What does it feel like to be hypnotised?
It feels like those times in your life when you are staring at an object and allowing your imagination to float away. It is like dreaming without being asleep. Even with eyes wide open some people go into roadway hypnosis and remain standing at traffic lights even long after they have changed to green. Sometimes a driver may drive right past a turn or driveway. This is sometimes called automatism. It is a feeling of being fully aware with the knowledge that you have complete control, yet at the same time feeling a sense of calmness, serenity, safety and well being.
Will I lose control?
Definitely not. Whilst in a state of hypnosis you cannot be made to do anything against your will or contrary to your values or cultural norms. You will not unknowingly reveal your deepest secrets, hypnosis does not operate like a truth drug, People can lie under hypnosis. A person will only act upon suggestions that serve them in some way or reinforce an expected behaviour. Anything else will be rejected by the subconscious mind. People are influenced by seeing or hearing about stage hypnosis shows. These shows although often very real, are purely entertainment value, and should not be compared to the therapeutic skills of a professional clinical hypnotherapist. On the other hand some of the induction procedures and deepening techniques employed by stage hypnotists may be similar to those utilized in the professional hypnotherapists in the therapeutic field.