I took an online quiz to test my hypnotize-ability. The quiz was on the website of a hypnosis company in my area.

I answered it honestly. This was the result:

Here is your score.

Score = 47.62 %

Total number of people tested = 982

Average of all test takers = 67.77 %

30-69%: Your answers show that you may have a more difficult time in letting go of your “analytical” mind. Your thoughts are preventing you from really relaxing, but this does not mean that you can't be hypnotized. You will probably need more time and training to get to that relaxed state. You are one of many of our personal clients that have claimed that being in hypnosis has gotten them to experience a level of relaxation they haven't felt in a long time. It might be time for you to revisit that state of peace and relaxation. Call us to find out how we can help.


Interesting. Notice how "letting go" of your analytical mind is presented as a good thing? What's wrong with analyzing stuff anyway? Notice also how the commentary links hypnosis to relaxation, and posits that it's my own thoughts that are keeping me from being relaxed. (Sometimes that's true. But the quiz didn't ask me anything about my state of relaxation, moods, etc. I was pretty relaxed when I took the quiz.) In this world, who is as relaxed as they would like to be? Practically no one. So the market for hypnosis includes pretty much every living person on earth.

And it's so neatly reinforcing:

1) Try hypnosis.

2) Still not relaxed?

3) You need more hypnosis.

I did more research into this organization. It is a "leading lifestyle improvement centre". The hypnotist is a Master Practitioner of NLP and Regression Therapy. Hypnosis is totally unregulated in my jurisdiction, but psychotherapy recently became a "controlled act" here, but the details of regulation have yet to be worked out. So it will be interesting to see how all this plays out. What this guy is doing sounds very dangerous.

So, is that how NLP works? I mean, the quiz was supposed to be about "can you be hypnotized?" but the commentary post-quiz was all about relaxation. Is it essentially a bait-and-switch? Raise a question or doubt, create a thought-void (so to speak), and then slip in another idea before the person knows what's happening?

I'm off to read the NLP threads.

If you really want to look into the dark side of hypnosis and NLP look into what is sometimes called blackops or underground hypnosis. It is a god thing to know about because then it can never really be done to you.

Avoid all hypnotic seminars and therapists. Most are have done nothing more than take a one or two week course on hypnosis and that's it. Others may have taken NLP seminars as well. But neither qualifies these so-called therapists to go about mucking in your head or planting suggestions you know nothing about.

See most of these so-called therapists were nothing but guys and gals working in a office or local Wal-Mart before they went and took those hypnosis courses.

The fact is, hypnosis/NLP can make some mental problems worse. It's no substitution for getting looked at by a professional therapist.

And for NLP. If you run into anyone says they've taken courses in it, get away from them. Almost all the NLPers who do use it professionally are con-artists or scammers. The whole so-called "NLP Community" is one giant nest of manipulators with the ethics of a used car salesman. I know, I was part of it for some years and met some of the doyens of the field.

As far as the "Black Ops" material goes, don't waste your time. Most of the stuff on the web is just bait and switch material to suck greedy and lazy fools into taking seminars. The fact is, no NLPer will ever put their best stuff in books or videos. Most leave stuff out to make you take more courses. You either buy it directly from them or model them during their seminars and basically reverse engineer what the trainer is doing.

Heck I know two of the guys who pushed the idea of dangerous or deadly hypnosis/NLP patters like the "Bandler suicide Swish". The promoters of this in the early years was Ross Jeffries and Kenrick Cleveland. The later was supposedly a target for Bandler's rath when he tried to apply a sucide Swish pattern to make Cleveland kill himself or least that was story told to me about 15 years ago.

Hey Margarets,
Thank you so much for posting your quiz results and looking at them with such a critical eye. Upon first reading them, I believed them because they sounded so positive, but the way you analyzed them pointed out certain things, and I have never looked at anything that way before. Sometimes it's true I do think too much, and have been told that, but that's only when I'm trying to find out how I feel about something, then I tend to over-analyze. But healthy analysis, as you've demonstrated, is a very good thing. I must learn how to do that! I tend to take everything at face value. Thanks to other posters for pointing out how dangerous hypnosis can be. Advertisements make it seem like nothing, or at least, just an innocent thing to aid with relaxation. They always say that it should only be done in the hands of a qualified professional who really knows what they're doing, maybe because the power of suggestion is so, um, powerful. But what exactly does "qualified" mean, and what should one be looking for? As I'm sure you know, virtually all the hypnotherapists I've come across on the internet or through other advertising say "there are charlitans out there, but not me. I'm qualified." They're usually new-agey people, I can't help noticing. So what exactly does one look for to determine legit qualifications? Everyone makes theirs sound so important!
Brynhild

Quote
margarets
I took an online quiz to test my hypnotize-ability. The quiz was on the website of a hypnosis company in my area.

I answered it honestly. This was the result:

Here is your score.

Score = 47.62 %

Total number of people tested = 982

Average of all test takers = 67.77 %

30-69%: Your answers show that you may have a more difficult time in letting go of your “analytical” mind. Your thoughts are preventing you from really relaxing, but this does not mean that you can't be hypnotized. You will probably need more time and training to get to that relaxed state. You are one of many of our personal clients that have claimed that being in hypnosis has gotten them to experience a level of relaxation they haven't felt in a long time. It might be time for you to revisit that state of peace and relaxation. Call us to find out how we can help.


Interesting. Notice how "letting go" of your analytical mind is presented as a good thing? What's wrong with analyzing stuff anyway? Notice also how the commentary links hypnosis to relaxation, and posits that it's my own thoughts that are keeping me from being relaxed. (Sometimes that's true. But the quiz didn't ask me anything about my state of relaxation, moods, etc. I was pretty relaxed when I took the quiz.) In this world, who is as relaxed as they would like to be? Practically no one. So the market for hypnosis includes pretty much every living person on earth.

And it's so neatly reinforcing:

1) Try hypnosis.

2) Still not relaxed?

3) You need more hypnosis.

sadly these types of hypnotist are inept at their skills, there is no need for a test, and no need to let go of the analytical mind as with any therapy that part of the mind needs to be intact for any change work to take place.
there are also a lot of generalizations within these posts they don't apply to every practitioner

First off, look for licensed therapists that have a background in Ericksonian Hypnosis. At least then you have a established and screened therapist who isn't some well meaning but ultimately foolish person who took a 1 week course and got a diploma in hypnotherapy/NLP and thinks it qualifies them to be a therapist.

Never, ever take therapy from a unlicensed, non-state accredited "therapist", you have no idea who that person is and worse you are setting yourself up for abuse as well.

Quote
walter1963
First off, look for licensed therapists that have a background in Ericksonian Hypnosis. At least then you have a established and screened therapist who isn't some well meaning but ultimately foolish person who took a 1 week course and got a diploma in hypnotherapy/NLP and thinks it qualifies them to be a therapist.

Never, ever take therapy from a unlicensed, non-state accredited "therapist", you have no idea who that person is and worse you are setting yourself up for abuse as well.

being licensed doesn't even matter, i know of a few teachers that didn't finish their change work, and leaving their clients even more phobic ect. if you wanted to take this route, the best way is to research some hypnosis/nlp see what it involves, and make sure to ask alot of questions, and see what people say about the therapist(word of mouth)

Licensing does matter.

A reputable therapist who is licensed is trained to assess you and your actual situation and needs.

Many persons should not be exposed to trance induction. For them it isnt treatmetn of choice.

A licensed and ethical therapist understands that not everyone benefits from trance work and such a person will meet with you for a number of sessions before deciding whether you should even undertake trance induction.

Anyone who is already suffering from dissociative disorders should not be exposed to trance induction.

Finally a trained and licensed psychotherapist will carry malpractice insurance and know the legal steps needed to safeguard your confidentiality.

not if students are out experiencing the teacher practioneer themselves.

and would like to to know why you think many people should not be exposed to trance? its a natural state we going into numerous times every day?