Does that mean I could be brainwashed by hypnotherapy to do things I wouldnt want to do?
No. This is an unfortunate misconception about hypnosis, probably made worse by people at stage hypnotism performances running round on stage like headless chickens. In reality, you are in control and you will reject any hypnotic suggestions that do not fit in with your personal beliefs or desires. Basically, if you dont WANT the targeted outcome of a hypnotherapy session, you will not accept the associated suggestions that you are being given under hypnosis. People who have been supposedly brainwashed by people (in cults, for example) actually wished this to happen. Similarly, all those headless chickens youve seen on the stage, believe it or not, WANTED to be the centre of attention and to entertain the audience (sad, isnt it!). So, if you came to a hypnotherapist for a particular purpose, such as smoking cessation, you would not be open to unrelated suggestions under hypnosis that you felt were unbeneficial to you.
