Topic
Hey, random question...
Do you guys believe in hypnosis?
I find it hard to believe in it myself...I know that the human mind can be easily tricked in numbers of ways, but the illusion of being controlled by someone else under a trance is something I just find absurd, I just don't buy it...
What are your thoughts?
~DV
Replies
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Well, I have seen several hypnotism shows, and know someone who has been hypnotized, so yes, I do believe in it. However, I don't believe in the hypnotism that many believe that if the person puts you under, they have total control, even if you never wanted to be hypnotized. From what I've seen from shows and heard about hypnotism, you cannot be hypnotized unless you want to be hypnotized (which is why these shows only accept volunteers). Everyone has the POTENTIAL to be hypnotized, but only those who believe that they do want to be hypnotized can be brought under. Also, from what I have heard from those who have been hypnotized, you're really not under total control (meaning you have no recollection of anything)--many times, those under hypnosis can be aware of what's going on, and say for instance if the hypnotist were to try to make you do something that breaks your ethics, that could break you out of the trance. Also, random distractions can break the trance at times too.
So... if you really don't want to be hypnotized, and you sit there thinking you don't want to be hypnotized and are not paying attention to the routine, then you won't be hypnotized....HOWEVER.
We're hypnotized every day (most of us, anyway). If you've ever been driving somewhere and suddenly realize that you've gone 20 minutes without really paying attention and with no real recollection of the past 20 minutes, then you've just undergone a form of hypnosis (often called highway hypnosis :)).Though, there ARE ways to block this, of course--just pay attention to the road, haha. And there are other ways we're hypnotized on a daily basis, I just can't recall them at the moment.
There are also ways to hypnotize yourself, which I think is really interesting. I have always wanted to try it out, but I just have never taken the time to look into it.
I would say, if you've never been to a hypnotism show, it's really worth checking out. Not only is it hilarious, but if they're a decent hypnotist, they'll give you a lot of really interesting information about hypnotism as well.
Just out of curiosity, I know you sort of touched on it, but why don't you believe it? I'm honestly curious and not meaning at all to be condescending. Do you feel like one person can't be able to control another person in such a way? - A friend of mine listens to hypnosis tapes when he's having trouble sleeping! I really don't know what to think (at least about the classic, I can make you do funny things sort of hypnosis).
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Belief has nothing to do with it. It is a technique that is used often by doctors and entertainers. Some people are more susceptible to suggestion than others. I "believe" that we probably all have some susceptibility to suggestion otherwise advertisement would be a big waste of time and money.
You can also "hypnotize" yourself to some degree. You can relax and let your mind wander a bit then try to focus on something in particular. As you do that, you may find that you can become more aware of what you focus on and less aware of anything else. Does your bathroom faucet drip? Can you hear it from where you are? Relax, close your eyes. take some deep breaths. Begin to focus on that drip. You hear nothing else, all other sounds fade, ah, that dip, drip, drip... You can hear it now even though it is down a hallway and 3 rooms away or maybe even upstairs but you can hear it just the same... drip, drip drip. Now, wake up! Can you hear it now? NO! But maybe if you strain your ears a little, maybe if you concentrate, maybe if you forget everything else... drip, drip, drip... -
I've heard it said that, 'all hypnosis is self-hypnosis' - meaning it's not so much that there are people wielding mystical powers of mind control, but that we, as individuals, are capable of reaching a state where our conscious mind is quieted, and we are more receptive than usual to suggestion.
At the same time, most of us can relate a situation where we are focused on something so intensely that time just blips by, whether it's the drive home ('god, I missed the turnoff, I must have been on auto-pilot!') or working on an art project (three hours? three hours!?!?!). Same mechanism, I think.
But, no, I can't put you in some kind of trance and turn you into an assassin. - Just search for "Darren Brown" on YouTube. He uses a very real technique called NLP that can be quite shockingly affective sometimes.