Over the years, hypnosis has picked up all sorts of weird associations from stage hypnotists, the media and superstition. This is a great shame, because in reality, hypnosis is your single most effective tool for change - ranging from smoking cessation and weight loss, to pain and management stress. Hypnosis is your birthright, and you should know how to use it so it doesn't use you. Here we dispel the biggest hypnosis myths.

Hypnosis Myth 1: All hypnosis is the same.
As with anything, hypnosis can be good, bad or indifferent. The most common is old-style authoritarian hypnosis of the type "You are getting sleepy, you are feeling confident". Unsurprisingly, this sort of hypnosis doesn't work well with many people. Good hypnosis uses subtle psychological principles and advanced communication patterns.

It's like the difference between a football coach who thinks you'll perform best if he yells at you, compared with the more elegant style of a great leader who knows that to get the best from his people, he needs to understand motivation, to cajole, encourage and reward.

Hypnosis Myth 2: Subliminals work.
Subliminals are words that you can't hear. Common sense says they shouldn't work, and there's no research proving that they do.

Hypnosis Myth 3: Some people can't be hypnotized.
The only reason you can't be hypnotized is if you are incapable of paying attention due to extremely low IQ or brain damage. That's not to say that every hypnotist can hypnotize you however. The more flexible the hypnotist, the more effective she will be with the largest number of people.

Hypnosis Myth 4: Hypnosis is something weird that other people do to you.
If you couldn't go into hypnosis, you wouldn't be able to sleep, to learn, or get nervous through 'negative self hypnosis'. (You know when you imagine things going wrong and it makes you feel anxious? Well that's self-hypnosis!)

Hypnosis is simply a deliberate utilization of the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or dream state. We're not giving people medication here - if it wasn't a natural ability, hypnosis wouldn't work!

Hypnosis Myth 5: I'll lose control in hypnosis.
Crazy news stories, stage hypnotists and gossip have created the illusion that you lose control in hypnosis. In fact, when hypnotized, you are relaxed and focused - and able to choose to get up and walk away at any time. You choose to give your attention to the hypnotist, and you can withdraw it at any time.