The Limitations of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

A metaphorical illustration to represent limitations

Hypnosis is a very special tool that allows us to tap into the astonishing power of the human mind, in pursuit of positive, progressive and permanent change. Hypnosis can be used to achieve anything from a simple confidence boost for a driving test or other exam, through quitting habits like smoking or nail biting, and going on to apparent miracle cures like helping someone become able to travel alone through the outback of Australia, after being trapped indoors with agoraphobia for years.

We know more than most just how effective hypnosis can be, but there are limitations to its power. Impossibilities remain impossibilities and hypnosis is not a miracle cure for anything, despite what some people may claim. So it is important to understand that:

  • Hypnosis cannot repair congenital damage or genetic problems.
  • Hypnosis cannot prevent the ageing process, or make you live forever.
  • Hypnosis cannot help you achieve anything that is truly physically impossible.

The reality is that sometimes hypnosis can appear to do great things with physical illness and that frequently we will seem to be astonishingly successful at helping to banish psychological distress. But there are limitations, especially with what can be achieved using self hypnosis recordings. This is why you won’t find any CDs or MP3 downloads on our website for certain psychological conditions or physical illnesses. Some things are better left for one to one hypnotherapy, where there is that live interaction between people. If we do not believe we can offer any real help or support via the medium of recordings, then we will not produce them.

Physical illnesses

When physical illness is involved, the situation is tricky, because most evidence of ‘cures’ or remissions are anecdotal. On the other hand, it is well-known and recognised by the orthodox medical world that the immune response, anxiety, and the psychological well-being of any individual are closely linked. Therefore, improving an individuals’ psychological well-being should improve his or her physical health and this does often seem to be the case.

There are some hypnotherapists who work specifically with terminally ill individuals using hypnoanalysis, which is an advanced form of hypnotherapy. There are some cases, where after therapeutic intervention, some patients survive and continue to survive, long after having been declared as ‘beyond all hope’ by the orthodox medical profession. But not every time. The belief behind this kind of work involves locating and resolving the originating cause of the self-destruct programme that some people believe exists in all terminally ill people. The hypothesis – and it is only a hypothesis, though it often seems to be proven – is that releasing the ‘trapped’ emotion, the repression, allows the body to function exactly as it should, as a self-repairing machine.

Let us be absolutely clear…. even if it is possible, this type of work is beyond the scope of all but the most experienced and skilled hypnotherapists. Also, in case it is not obvious, advanced hypnotherapy methodologies such as hypnoanalysis can only ever be done in person. Hypnoanalysis is a very intricate discipline that requires a great deal of care and attention. It is not suitable for everyone and is certainly not something that can be done via the medium of audio recordings.

Far fetched and extreme claims

We know that there are some hypnotherapists out there who produce audio programs for a variety of topics that are highly unlikely to accomplish what they claim. Mostly these play on people’s insecurities. For example, in the past we have seen CDs for things like breast enlargement, penis enlargement, cures for baldness, helping the vertically challenged to grow taller, etc. We understand why somebody might consider hypnosis as an option, but we do not believe hypnosis can help people accomplish these types of issues.

Some people may disagree with us, and some are just out to make money. We choose not to make promises about hypnosis that are far fetched. If we made these types of products then people would buy them, but these extreme claims tend to put people off the truly valuable uses of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, when they discover that they do not work. For us it is a question of ethics and we would not be able to sleep at night if we were making money in this way. And if I really thought hypnosis could grow hair or make me taller, I might not look like I do. Though, honestly I am perfectly happy with my physical appearance.

Here at SelfHypnosis.com we work in a professional and ethical manner and we hope that this is communicated through our range of self hypnosis products. Hypnosis is a wonderful tool and it can really help to improve your physical, mental, and emotional state. But hypnosis does have limitations and should not be viewed as a magical cure for everything and anything.

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