What Are The Possible Dangers Of Hypnosis?

The possible dangers of hypnosis are the same as those due to any other type of psychotherapy. Properly performed hypnosis has no intrinsic danger and even badly executed hypnotherapy has only a minimum amount of risk involved. The only case where these is real danger associated with hypnosis is when it is used on a susceptible person, especially with malicious and harmful intent, involving skilful use of hypnosis in the procedure.

Sometimes practicing hypnotists with little experience lose control of the situation while their client is still under hypnosis because they are caught by surprise by a belief or memory or behavior displayed by the client. This is one of the possible dangers of hypnosis because it can lead to new problems sometimes and at other times (more frequently), can make older problems worse. Hypnotists need to be properly trained in order for them to be able to deal with these situations and lessen the possible dangers of hypnosis.

Another one of the possible dangers is for the hypnotist to get caught up in the vivid imagery and emotions that form an integral part of the hypnotherapy sessions. In this case, the manipulation of the situation by the hypnotists for ulterior motives, creating dependence or enhancing the negative parts of the hypnotist’s persona, traumatic reliving of previously blocked out memories, the precipitation of a buried psychosis, a panic attack as a response to the imagery, or forming imagery that is traumatic, misunderstandings that consequently lead to harmful misunderstandings, difficulty in arousing the client and the issues caused due to incomplete alerting.

The possible dangers of hypnosis should be avoided with the help of proper training and planning in the part of the hypnotist. Even though one can’t stay "stuck" in a trance, one of the possible dangers of hypnosis is that the hypnotist loses control of the client and is unable to end the session on time. This doesn’t mean that the client will forever or for a long time be stuck in the hypnotic state, but merely implies incompetence on the part of the hypnotist.

Another of the possible dangers of hypnosis is practicing psychotherapy using hypnosis without adequate knowledge of the subject. This can lead to some serious problems for many patients, especially those already isolated, vulnerable and at risk. Temporary headaches and discomfort reactions upon attempted induction are some other possible dangers of hypnosis, but these are not major.

As long as hypnosis is not taken casual but is taken in terms of being an intimate form of contact to be treated with caution and lots of respect, there will be no real possible dangers of hypnosis. For clients, it is advisable to go to someone with credentials, and reliability, someone who has adequate knowledge of the responsibility concerning the procedure at least as much as the procedure itself. Protect yourself from possible dangers of hypnosis; because it is not hypnosis itself that poses dangers, it is the people who tamper with it who do so.