about hypnosis?
Simply saying that hypnosis is 100% harmless wouldn’t be true. As with any powerful tool, the main danger is user error.
Fundamentally, as I said, we have many filters that protect us from negative influences, but sometimes something just slips through. Especially in medical hypnosis, more caution is required.
Example one: Dangers of thoughtless use of hypnosis
I once had such an example in my practice. It was a woman who had previously gone to a “hypnotherapist” for smoking cessation. He then gave her unconscious suggestions that smoke was completely disgusting. An aversion to smoke is plausible enough. The guy then used that to link it so that she would feel sick every time she smelled smoke.
This then had the desired effect; every time she smoked, she felt sick. So goal achieved, she had to stop smoking.
The alert reader will probably already be on the trail of the danger; because smoke doesn’t just come from cigarettes. So now my client felt sick every time someone else lit a cigarette. Or when her neighbor fired up his grill. Or when a car had too much exhaust.
The trigger for her visit to me was that she almost died in a house fire. Because as the smoke from the fire started to spread in her apartment, the nonsensical suggestion was activated. This then caused such severe nausea that she barely made it out of the house. In the end, the firefighters carried her out of the house covered in vomit. She came to me to break this link, which we then did successfully. We then treated the smoking in a sensible way, of course.
This example shows how hypnosis can harbor dangers when applied improperly. It shows how important a good, solid hypnosis education is. The emphasis here is on the word “hypnosis,” as the next example shows.
Example two: Dangers of standard procedures
The second example was published as a study-of-one or field report. The protagonists are doctors who wanted to show other doctors the effect of hypnosis in pain treatment. In doing so, they apparently followed a standardized procedure.
In this, the effect of the painkiller Novocain is suggested to the hypnotizee. This is primarily used by dentists, and the numb feeling is familiar to many. Now, however, in this standardized procedure, the client was not asked whether he or she was allergic to Novocain.
But the pure suggestion of the medication now triggered an allergic reaction. Fortunately, it was only a swelling of the cheek, which could be stopped again by a counter-suggestion.
This story shows us that improper handling of hypnosis can lead to serious consequences. And this mistake could even happen to a doctor. Fortunately, he was able to undo his damage, otherwise it could have led to bigger problems.
So we see how important a hypnosis-based education is when practicing. A medical degree and three days of further training on hypnosis for pain can bring dangers with them just like that.
This also applies generally to hypnosis with standardized procedures, which are often used in short training courses. If these are not adapted to the individual, this can also lead to problems in certain cases.
Where else you should be careful with hypnosis
In hypnosis, as I said, we use the trance. For most people, this is a pleasant and relaxed state of creative concentration.
In certain cases, however, this is not so.
Caution is advised especially with people with schizophrenia. If people with such predispositions are approached inappropriately (e.g., suggestions of “you are now going deeper and deeper”), this can even trigger episodes. Because someone who is schizophrenic or has schizophrenic traits is already stuck too deeply in his or her “trance” anyway, it is better to pull them out in such cases.
Other examples of inappropriate trances are the improper hypnosis of victims of traumatic experiences. Certain people who have experienced something traumatic immediately go mentally into that situation when they are guided into the hypnotic trance.
In such cases, the hypnotic tact of the hypnotherapist is also required. If this is not sufficiently developed, there is a danger that old wounds will be torn wide open again. For example, I have also had clients who were completely messed up after a hypnosis session with another person, and they were simply sent home in that state. Here it is not directly physically dangerous, but safety in everyday life is still not guaranteed. In such cases, someone who can pull you out of the hole again should be sought out as quickly as possible.
The dangers of hypnosis
Conclusion: Is hypnosis dangerous?
In summary, we can therefore say: hypnosis is not dangerous if the user knows what they are doing. Because of the great possibilities that hypnosis gives us, great stupidities can also be done with it in very rare cases.
If you are looking for a hypnotherapist, it is therefore all the more important to ensure that they have been sufficiently trained and that they have enough experience with heavy topics.
But if you go to a well-trained and experienced hypnotherapist, then hypnosis is safer than many other conventional treatment methods. The great effect of hypnosis combined with the high level of safety makes hypnotherapy the ideal treatment method for almost all complaints.
