**3. Advantages and disadvantages of traditional versus conventional approaches of achieving hypnosis and hypnotherapy**

Traditional hypnosis is believed to be the simplest and easiest form of hypnotherapy that can be done even by oneself. As an advantage over conventional approach, traditional hypnosis is authoritative and can be a more powerful tool using direct suggestions [26]. As a disadvantage, this approach is commonly met with resistance [27]. The conventional or modern approach is a subtle, respectful method using indirect suggestions and has advantages of being accommodative, ethical, and more effective than the traditional method; the traditional approach is considered unethical by some schools of thought. Another disadvantage of the traditional approach is that some studies claim that this form of hypnosis rarely achieves more than a 30% success rate, and has a higher of rate relapse [3]. Although the clients may feel better, however, they may not always do better the next time something similar happens [3].

#### **3.1 Hypnotic risks**

Hypnosis has been shown to be associated with some risks according to the reviewed literature in the late 1980s. The literature documented a few cases of patients who displayed "unanticipated" adverse behavior after hypnosis [26]. Complications or adverse reactions usually encountered during hypnosis consisted of unexpected, unwanted thoughts, feelings, or behaviors during or after hypnosis that are inconsistent with agreed goals and interfere with the hypnotic process by impairing optimal mental function. Adverse reactions most commonly suspected included nausea, panic, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, stiffness, anxiety, and

#### *Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis*

serious reactions such as masking of organic disorders and symptom substitution occasionally [26, 27]. Deficiencies in the hypnotist's techniques such as not knowing that suggestions in hypnosis are accepted literally, taking the patient rapidly out of trance, inappropriately using age regression, not prescreening for certain psychopathology, or preconceived expectations of negative consequences of hypnosis not being dispelled before initiating the session were considered to be the root cause of the problems [26].
