ABSTRACT
The natural tendency of people who have previous knowledge or experience with hypnosis is to assume that what they already know is accurate. In the practice of clinical hypnosis, the opportunity for dealing with misinformation is constant. Most misconceptions people hold are predictable, arising from obvious sources (such as movies), which can make their identification and rebuttal easier. The single most common misperception that people seem to hold is that hypnosis is a powerful form of mind control in which the hypnotized person has no free will. Stage hypnosis and variations of it found in the entertainment media seem to be the biggest culprits for making control an issue of such huge proportions. Using the power struggle as well as any other interpersonal factors that arise, as a hypnotic device to enhance the therapy is possible when recognize the paradox present in hypnosis and psychotherapy.
