Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is a very real science, when conducted by a genuine licensed professional hypnotherapist. Many of the stigmas surrounding the myth that hypnosis is a gimmick or fake stems from what pop culture & Hollywood have presented over time. When you think of hypnosis, do you imagine a wide eyed magician of sorts swinging a stop watch while announcing in an entertaining, cool & calm tone that they're placing the subject or group of people usually seated in a row under a hypnotic spell & then commanding them to perform parlor tricks or bark like a dog on stage before a captivated audience? Well this is not genuine hypnotherapy, what you're seeing is a live performance given on stage at circuses, fairs, carnivals, street festivals & magic shows. The volunteers from the audience are actually individuals who've been pre-selected & pre-instructed before the show to go along with the hypnotist's instructions & act out their commands as though it's involuntary for the benefit of the audience. In fact, many of the supposedly random volunteers are repeat spectators who are actually fledgling performance artists who show up on schedule to help make the performance appear real. During the turn of the century circa 1890s - 1920's, stage hypnosis was at it's peak of popularity, however genuine magicians like Harry Houdini made a valiant effort to expose this form of stage performance for what it was, entertainment only. 

Real hypnosis is a method of helping the patient into a state of deep relaxation without them completely losing consciousness & then once in state, guiding the subject into the depths of their subconscious mind so that they can access deep rooted emotions, biases & learned behavioral patterns & work on reprogramming behavior so that such things as bad habits or vices can be eliminated over time with continued therapy. This is conducted by a trained professional hypnotherapist who has a solid understanding of safety & has a lengthy amount of training so that the patient remains mentally & physically safe during the entire process. Contrary to modern myths, the subject remains consciously aware during the entire session, they can interact with the therapist & can remove themselves or be returned to the beta brainwave state (being fully awake) by the hypnotist at any time.

As with any type of therapeutic procedure, be it medical, psychiatric or metaphysical, the potential of risk does exist, however these risks are greatly increased when undergoing these types of sessions with individuals who are not properly trained professionals. Hypnosis is classified as a metaphysical therapy, meaning it is not considered a medical, clinical or psychiatric procedure & does not at any time replace any type of proper treatment or diagnosis from a medical professional, so be mindful that even though a genuine hypnotherapist is a properly trained metaphysical physician, they are not medical doctors. The risks involved with hypnosis mostly fall into the category of emotional, meaning that when a subject is under a hypnotic state, they will experience deep rooted emotions which may have been suppressed earlier in life & were stored away but we're not worked through, which can cause a release of severe emotional expressions & the therapist will work to remind the patient that they are not actually revisiting the experience & that they are safe from the past trauma currently as hypnosis can feel very real when experiencing stored past trauma. A subject who has pre-existing medical conditions such as heart conditions, pace makers, high blood pressure or stroke risk will be requested to obtain approval from their primary care doctor prior to engaging in hypnotherapy to ensure the patient is healthy enough to be placed into state. It is generally in how the patient experiences the trauma remotely that presents risks, so a properly trained hypnotherapist will pre-screen a client prior to any sessions to assess the risk factors in terms of mental illnesses which would put the subject at risk & the therapist will refuse to provide therapy to anyone who currently experiencing serious mental health conditions which would present the potential to encounter these risks.