Does Hypnosis Have Any Side Effects?
Let's answer a very common hypnotic question:
“Does hypnosis have any side effects?”
To answer that question correctly, I first want to explain what hypnosis really is.
It's a state that is very similar to sleeping, dozing off, or daydreaming, right?
Then ask yourself, “Can there be any side effects of sleeping, daydreaming, or dozing off?”. Because the answer to that question is going to be very similar to the question “Can you have any side effects after hypnosis?”
Here is how you may feel after hypnosis
What most people feel after trying hypnosis is similar to feeling a little dizzy, maybe a little bit out of it, almost like you just woke up from a really nice nap.
Sometimes in very rare cases, some people report having light headaches the next day or a few days after. That is still considered very normal and it shouldn't be anything significant.
The reason for that is mostly because your mind processed so much new information that you didn't pay attention to before.
Here is an important point though…
With that being said, when you work with hypnotherapy I recommend that you make sure that your hypnotherapist is experienced, educated, and knowledgeable enough to differentiate when they are crossing the lines of a psychological, medical, or clinical issue.
Because most of the time when we work with hypnosis, we actually also end up working with a lot of different issues that may interfere and cross the borders of medical and clinical stuff.
If your hypnotherapist doesn’t know how to handle a clinical issue (and let’s face it, hypnotherapists are not licensed doctors or therapists) they may actually end up hurting you more than helping you.
An example
To give an example, imagine that I receive a call from someone who needs help with pain management. My first instinct is to accept this person as a client immediately. But the correct way to protect my potential client is to make sure that this person already visited their doctor and that all the medical reasons are addressed before thinking about hypnotherapy. That way, we won’t be delaying any necessary help.
On the flip side, imagine that I just started working with this person. While I am emphasizing the mind-body connection and focusing on relief. At the same time, imagine that there was a hindering medical cause such as serious tissue damage, disease, or more serious problems that are out of my scope. In that case, the harm would be a lot more serious than anyone can imagine.
This is why it's very important that you work with a hypnotherapist who is educated, and knowledgeable enough to separate that and prioritize helping you more than having you as a client.
Have more questions about hypnosis and hypnotherapy? Visit my Frequently Asked Questions page!