The act has three primary parts – provisions applying to England and Wales, to Scotland, and to Great Britain as a whole.

In England and Wales, the act disallows the performance of hypnosis in a public place, unless given permission by the local authority, or they may be liable to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, currently £1000.

In the UK (excluding NI), the act prohibits hypnosis being knowingly performed on those under 18 (originally 21) or be subject to a level 3 fine.

The act continues to allow for hypnosis to be used without a license if it is being used for research purposes (e.g. for the treatment of a mental or physical disease).

In 2024 the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton agreed to a request from a comedy hypnotist to overturn a policy it had introduced in the 1980s of refusing the permission required under the 1952 act.