Hypnosis stage shows make it appear that people are totally under the control of the hypnotist. Is hypnotherapy anything like that?
What you see on stage is very different from the therapeutic use of hypnosis (hypnotherapy). First of all, stage hypnotists are skilled at choosing only the most suggestible subjects, so they have a very select group on stage. And people go up voluntarily, expecting to relax their inhibitions and have fun. Being part of a group on stage and being watched and cheered on by the audience is a big part of the hypnotic effect. However, if the hypnotist should suggest anything the participants really objected to, they would refuse and probably come out of trance immediately. Stage hypnosis is a phenomenon of the entertainment world and is not like what you will experience in a hypnotherapy session.
