The day-dreamy state is so familiar that at the end of the first session it is common for people to disbelieve that they have been in hypnosis.

The main difference between these experiences and purposeful self-hypnosis is the lack of specific motivations and suggestions towards a goal.   Hypnotherapy encourages the mind to achieve some desired result like pain or stress relief, positive self-image, freedom from a phobia, positive self-control (as in being a non-smoker) etc.

Will I lose control without knowing it?
Hypnotherapists do not possess the power to control other people's minds. They guide you into deep relaxation and in this deep relaxation you are not held back by the inhibitions which normally prevent you from accessing your inner thoughts and feelings. If you don't want to reveal things that are private, you won't. You are totally in control of everything.

Can I be made to do some thing against my will?
What about those performers on TV and stage?
NO. Pub and Club shows where people run around like chickens or croon away thinking they are Elvis Presley create a misunderstanding of what is really happening. The guinea-pigs in those situations could actually choose not to behave like that but they just don't know it. This is fully explained in your first session so that you have clear understanding of what is happening.

The stage hypnotist has contributed to the image of hypnosis as being a 'trance', 'sleep-like' or 'out-of -this-world' state. In fact the opposite is true: under hypnosis all your five senses are heightened.

Any suggestion contrary to your inner convictions will either be ignored by you, or you will come out of the hypnotic state. The subconscious mind will only accept suggestions that are beneficial to you.

How does hypnosis work?
Under hypnosis all outside distractions are eliminated and your attention is focused on the hypnotherapist's voice. It is this profound concentration that permits suggestions to 'sink in' to your mind much more easily. The principal reason for its use is that under hypnosis you can become much more aware of the usually archaic origin of your present behaviour patterns and you are guided to replace them with new, desired and beneficial ones, e.g. "I was a smoker because . . . .  and I am now a non-smoker."

Can I be stuck in a hypnotic state?
No, because the person being hypnotised actually induces it themselves through self-hypnosis. Just as anyone cannot be hypnotised against their own will, they can bring themselves out in a split second.