The Dangers of Hypnosis
A personal experience story of an immersion they couldn't pull me out of
Preface: Today I will tell you about the dangers of hypnosis from my personal experience, when they couldn't bring me out. This is a story about how the search for a "magic pill" almost ended very badly for me.
How It All Began
It happened in November 2023, at one of the international festivals The Way Fest in Turkey, near the city of Kemer, in a small village called Cirali.
Specialists from various fields gathered there, but they were all united by one goal — as they say nowadays, "mindfulness," "spiritual development." In simple terms — to find a method that would help learn to "control the brain", take control of one's life, reconsider one's attitude toward it — in order to get rid of psychological problems and improve health, to return to the "present moment."
By that time, I had already completed several trainings that gave me understanding and tools for working with the subconscious, programs, subpersonalities, the unconscious — you can call it whatever you want.
Searching for a "Magic Pill"
By nature, like many people, I want everything at once — I want to find a "magic pill" for all problems.
The practices, mainly from Buddhism, that I was practicing at the time didn't give a WOW effect immediately. Patience and regular training were required. Having heard about this festival from acquaintances, I became interested in what other methods exist. With hope of finding something more effective, I went there.
The Festival and Its Practices
The festival itself took place at a campsite. Several areas were set up with different types of practices: somewhere tables where transformational games were held, somewhere places for yoga, and somewhere lectures were given.
After reading the festival program, I compiled my favorites that I definitely needed to attend. My attention was drawn to practices such as "Holotropic Breathing" and "Theta Healing." I will tell you about my impressions and the dangers in these practices next time.
During breaks between the practices that interested me, I couldn't find anything interesting and decided to go where there were the fewest people. Since I'm quite an introverted person and don't feel very comfortable in large crowds, I was drawn to an area where a lecture by a body psychologist was taking place.
My Request
There were literally only a few people there, and I sat down to spend time and listen — maybe I'd hear something interesting.
During the lecture, the psychologist was presenting her method and was looking for volunteers among the audience for a demonstration. I thought to myself: it would be great if they chose me. I happen to have a request I'd like to resolve — fear of appearing in public, and in general "being myself" in groups of more than two people.
Of course, I didn't have the courage to raise my hand and go on stage myself, even though there were very few spectators. I don't know how, but I was the one asked to come out for the demonstration.
The Immersion Process
Working with the Request
First, I told her about my fear, and we started talking like you normally would with a psychologist, trying to find the causes in childhood.
Visualization
Then, when we got to the core of the issue, the most interesting part began. I closed my eyes, and my task was to imagine standing on stage, how I felt; how I put up a shield in front of me, describe what it looked like; how people from the audience came behind the shield with me — and how I felt about it.
Trance Induction Technique
At some point, the psychologist gave me a small neck massage and started snapping her fingers from different sides — just like in the movies. This was accompanied by my deep breathing. She gradually defocused my attention, put me in a kind of stupor where I expected a snap from one side, but it came from the other.
The Moment of "Falling"
At some point, there was a feeling of brain overload — and I "fell" inside myself.
What I Experienced in the Trance
I entered a trance state — it's like a lucid dream.
What I Felt
I stopped monitoring my breathing
Complete darkness, no thoughts
I couldn't hear anything around me and couldn't feel my body
But at the same time, I could think
I immediately understood that I was already in the right state, and that now I could get answers to any questions because I had absolutely no distracting factors.
Vision in the Trance
I asked myself: "Why am I so afraid of the public?"
And the darkness was replaced by an image. It felt like I had gone back to the period when my mother was pregnant and had thoughts about an abortion. At the same time, inside myself, I was screaming: "Mom, don't do this."
It was all like a dream, but at the same time, I felt everything as if it were reality.
What Was Happening Outside
Panic Around Me
While I was flying in my dream, they were already trying to revive me. Supposedly, I wasn't supposed to fall into that state, and they were trying to "wake me up."
What they did:
- They were shouting
- Pouring water on me
- Pulling my arms and legs
But I didn't feel any of it and couldn't hear anyone!
A crowd had already gathered around, everyone watching with interest to see how it would end, and other specialists from the festival were trying to pull me out of this state using their practices.
The Rescue
The Shaman Appears
At this festival, there happened to be a local shaman — a Turkish man who became a local star at the festival after this incident.
Using his techniques, he was able to "wake me up," and I came to.
While I was flying in my dream and experiencing it, at some point I gradually began to hear a male voice saying: "Relax, relax..." Moreover, I felt my body — that I was no longer sitting on a chair on stage, but lying down, "curled up in a ball." At some point, I opened my eyes.
Video from That Moment
Here's a video from the moment when they were trying to bring me out of the trance:
▶ Watch Video on VimeoAwakening
When I opened my eyes, I didn't immediately understand what had happened, and until the last moment, I thought everything had gone according to plan, as it should have.
Seeing a crowd of people around me, with everyone filming it on video, I didn't feel the fear I used to and thought: super technique, it works, and I really did stop feeling that fear.
After some time, of course, I realized that things didn't go according to plan, and they were literally saving me. After this incident, I didn't go to any other practices and spent several days recovering, trying to comprehend what had happened.
Video of the awakening moment:
▶ Watch Video on VimeoWhat Is the Danger of Hypnosis
The Main Danger
The facilitator can lose control of the situation, and if there's no "shaman" nearby who can bring you out — there's no guarantee the whole story won't end in a psychiatric ward.
I still don't know why things didn't go according to plan. But I learned an excellent lesson.
Lessons I Learned
Don't Rush Inner Work
Fast results aren't always safe results. Regular practices are more important than "magic pills."
Fast Doesn't Mean Safe
Ending up in a psychiatric ward after such an unsuccessful immersion is a matter of chance.
Hypnosis Is Not an Ecological Method
I found confirmation of this from my personal experience.
The Bottom Line
Fear of Public Speaking
To some extent, yes, it went away. At the very least, I wrote this article and started recording videos — before, even the thought of this was unreal for me.
The Lesson
Don't rush and search for magic pills — it can end badly.
The Psychologist
Got powerful negative publicity for her method.
The "Shaman"
Became a local star of the festival.
Why I Love Biodynamics
Advantages of Biodynamics Over Hypnosis
Unlike hypnosis, here no immersion is required from the patient. All that's needed is their request and for them to think about the problem.
The specialist themselves enters certain "trance states" from which they read the causes and remove them directly from the field, without the patient's awareness.
Safety:
- Work is very targeted
- Doesn't affect other problems
- After the session, they're not "falling apart"
- It's impossible to harm them
Need Safe Work with the Subconscious?
If you want to work through your fears and blocks using a safe method — I can help. Biodynamics works gently and effectively, without risks to your mental health.
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