Are you one of the sceptics on hypnotherapy?

One of the main challenges and also best reward I find in my job as a hypnotherapist is when a client comes in who is incredibly sceptical about hypnotherapy. I would estimate about 10% of clients initially are very sceptical yet despite this they have still booked a session on something they are doubtful and maybe scared of because they are so desperate to get rid of a bad habit, stress, insomnia or some other symptom and everything else has failed.
I totally understand the initial scepticism, after all stage hypnotists have a lot to answer for and many people still seem to think that hypnotherapy is the same. It is not! Yes hypnotherapy is an altered state of awareness but we all go off into a trance like state at various points throughout the day ( while driving, watching a film, reading a book or maybe just daydreaming!), for hypnotherapy to be effective the client will experience a similar daydreamy type state but it will be a time that is focused on visualising their problem in a new and positive way which very quickly becomes effective in the subconscious mind. While the client will be deeply relaxed they are in control and if they really wanted to could stop themselves going deep enough for hypnosis to be effective.
I find that those clients who are the most sceptical very quickly wish they had tried hypnotherapy earlier instead of battling against their problem with some less effective solution.
Quite often these clients are sceptical because of what they have heard and what their friends think– and there are many people I meet out on a day to day basis who are also cynical initially of hypnotherapy yet despite the fact they may be bright individuals they take this view from an uninformed perspective. In contrast there are also just as many people I meet who have tried it and absolutely endorse hypnotherapy thankful to it for helping them change their life.
So why the extremes? For those people who are happy with everything in their lives and have no need for hypnotherapy then that is great, however, I also think it would be great if they could be more open minded about the fact that there are many people out there who genuinely need help and hypnotherapy is in my opinion one of the most positive therapies around. Hypnotherapy is scientifically proven to show how it reduces stress and subsequent problems, it is one of the most effective ways to change habits and is also increasingly supported by television programmes, the Medical profession and now the government who are all realising the benefits it can quickly have. Thankfully this is really helping to change the out dated view and people are becoming much more open about their experiences and knowledge with hypnotherapy which should hopefully help more people have a fully informed view before judging what can be a life saver for some people.