Busting Common Myths About Hypnotherapy

I’m sure you’ve heard about hypnotherapy before. If your first impression was through Television or modern media, I'm glad you're here! Hypnotherapy is many things, but the biggest inaccuracy I see is the idea that you are not in control and you don’t have a choice. We will unpack common myths like this one and hopefully help you consider this wonderful modality for your next chapter of healing.

With Clinical Hypnotherapy, trauma and emotional liberation are essential; removing choice or autonomy would be the exact opposite of the goals of trauma healing.

In Clinical Hypnotherapy, there is no magic world you enter into, or sudden behavior you manifest, while a therapist changes your thoughts without your consciousness. Clinical hypnotherapy is actually quite the opposite. You are in control, and you are enacting change. You are guided into your consciousness while training your nervous system to enter into a state of openness and receptivity. You and your hypnotherapist might locate the imprints, blocks, and old belief systems that keep you stuck and then heal them through memory reconsolidation and neural flexing to create new pathways.

Many people think that hypnotherapy is mysterious, strange, or only for a certain type of person. But in reality, hypnotherapy is a gentle, respectful therapeutic tool that can help people make real positive changes with support and intention.

In recent times, more people are choosing virtual hypnotherapy because it can be done right from home. Online hypnotherapy allows more comfort for the client, which adds to the effectiveness of the session. In under 10 min, I’m going to break down common myths about hypnotherapy and share the real facts in a friendly, easy-to-digest way.

Whether you're considering hypnotherapy for stress, habits, confidence, or deeper emotional healing, especially if you’re looking for online hypnotherapy in Colorado, this guide is for you.

What Is Hypnotherapy, Really?

Hypnotherapy is a type of therapy that uses guided relaxation and focused attention to help you calm your nervous system and work through patterns, habits, or repetitive thoughts you want to change. It’s not magic. It’s not mind control. It’s a therapeutic process that helps you connect with yourself in a safe, supportive way. A trained hypnotherapist guides you, either in person or over video, toward a steadier and more consistent state of mind.

Hypnotherapy may be used to support things like anxiety, chronic pain, burnout, phobias, sleep challenges, or breaking habits. People are usually deeply calm and fully aware during a session; finding deeper brain waves so a deeper state of healing can happen. 

Now let’s talk about some myths you might have heard.

Myth 1: Hypnotherapy Means Losing Control

One of the biggest fears people have is that hypnotherapy will make them lose control or do things they don’t want to do. This belief mostly comes from stage shows, where performers pretend to put people “under a spell.” But real hypnotherapy is nothing like that. These types of shows are exactly what they seem to be: a performance.

Reality:

During hypnotherapy, whether in person or online, you are always in control. You remain aware of what’s happening, and you can choose what parts of the experience feel safe for you. The therapist can’t make you do something against your will. They are guiding your focus and attention so you can access inner resources and perspectives that have been inside you this whole time.

This is especially true for virtual hypnotherapy, as you are in your own space, at your own pace, and totally in charge of when and how you interact with the therapist over secure video.

Myth 2: Only Certain People Can Be Hypnotized

Another common myth is that some people are “hypnotizable” and others are not, as if it’s a rare skill or talent.

Reality:

Most people can benefit from hypnotherapy as long as they are open and willing to try it. Hypnosis is not an unconscious trance or dissociative fugue state. It is a state of focused attention.

We’ve all experienced these states, like when we’re daydreaming, reading a book, or totally absorbed in a specific song we like. Everyone has the ability to enter that kind of relaxed, focused state. Working with a therapist who is trauma-trained and a specialist in the nervous system will expertly help guide you to this open and receptive state. 

Wanting change, feeling safe, and being willing to engage with the unique process are all you need!

Myth 3: Hypnotherapy Is Like Sleep or Unconsciousness

If you think hypnotherapy means falling asleep or zoning out, you’re not alone. Many people picture hypnosis as being unconscious or out of it.

Reality:

Hypnotherapy is more like deep relaxation and focused awareness, similar to a calm meditation or when your mind drifts in and out while daydreaming. You are awake. You can hear what the therapist says. You can respond. You’re not in a dream or out of touch with reality. 

When anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship woes bring you into therapy, the clinical hypnotherapist works with you to find a state of receptivity and focus. Because the nervous system of someone who lives with anxiety, depression, trauma, and unwell relationship cycles may be deeply stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn–and make it very difficult to find rest and digest—Clinical Hypnotherapy is a great adjunct to somatic therapy, inner child, and parts work. Grace Willow, our clinical hypnotherapist, will explore these states with you and help you build a bridge to find stability, security, and healing. 

Myth 4: Hypnotherapy Gives Instant Magic Results

Some people expect hypnotherapy to fix everything instantly, like a quick, magical reset.

Reality:

While some people do notice improvements quickly, hypnotherapy is usually a process, not magic. Change often comes from practice, consistency, and compassionate support. 

Real growth takes time, reflection, and repetition. Think, the longer we stay in the habituated state, the more work it will be to change that programming. As much as the therapist can help you enact change, you are also doing work with your brain and inner self to incorporate and adjust what needs to be adjusted or moved. 

This is true whether you’re meeting a therapist in their Colorado office or in a virtual session from your own home. Progress can be gentle and ongoing, and that’s a good thing, because it means your nervous system is integrating changes in a stable, grounded way. When we look at the whole person, through the lens of your nervous system, internal and external influences, and environment, Clinical Hypnotherapy offers a speedway for accessing a state of mind and body that is more open to installing new behaviors and changed belief systems. 

Myth 5: You Will Reveal All Your Secrets

People sometimes worry that hypnotherapy will make them spill secrets or uncover things they don’t want to talk about. 

Reality:

You only share what you want to share. 

Hypnotherapy is about exploring your inner world in a way that feels safe, not about forced confession or digging up every memory. The therapist never has access to your thoughts unless you choose to talk about them. A good therapist will also help guide you back to the present moment if it seems like you might be sharing more than you desire to. I know it can be easy to overshare, especially when we start opening doors that have been closed for a while, but if there's a specific goal to the work you're doing, a good therapist will keep you on track and help you avoid oversharing.

You may uncover parts of your psyche that are new and uncharted. Finding images or stories that are symbolic to core beliefs helps the therapist and you understand what may be driving behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Keeping an open mind while discovering the stories that are embedded in your psyche is essential. 

Clinical hypnotherapists are not trying to reveal repressed memories or regressed states of development, but will curiously explore the symbolic and allegorical information for how you organize yourself in the present day. 

Myth 6: Hypnotherapy Isn’t Backed by Science

Some people think hypnotherapy is just an “alternative” or unproven method of therapy.

Reality:

While research is ongoing, science supports hypnotherapy as a helpful tool for many conditions. Hypnosis has been studied for things like pain management, anxiety, stress, and more, and many clinical reviews show positive outcomes when hypnotherapy is used thoughtfully and ethically by trained professionals. 

Here are just a few:

• Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy for IBS (2019): A study demonstrated that both individual and group hypnotherapy are effective in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), including cases in children and adolescents.

• Pain Management in Procedures (Lang et al., 2000, 2006): Randomized controlled trials showed that patients undergoing invasive procedures (e.g., breast biopsy, vascular intervention) who used hypnosis required less medication, experienced lower pain, and had shorter, more stable interventions compared to standard care.

• Hypnotherapy for Hot Flashes (2025): Research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (often reviewed in clinical trials) found that hypnosis reduced hot flash frequency by over 50% in cancer patients, performing significantly better than sham hypnosis and similarly to pharmacological treatments.

• Chronic Pain and Substance Reduction (2022): A study on veterans with chronic pain indicated that hypnosis and mindfulness meditation led to greater reductions in pain intensity, pain interference, and substance use compared to educational interventions.

• Neuroimaging of Hypnotic Suggestion (2000, 2012): Research from Stanford University (Spiegel et al.) demonstrated via MRI that hypnosis changes brain activity. Specifically, suggesting color to someone viewing a grayscale image caused active processing in color-vision areas of the brain. 

Hypnotherapy doesn’t replace all other therapies, but it can be a powerful complement to talk therapy, somatic-based therapies, and other healing approaches. It's ideal to find a therapist who has all of these specialties in their tool belt; that way, they can customize and really help you get all the support you need in one place. 

Online Hypnotherapy: Does It Really Work?

With more people exploring therapy from home, many are curious if online hypnotherapy is just as good as in-person sessions.

The short answer: 

Yes, it can be with the right therapist. In fact, research suggests that online hypnotherapy often provides results very similar to in-person sessions. The key is a good connection with your therapist, a comfortable and quiet space, and your readiness to engage with the experience.

Benefits of online hypnotherapy include:

• Comfort of being in your own space

• No travel time or expense

• Flexibility in scheduling

• An environment that may feel safer for relaxation and focus

As long as you have a reliable video call connection and privacy, online hypnotherapy can offer you a strong and effective therapeutic experience. 

So What Does Hypnotherapy Really Do?

Instead of being a magic trick or myth, hypnotherapy is a tool that helps you:

• Relax your nervous system

• Focus your attention inward

• Notice thoughts, feelings, and patterns more clearly

• Support changes you want to make in your thoughts or habits

• Create a healing state and internal landscape to renegotiate traumatic imprints

• Helps to heal stuck parts of self and your inner child

• Increase neural flexibility and stabilization of new neural pathways leading to new thoughts, behaviors, and changed core beliefs

• Reduce pain, traumatic flashbacks, anxiety, depression, and change the threat response.

Hypnotherapy helps you access your own inner strengths. It’s not giving up control to someone else. It invites you to learn about how your mind and body work together.

And modern technology means that healing doesn’t have to wait for an in-person appointment. Through virtual hypnotherapy, many people find that counseling and focused sessions can happen right where they feel most comfortable at home, in Colorado, or wherever they are.

Final Thoughts: Learn the Truth, Feel the Difference

Myths about hypnotherapy have been around for a long time, often because of stage shows, movies, and misunderstandings. But when you look at the real process, backed by research and guided by trained professionals. Hypnotherapy becomes less mysterious and more respectful, supportive, and grounded.

Whether you’re exploring hypnotherapy for the first time, curious about virtual hypnotherapy in Colorado, or simply wanting to understand how it works, remember this: hypnotherapy is less about fantasy and more about gentle focus, choice, and personal power.

If you’re ready to learn more or take the next step, know that accessible hypnotherapy — in person or online — can be a nurturing part of your wellness journey.

Start Working With a Somatic Hypnotherapist in Colorado

Our online hypnotherapist, who specializes in treating nervous system overwhelm and burnout, has openings across Colorado. Grace Willow would love to support you in finding a new outlook on life through hypnotherapy. You can start your therapy journey with Compass Healing Project by following these simple steps:

1. Reach out today for a free discovery 20-minute consultation!

2. Meet with a caring therapist

3. Start connecting with your partner on a deeper level!

Other Services Offered with Compass Healing Project

At Compass Healing Project, we use a range of modalities to support various mental health needs. In addition to Hypnotherapy, we also offer ketamine assisted therapy, EMDR, Clinical Sexology, and embodiment practices. Each is tailored to help with anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief, sexuality concerns, and relationship issues.  We also offer intensive couples therapy and teen therapy. To learn more about our services, visit our blog or connect with our therapists in Colorado.