Is Hypnosis Dangerous or Just Misunderstood? Hypnosis is a safe and effective form of therapy that has been in use for over 150 years. It's not dangerous, but it can be misunderstood.
The best way to understand hypnosis is to think of the word sleep. When you sleep, your brain waves slow down, and you enter into a trance-like state. Hypnosis works on the same principle: when someone enters into a hypnotic trance their brain waves slow down. But there are important differences between sleeping and being hypnotized.