Does hypnotherapy work?
I have an answer that may sound surprising: yes and no.
Sceptics and people unfamiliar with hypnotherapy may wonder how it’s possible to so drastically change someone’s experience and perception using just words.
The hypnotherapist doesn’t seem to be “doing” much beyond making suggestions, guiding the person’s attention, or speaking in this or that tone of voice. Is that really enough to account for the genuinely impressive results hypnotherapists can achieve? Does it really explain the people who immediately quit smoking for good, drastically change their eating habits or completely conquer a fear that has kept them prisoner for a lifetime?
I wonder if you know about the old Disney animated film Dumbo. One night, Dumbo wakes up to find himself mysteriously stuck in a tree, and his little mouse friend Timothy suggests he must have flown up there. Dumbo can’t believe it – and his doubt is strengthened by a group of nearby crows that mock and tease him for such a ridiculous idea. But when Dumbo panics that he can’t fly down again, Timothy thinks of a solution. He gives Dumbo a “magic feather” that he claims will grant its bearer the power to fly. Dumbo takes the feather, believes, and then… he can fly.
Now, here is the question: does the magic feather really work?
The answer is yes and no.
It’s “just” a feather in the same way that hypnosis is “just” words and suggestions. What really allows Dumbo to fly is his own belief – but the feather is what allows him to access this belief.
Hypnotherapy is a little like Dumbo’s feather. It can help you tap into deep psychological resources you never knew you had. It can help you release old limiting fears that are holding you back, and give you the permission to try something new.
In the past, research scientists tended to dismiss placebos with annoyance, and try to control for them so they could investigate the “real” phenomena they felt were more worthy of their study.
How often have you heard, “A placebo response doesn’t count. It only happens because you believe it will happen. It’s ‘just’ a sugar pill”?
And yet, the sugar pill has real, measurable effects on the body. The feather genuinely helps Dumbo fly. And hypnotherapy can and does change people’s lives.
The mind is a powerful thing. That power comes from the ability to BELIEVE.
When you think about it, isn’t that the most fascinating phenomenon of them all?
What could you achieve if you learnt to master that skill?
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