How does a patient react to a therapy through hypnosis?

Apprehension:  Generally, a patient seeing a hypnotherapist for the first time feels apprehensive as he doesn’t know what to expect. Neither does he know what is involved in a hypnosis session, and his most important concern is fear of losing control. The first meeting is filled with misconceptions which seem a lot like superstition - 'What will the hypnotherapist do with all of his powers?' - so that it is first necessary to reassure him that his level of consciousness, and hence his power of decision, will not be modified. 

The subject expects to lose consciousness, to have no recollection of what happened during the session, all this being the consequence of myths perpetuated from watching television or movies.  His first experience, of course, will prove these wrong as, invariably, he will emerge from the trance feeling as though he hadn't been hypnotized at all.  Indeed, there is little difference between the sensation of being in trance and that of being in a normal waking state, for a trance is an alternate state of consciousness (that is, a state in which you react almost normally to your environment). The therapist, having evoked some powerful emotions in his patient  during the session, may then ask  whether he normally allows these emotions come to the surface? This sometimes allows the patient to revise his opinion and alleviate his doubt.  Furthermore, hypnosis is certainly not sleep, for in a state of sleep, it would become impossible for patient and therapist to communicate, to exchange questions and answers, and hence pointless in terms of therapy.

Slowly, fear turns to trust when the patient realizes by the end of the week that some of his problems and issues have been resolved or reduced.  He knows now that the treatment has to follow its course and that his situation is progressing positively. His attitude toward the therapist changes as well :  here, after all, is not an enigmatic person possessing of supernatural powers, but a benefactor who does his best to relieve a client in pain, with no power other than the use of an effective technique in behavior modification. 

And finally as, in the course of therapy hidden memories surface to consciousness, there is sometimes the delicate situation of having to deal with cases of transference (where a patient transfers onto the therapist his feelings and emotions, either positive or negative).  We work through it, hoping that the patient will soon overcome this obstacle.