Hypnosis continues to be a mysterious and ill-defined modality, making it the perfect prey for misrepresentation in the media. I’m sure we’ve all seen shows where contestants are clucking on stage like chickens or movies where the villain swings an ominous pocket watch back-and-forth, putting an unsuspecting victim in a trance and instructing them to do all sorts of wicked things. Sadly, these examples are nothing more than cases of poorly depicted make-believe. Even in our day to day lives, whenever hypnosis is mentioned in casual conversation, there is usually at least one person in our immediate circle that will make narrow-minded commentary about how they’d never let someone “mess with my head” or perform “witchcraft or sorcery”. Some go as far as calling hypnosis “evil” and that they’d never partake in something that would “alter my personality” or “erase my memories”. The list of ignorant presumptions go on and on, so we’re here to set the record straight on what you see vs. what you actually get, because context is everything.
As mentioned earlier, the reoccurring theme in many entertainment mediums is that hypnosis is a form of mind control or a manipulation tactic, which is not only completely untrue but also unethical! Hypnosis is nothing more than a deep, meditative state that people can willfully go in and out of. These false representations are purposefully sensationalized for network ratings and do nothing but create a harmful stigma around hypnosis. Dramatizing or putting a negative spin on a tool created for self-improvement and overcoming personal obstacles is as irresponsible as it is fictitious. It’s also important to take into account a universal truth: it is the media’s *job* to garner high ratings, no matter the topic at hand. Networks will go to great lengths, including lying and spreading misinformation, for the sake of enthralling an audience.
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic approach that has been backed by science for decades. There is an enormous amount of data that has been produced and significant research conducted to provide evidence for this. To believe anything different boils down to laziness and lack of proactive investigation on our own part. Let’s stop to think logically and analytically… if hypnosis really had the power to control our minds and turn us into other people entirely, wouldn’t we be using it to fight crime and stop wars? If hypnotherapists had the power to implement “spells” on other human beings, don’t you’d think they’d be the most powerful group of people on earth? Because all of these fabricated narratives point to one thing only… that hypnosis is woo woo magic, which is completely false. And because hypnotherapy is so wildly misunderstood in a day-to-day setting, the media has even *greater* difficulty grappling with the challenges of depicting the modality from a broadcast perspective. There are far too many hands in the pot when it comes to hypnosis in the media, and no one is stirring in the right direction.
The reality is, hypnosis is an easy target for mainstream media because people don’t want to take the time to scratch past the surface of what it actually entails. It’s far too easy to distort because it is an extraordinary force. Hypnotherapy is safe, validated by science and performed by educated, ethical professionals. We hope we’ve debunked any misconceptions that lead you to believe otherwise.
