Survey of beliefs about hypnosis among students, therapists, followers of paranormal beliefs, and the general public in Poland

The aim of the present study is to examine beliefs about hypnosis in a Polish sample, with a focus on possible misconceptions. The research included groups with different backgrounds regarding hypnosis: 1stand 5th-year psychology students, psychotherapists using hypnosis, people interested in paranormal phenomena, and people from the general population. The results demonstrated mild misconceptions about hypnosis and significant differences in beliefs about hypnosis between the aforementioned groups. Additionally, within a Polish sample, psychotherapists using hypnosis and 5th-year students’ views were most similar in their current scientific knowledge about hypnosis, while the groups targeting individuals unexposed to hypnosis and followers of paranormal beliefs showed significantly more misconceptions.