ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on some of the anomalies that can occur during the course of a hypnosis session that need to first be acknowledged and then managed skillfully and sensitively. In the realms of hypnosis and psychotherapy, the attributions that clinicians make for unsuccessful hypnosis sessions or therapies are often external, that is, it was the client’s fault. Sometimes the suppression or repression of significant memories is so great that the material remains out of consciousness even during hypnosis. In such instances, instead of there being an overt emotional reaction, the person may instead complain of a headache or some such discomfort during or after hypnosis. Unexpected emotional reactions can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, including crying, hyperventilation, trembling of the body, premature disengagement from hypnosis, hallucinations, delusions, and repetitive rocking motions. Resistance to the aims of therapy has an extensive overlap with the dynamics of resistance to hypnosis.
