What is the difference between hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis?
When I say I am a hypnotherapist, a common response is people asking me if I can “make them do weird stuff”. The answer to this is no! I am a hypnotherapist, and unlike a stage hypnotist, I use hypnosis in a therapeutic setting.
The association between hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis can have a negative impact on people’s opinion of hypnotherapy - one common misconception is that, as a hypnotherapist, I can put somebody into a trance and make them do whatever I want them to. I cannot do that! A client is always in control during hypnotherapy, and can come out of their state of relaxation as they please. And although it may appear to some that this is what happens during stage hypnosis, there are elements of deception to stage hypnosis. Misleading and persuading the audience that the hypnotist has a source of power, that they somehow acquired the skill of telepathy through training, undeniably involves creating an illusion. Many stage performers refer to themselves as illusionists. Hypnosis is therefore, not an accurate description for much of what is occurring on the stage.
Stage hypnosis is performed in front of an audience for the purpose of entertainment. Famous stage hypnotists include Derren Brown and Paul Mckenna. It is important to remember that careful selection techniques are used by stage hypnotists in order to identify the most hypnotisable subjects, and whilst successful stage performance relies on willing volunteers from the audience they also frequently incorporate plants or stooges. The tactical use of plants or stooges, as ‘volunteers’, encourage and motivate others on the stage, as well as placing a demand on the volunteers to go along with the show. It therefore, has to be said that there are some elements of psychology involved in stage performances. The psychological factors that may contribute include peer pressure and the significant influence of the imagination, and the prevailing demand characteristics of the stage and the audience. All of these components are integral to the stage performance.
Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, is concerned with health and wellbeing. It is used in a therapeutic setting and involves using hypnosis as a way of enabling positive change in health and lifestyle. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis as a tool to relax the client, enabling their subconscious mind to become accessible.
Taking a client into hypnosis is essentially ensuring that they fully relax every part of their body, and as the body slowly relaxes, the mind also becomes still and open. This method of relaxing the body is called progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR. A PMR is similar to a shavasana, the relaxation part at the end of a yoga class. In a comfortable position, the client is encouraged to scan their body, starting at the top of their head and working downwards, and slowly and intentionally relax each muscle in their body. The hypnotherapist will then deepen the state of relaxtion with a variety of hypnotherapeutic scripts, until the client is in a state of “trance”, or deep relaxation.
As we relax, our brain waves, or oscillations slow down. Brain oscillations represent the combined electrical activity of neuronal assemblies, and are usually measured as specific frequencies representing slower (delta, theta, alpha) and faster (beta, gamma) oscillations. Hypnosis has been most closely linked to power in the theta band and changes in gamma activity. These oscillations are thought to play a critical role in both the recording and recall of declarative memory and emotional limbic circuits. When a client is in a state of trance, and their brain oscillations have slowed down, the subconscious mind is accessible, meaning that, by using suggestion, habits and unconscious thought processes can be changed. By repeating this process a number of times, it has been proved that lasting changes made through hypnotherapy is achievable and has an enduring positive impact on the client’s life.
As you can see, the differences between stage hypnosis and hypnotherapy are considerable, and it is important to be able to differentiate between the two, as the misconceptions can been misleading in having a full understanding of the benefits of hypnotherapy.