Isn all hypnosis “self” hypnosis?
Yes and no. Since the late 1800s popular fiction has portrayed hypnosis as a method of controlling unwilling or unsuspecting victims. This creates misunderstanding and mistrust of hypnosis. But most hypnotists recognize that the subject retains ultimate control over the depth of the trance and the effectiveness of suggestions. Based on that, hypnotherapists developed the marketing slogan “All hypnosis is self hypnosis” to alleviate public fears about being controlled. Personally, I only use the term “self hypnosis” when a person is guiding his or herself into trance.
