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Can hypnosis control someone? Is hypnosis a form of control?

3,079 views · Published 19 July 2012 · 1:44 · Indexed 5 October 2026

Channel: Mike Mandel Hypnosis · 2012 · Education

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http://mikemandelhypnosis.com/video  Question: I saw a hypnosis show and believe it was real, but it's scared me away from hypnotherapy. Won't I be under the hypnotist's control and bark like a dog or something like that?

ANSWER:  I used to get a lot of people asking me variations on this. Here's the bottom line about hypnosis and control:

ALL hypnosis is self-hypnosis! You're the one who creates the trance, maintains it and terminates it. And you won't do anything to violate your moral code regardless of the alleged power of the hypnotist. And here's another important point:

Hypnosis is context driven. Context is everything! By that I mean that someone who volunteers for a public hypnosis show, already knows he or she will probably do some crazy things. It's part of the context, and they're aware of what they're volunteering for. The hypnotist isn't controlling them, no matter how it looks. They have consented to do certain things onstage, and the moment the consent is gone, so is the agreement to obey the suggestions. During stage-shows, people awaken or refuse to obey all the time, even in this permissive context, because that's what they choose to do.

In a therapeutic context, suggestions for barking or quacking are inappropriate, and would have no effect. A reputable hypnotherapist is there to help you, not embarrass you. And even in the deepest trance in any context, you are still free to ignore any suggestion you don't like.

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