Hypnosis can seem mysterious, especially when movies and stage performances portray it as a way to take over someone’s mind. A hypnotist gives a few instructions, the person appears to lose control, and suddenly they are doing things they would never normally do. It’s an entertaining story—but it can leave people wondering how much of it is real.
The reassuring answer is that hypnosis is not a reliable method for taking control of another person’s mind or rewriting their beliefs against their will. Hypnosis can influence how some people experience sensations, thoughts, emotions, and actions in response to suggestions. But that is not the same as unrestricted mind control, and researchers continue to debate exactly how hypnotic responses arise.¹
It is also important to recognize that people can be influenced through many routes that have nothing specifically to do with hypnosis, including deception, social pressure, manipulation, and coercion.
Understanding the difference between hypnotic suggestion and brainwashing helps separate scientific evidence from dramatic myths.
What Does “Brainwashing” Actually Mean?
Brainwashing is a popular term for attempts to change someone’s beliefs, attitudes, or behavior through intensive psychological or social influence. It is not a precise scientific diagnosis, and people use it to describe a wide range of situations.
For example, the term might be used to describe coercive persuasion, isolation from alternative viewpoints, manipulative group dynamics, or sustained pressure from an authority figure. These situations differ considerably, so it is important not to treat them as one uniform process.
Hypnosis, by contrast, involves procedures in which suggestions are used to encourage changes in experience or behavior. The American Psychological Association’s Society of Psychological Hypnosis defines hypnosis in terms of focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.¹
There can be an overlap in the broad sense that both hypnosis and other forms of influence involve suggestions or expectations. But overlap does not mean they are the same thing.
Being responsive to a suggestion is not equivalent to having your beliefs or personality taken over.
Can a Hypnotist Make You Do Something Against Your Will?
Hypnosis can influence responses to suggestions, but it does not give a hypnotist unlimited control over another person’s behavior.
During hypnosis, someone might experience an action as surprisingly automatic. For example, after being asked to imagine that their arm is becoming lighter, they may find that it rises with less conscious effort than expected. Such experiences can feel involuntary, but they do not establish that the person has surrendered all control.²
The important distinction is between influencing a response and controlling a person completely.
People can also comply with requests because they want to cooperate, trust the person asking, feel social pressure, or believe that cooperation is expected. These influences can occur during hypnosis demonstrations, but they can also occur in ordinary social situations.
It would be too simplistic to claim that people never act against their interests under pressure. People sometimes comply with harmful demands because of intimidation, deception, fear, or coercion. However, that broader vulnerability to influence is not evidence that hypnosis itself can reliably override a person's values or moral judgment.
Can Hypnosis Make Someone Commit a Crime?
Stories about hypnotists compelling people to steal, reveal secrets, or commit crimes make for gripping entertainment. The scientific evidence does not support the idea that hypnosis is a dependable way to turn an unsuspecting person into a criminal.
A 2009 study by Carlo Alfredo Clerici and colleagues examined 106 reported incidents in Italy that had been described in the media as robberies committed through hypnosis. The researchers found no evidence that the incidents involved genuine hypnotic methods.³ This finding does not prove that every possible form of coercion involving hypnosis is impossible, but it does show why sensational reports should not be accepted at face value.
A person's behavior can be influenced by many factors, including deception, threats, manipulation, and the circumstances in which a request is made. If someone is persuaded or pressured into doing something harmful, it is important to investigate those circumstances rather than automatically attributing the behavior to hypnosis.
Stage hypnosis also requires context. Performers work with volunteers who agree to participate in a show, and the setting encourages entertainment and cooperation. A volunteer's unusual response to a suggestion does not demonstrate that a hypnotist could make any random person commit a crime.
Can Hypnosis Change Your Beliefs or Personality?
Hypnotic suggestions can influence some people's perceptions, expectations, feelings, and responses. Researchers have documented effects involving sensations, actions, and subjective experiences, although the precise mechanisms behind those effects remain debated.²
That does not mean hypnosis can reliably replace someone's deeply held beliefs or transform their personality on command.
A person might use hypnosis to rehearse responding more calmly in a stressful situation, imagine approaching a challenge with confidence, or practice a different response to a familiar trigger. Whether these suggestions produce lasting change depends on several factors, and hypnosis is not a guaranteed solution.
There is also a difference between helping someone explore a possible change and forcing that change on them. In a responsible therapeutic setting, the person's goals, preferences, and informed participation should guide the work.
Be cautious of anyone who claims they can permanently reprogram your personality, erase your identity, or install beliefs that you cannot resist. Such promises go far beyond what the evidence establishes.
Can Hypnosis Make You Reveal Your Secrets?
Hypnosis is not a dependable truth serum.
A hypnotized person may choose to answer questions, but hypnosis does not guarantee honesty, complete disclosure, or accurate recall. Someone can withhold information, misunderstand a question, or provide an inaccurate answer while hypnotized, just as they can in other circumstances.
There is an additional concern when hypnosis is used to try to recover memories. Suggestive questioning and expectations can influence what people remember or believe they remember. Memories produced or elaborated in hypnosis should not automatically be treated as accurate accounts of past events.⁴
If you are worried that a hypnotist could force you to reveal something private, it is helpful to separate the myth from the real issue. Hypnosis does not provide a reliable way to extract the truth, but people can still pressure or manipulate others into sharing information.
You have every right to set boundaries, decline questions, and stop participating in an exercise that makes you uncomfortable.
Can Someone Be Brainwashed Without Realizing It?
People can be influenced without fully recognizing all the factors affecting their decisions. This is not unique to hypnosis.
For example, someone may gradually accept a group's expectations because they want to belong, or they may change their behavior after repeated exposure to persuasive messages. Pressure, isolation, misleading information, dependency, and fear can all matter in situations involving manipulation.
These processes should not be confused with a hypnotist secretly taking control of someone's mind. They are broader forms of social and psychological influence, and the circumstances need to be assessed individually.
If you are concerned about a controlling relationship or group, focus on observable behavior rather than whether hypnosis is involved. Warning signs may include being threatened for disagreeing, being discouraged from maintaining outside relationships, being pressured to hand over money, or being told that you are not allowed to leave.
You do not need to prove that someone is using hypnosis to recognize that their behavior is coercive or harmful.
Is Stage Hypnosis a Form of Brainwashing?
Stage hypnosis can look like mind control because participants may perform unusual or exaggerated actions in front of an audience. A volunteer might act as though a hand is stuck, imagine being somewhere else, or respond to a suggestion in a way that makes the audience laugh.
But a performance is not a controlled demonstration of unlimited influence.
Stage shows take place in a specific social setting. Volunteers know they are participating in entertainment, and the performer gives instructions within that context. Expectations, motivation, attention, and social dynamics can all contribute to what happens.²
Individual responses vary, and not every volunteer will respond to every suggestion. The fact that someone follows an unusual suggestion onstage does not establish that the performer could force them to violate their values in everyday life.
It is more accurate to view stage hypnosis as a demonstration of responsiveness to suggestions in a particular setting than as evidence of brainwashing.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Manipulation?
You do not need to be afraid of hypnosis to protect your independence. The same practical boundaries that help in other situations are useful when someone offers hypnosis or claims special influence over you.
Ask questions. Find out what the exercise involves, what the person intends to suggest, and what you can expect.
Set clear boundaries. You can decline any suggestion or topic that makes you uncomfortable.
Avoid pressure-based decisions. Do not let someone rush you into signing a contract, transferring money, disclosing private information, or making a major commitment.
Check extraordinary claims. Be skeptical of promises that someone can control your mind, guarantee obedience, or permanently reprogram your personality.
Seek outside perspectives. If a person or group discourages you from talking with trusted friends, family members, or independent professionals, consider why.
Leave an uncomfortable situation. You do not need to finish a hypnosis session or performance if you no longer want to participate.
These precautions are not based on the idea that hypnosis is inherently dangerous. They are sensible ways to preserve your autonomy in any situation where someone is trying to influence you.
Is Hypnosis Safe?
Hypnosis is used in research and clinical settings, but its suitability depends on the individual, the purpose, and how it is conducted. It should not be presented as a technique that is guaranteed to work or that is free of all possible risks.
If you are considering hypnotherapy, look for a qualified professional who explains the process, respects informed consent, and works within their professional scope. Be cautious of practitioners who claim to have absolute control over you or insist that you must obey their instructions.
You should be able to ask questions, decline suggestions, and stop a session. Hypnosis should not be used as an excuse to ignore your wishes or pressure you into doing something you do not want to do.
If your concern is a controlling person or group rather than hypnosis itself, consider seeking support from someone independent whom you trust. If you feel threatened or unsafe, prioritize your immediate safety.
The Bottom Line: Hypnosis Is Not Mind Control
Hypnosis can influence how people respond to suggestions, and those responses can sometimes feel automatic or surprising. But that is not the same as brainwashing someone, erasing their personality, or gaining unlimited control over their decisions.
The evidence does not support sensational claims that hypnosis is a reliable way to force people to commit crimes or reveal the truth. At the same time, hypnosis should not be confused with immunity from ordinary manipulation, social pressure, or coercion.
The best approach is to stay curious, keep realistic expectations, and remember that your boundaries matter. A responsible hypnosis session should involve informed participation—not fear, intimidation, or demands for unquestioning obedience.
Notes
1. Gary R. Elkins, Arreed F. Barabasz, James R. Council, and David Spiegel, “Advancing Research and Practice: The Revised APA Division 30 Definition of Hypnosis,” International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 63, no. 1 (2015): 1–9.
2. Anoushiravan Zahedi, Steven Jay Lynn, and Werner Sommer, “How Hypnotic Suggestions Work: A Systematic Review of Prominent Theories of Hypnosis,” Consciousness and Cognition 123 (2024): article 103730.
3. Carlo Alfredo Clerici, Laura Veneroni, Angelo De’ Micheli, and Isabella Merzagora Betsos, “‘Robbery by Hypnosis’ in Italy: A Psycho-Criminological Analysis of the Phenomenon Based on 20 Years of Newspaper Articles (1988–2007),” International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 57, no. 4 (2009): 419–30.
4. U.S. Department of Justice, “Use of Hypnosis—Purpose,” United States Attorneys’ Manual, Criminal Resource Manual § 287.