One of the great myths of hypnosis is that some people are immune to it.
A related one?
Where people brag about being “too strong-minded” to be hypnotized.
It makes me laugh every time. Imagine someone who boasts that they are too smart to read books. It doesn’t really make sense, and if anything, it implies the opposite.
If someone fails to hypnotize you once, that doesn’t mean anything. People fail to hypnotize me all the time, although I can’t pretend that means anything.
If someone tries to hypnotize you and it doesn’t work, one of two things is true:
Or it worked and you didn’t realize it, mainly because you don’t know how it’s supposed to feel.
Or this person, at that time, under these circumstances, did not get the expected results.
It is unexpected to extrapolate from a single event. Having a bad date doesn’t mean all dates will be bad. However, many people do this with hypnosis: it “didn’t work” once, therefore it never works for them.
(It’s not always their fault, though. Some hypnotists tell subjects they can’t be hypnotized when it doesn’t seem to work. They’re lying to cover themselves, and if they’re willing to lie about it, they probably botched the process and blame the subject for it.)
If a hypnotist isn’t getting the results they want with multiple subjects, they are probably doing something wrong. Perhaps they doubt themselves… or doubt hypnosis as a discipline. Maybe they are rushing when they should be slow, or slow when they should be squirming.
But let’s say you’re a subject and you’ve seen a lot of hypnotists with no luck. If you’re not immune to hypnosis, what’s going on there?
This is not a complete list, but here are some common problems that can block trance:
Unskilled Hypnotists: If you keep turning to hypnosis-themed YouTube channels, cheap amateurs, and teenagers who have read three books on the subject, then you can’t be surprised if it doesn’t work.
Unrealistic expectations: If you think hypnosis means blanking out, turning into a zombie, or magically removing your problems, then it’s probably working, but you’re not giving it any credit. Hypnosis can do amazing things and can even do them quickly, but it’s not a process where you sit back and do none of the work.
Power and Surrender Issues: You may never have been openly hypnotized before, but we’ve all been surrounded by authority figures who crossed the line. If you struggle to let go and give up, or if you hate anyone who has any power over you, you may be fighting the process.
Cynicism: Hypnosis doesn’t require you to believe, but it helps. Or if you are skeptical about other people, you won’t allow yourself to be vulnerable around them.
Internal Disconnection: Some people have no imagination. I’m not talking about aphantasia (where you can’t see images in your mind), I mean not having the ability to consider anything you haven’t experienced. And some people have limited emotions and even limited awareness of their own bodies. That’s not a judgment, as we all have our quirks, but these people will find hypnosis difficult…and many of the common inductions will fail for them.
The irony? These people will get more out of hypnosis than anyone else, if they stick with it and find someone who can make it work.
Stubbornness: Let’s say you love to smoke. Or maybe you hate change in general. You are fine the way you are and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. To get people off your back, you agree to see a hypnotist.
If you came to see me, I would give you a refund and show you the door. While it might hypnotize you, what’s the point? If you don’t want to change, you will just change back. I only work with people who want to be there with me.
Analytical Contrary: If you start every sentence with ‘well, actually’ and you love a good debate, the common hypnotic inductions may not work for you. You need a hypnotist who can use his keen intellect to aid the hypnotic process, not fight it.
Fear: If hypnosis scares you, it won’t work. If you feel uncomfortable around men, tall people, anyone with glasses…then it will be more difficult for them to hypnotize you.
The opposite of all that is true.
The spells of people who can be hypnotized more easily, and who benefit a lot from it, are free of the above problems.
They are strong enough to allow themselves to be open and vulnerable, have a rich inner life, and are eager to change. They are curious about what will happen, although they have reasonable expectations. Also, they are wise enough to look for quality hypnotists, not random hobbyists they found on a sleazy forum.
Hypnotic resistance is real. It is also a choice. If you want to get the most out of life, you need to let go and let a qualified hypnotist help you.