Look into my eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes...

[susie_flo]

Dear fiends,[Poll #1513596]
More specifically... I am interested in the sort of hypnotism where a random audience member gets up on stage and a hypnotist taps them on the head and all of a sudden they believe they are a hairbrush and then forget all about it when they wake up...

Do you believe that this is for real or are these always cleverly planted stooges?

Do any of you know a real life person who has been successfully hypnotised in this way?

Failing that, have any of you ever seen a reputable TV journalist undergo hypnotism of this nature and confirm that it was for real?

The reason I ask is that I was watching a documentary about the CIA's experiments in mind control, where they were trying to create Bourne-style assassins who would carry out the act and then forget all about it. It sounded like they played around with hypnotism for a while, but abandoned it as a viable method.

It made me think... has anybody ever proven, in a reliable scientific manner, that it is possible to hypnotise someone?  And in what capacity?  (E.g. has it been shown that it's possible to make a person believe in something, purely through hypnotism?)

When people go to see a hypnotist to stop smoking, is that really hypnotism... or more like cognitive therapy?

For some reason I've always had a vague notion that hypnotism was accepted by the scientific community, but now I'm wondering if it never was.  Am curious to know what you think.

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that the scientific community on the whole accepts that it is possible, using hypnotic techniques, to help someone to get into a very relaxed and suggestible state of mind, where they are much more likely to go along with the suggestions made to them than they might normally be. This may even go as far as moderating certain types of brain activity so that it mimics the activity when you're in a state of deep relaxation, for example just before you go to sleep.

The reports I've read of people who have been hypnotised for stage shows or whatever generally say something like "I kind of knew what I was doing, but I didn't care, it felt easier just to do what he told me"; I would guess it's a bit like the disinhibition that can happen when you're very cheerfully drunk with lots of strong personalities who are also in the same state, so you're not exactly out of control, just very keen to fit in, and not thinking about the consequences very carefully.

However, I've never heard of anyone doing anything really dangerous or harmful, or even hugely out of character, under hypnosis, or under post-hypnotic suggestion.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ok, that sounds reasonable...

But I've always had trouble understanding how the stage hypnotists seem to do it so quickly, rather than making the subjects relax on a couch and visualise things.

I saw a Dezzer Brown stage show a couple of years ago where he seemed to just tap a woman on the head and her head dropped down and she seemed to go straight to sleep. Was she just so keen to please, or more likely to have been a stooge?

You are rational, sciencey person... any chance of you going to get hypnotised by Dezzer and telling me afterwards what it was like? :-p

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

The only hypnotist stage show I've been to (years ago!), the hypnotist guy got the whole audience to do various tests of suggestability, and then picked people who seemed most suggestible. They may have been stooges, but I suspect they were for real, and just very eager to get on stage!

I actually rather like Derren Brown, so if anyone wants to make the necessary arrangements (financial/logistic/whatever), I would be happy, as a Scientist, to volunteer! But I'm probably not a very good subject; too interested in the science and too stroppy!

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I suggest you read Derren's "Tricks of the Mind" book (you can get it for about £2 n Amazon). He has a whole chapter on hypnosis theory and research which is fascinating.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I dunno though... do you reckon Mr Misdirection is a trustworthy authority on the matter?

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Yes, in this case. The book is a serious (albeit overwritten) examination of hypnotism, cold reading, memory techniques, probability, and a bit on pseudoscience.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Fair enough - sounds like a good read actually!

[gylfinir.livejournal.com]

I think what you're referring to at the end of your post is hypnotherapy (which is closely aligned to NLP). Coincidentally, I actually contacted a local hypnotherapist this morning to arrange some sessions...

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I think your're right... (though doesn't the term Hypnotherapy imply that hypnosis is acceptd as a real thing?)

[gylfinir.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're probably right. (There's some more info here, under FAQs.) I don't know all that much about it - I'm more familiar with NLP - but there doesn't seem to be that much negative criticism about it, which augurs well.

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

I learned hypnosis as part of my NLP practitioner course and it was really enjoyable. Totally different from the stage hypnotism kind of thing you see.

There are a couple of hypnotherapist professional associations. It is possible to get training and accreditation through the UK council of psychotherapists, which is a very well respected body.

http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/hypno_psychotherapy.html

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You did proper hypnotism...? As in, making someone go under and influencing them? I might grill you when I see u next!

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

That sort, yes. It's good fun!

[whiteshadow.livejournal.com]

K, I could ramble on about this for like .... ages, but to summarise

Hypnotism in Medical areas

Yes, it is used to realax people, also used to try and unlock memories, sometimes used as you mention to help quit smoking, lose weight but I don't believe there isany real medical back up to suggest it works.

Hypnotism on the stage.

IMO just an illusion, forming part of the wider mentalism stage act -

I know it's not quite hypnotism but hypnotism is often used as a general mind reading show

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOB-CASSIDYS-BLACK-BOX-CINEMA-DVD-Magic-Mentalism_W0QQitemZ320471638279QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Collectables_MagicTricks_RL?hash=item4a9d992107

Which essentially just a con.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

You know, at the end opf this poll, I'm not sure if I feel any wiser.

I'm noting that hypnotherapy seems to have some credence, but hypnotism itself is still a bit of a blank. My gut feeling is that stage hypnotism is just an act, but I do wonder how they get people to go along with it so fully. (Perhaps Dez's book will enlighten me)