Hypnosis

[AsherF]

I'm not asking for product recommendation but more on the subject in general. What makes hypnosis work? Is it in the scripting? the gestures? a mixture? Or is it just a placebo? If there's anyone knowledgable (Who is experienced in the subject) who'd be willing to have me pick their brain, that'd be lovely.

 

[booyahshaka91]

i have never preformed hypnosis but i've been hypnotized before. It was just a deep relaxed state and everything seemed funny. You cant make anyone do something that they dont want to do. After being hypnotized for 30min i felt like i had been asleep for 8 hours.

 

[William Draven]

I tend to agree with Penn on the subject. Hypnotism is complete B.S. If you ever go to a demonstration they always test the audience first to see who is the most "receptive." That's just a fancy word for the most willing to play along. if they find someone who isn't going along with it, they remove them from the stage. It's simple psychology, once your up there, and the spot light is on you, you're not going to say no or do something contrary to whats going on. I'm not completely convinced that it really works.

 

[booyahshaka91]

it does work, i have a sleeping disorder and i didnt sleep for a long long time, then i was hypnotized and felt extremly relaxed. Its just a relaxing technique

 

[AsherF]

my mother has gone through some hypnosis for non entertainment purposes and says it has worked.

 

[D ICE R]

In a nut shell the most important aspect of hypnosis is the cooperation between the subject and the hypnotist. To answer your question as to what makes it actually work it is the complete package. I can hypnotise people with nothing more than talking to them, however the gestures help quite a lot. But it is possible to hypnotise someone through a piece of paper or a text message.

 

[AsherF]

would you perhaps be willing to discuss in more detail with me? and answer some questions?

 

[dpu2010]

Ok, so I actually learned hypnosis recently and it does work. It is some state where people are susceptible to suggestions. The frightening thing is that hypnosis actually bends the reality of the subject. You do have to be willing to be hypnotized, but it's definitely a real state. If you want more details you can ask me. I'm still new at it, but I'm learning more the more I hypnotize.

 

[MarkH]

Hypnosis is a very legit medical treatment. My dad works in a state hospital as an anesthesiologist and he has a lot of his patients come and go to "the hypnosis" (that's what they call it, it's a departement within the hospital where they have hypnotists giving medical treatment). Of course, not everyone is receptive but that doesn't make it less valid. It's the same as spinal anaesthesia which doesn't work well on some individuals either.

Best known uses of hypnosis is making people fearless (used to actually have them not being afraid for surgery and such) and to make ircadian rhythm issues go away (like jetlags, and sleeping problems as stated above). Some performance artists actually use it to have their performing nerves limited.

It's different than the 'magical' kind of hypnosis though, although some of the techniques are shared. Hypnosis on stage and on the streets goes from scripts till placebos till actually controlling people. If you are a medical hypnotists, you could actually take people their fears away and have them act all crazy on command just to see if the hypnosis worked or not. (As this isn't magic-related, I guess that kind of exposure is okay.)

 

[abstractmonkey]

I'm currently doing a degree in psychology, and we have studied hypnosis.

All evidence points to the fact that hypnotic susceptibility varies from person to person, and not everyone can be hypnotised.

Hypnosis, does, contrary to some peoples' beliefs, work. It does so because, once hypnotised, participants are extremely suggestible and will conform to whatever the hypnotist suggests, to the point of apparently mis-perceiving reality.

Also, the only thing needed to induce hypnosis, i.e. what makes it happen, is that the participant understands that they are to be hypnotised - this understanding can arise almost instantaneously.

So, in answer to the OP's question, of what makes it work, the answer is this: a combination of the individual's level of hypnotic susceptibility, the suggestions made by the hypnotist, and finally the understanding that they are to be hypnotised.

Hope this helped

 

[D ICE R]

I can defiantly help, what ever you want to know just give me PM or post in here I will check back later.

 

[MarcusChristiansen]

Anyone interested in hypnosis should pick up Derren Brown's book Tricks of the mind. He explains in a simple and entertaining way what hypnosis really is and how it works. You get an entertaining read and if you afterwards feel that hypnosis is something for you you can go more in-depth with other books.

 

[Grimshaw]

The subject puts themselves into a hypnotic trance, the hypnotist merely leads them there. Some may see hypnosis as a kind of power they can wield over anyone and get them to do as they command, but it doesn't work like that. The subject must be willing. That said, once under they will be very susceptible to further inductions and taking someone out of trance and putting them back in is a very common way of deepening the trance.

Of course it all depends on what you wish to do with your subject. I have hypnotised many people, both willing and sceptical, and I can assure you it is very real. I find no joy at the thought of making people look foolish while under, and as such the people I've hypnotised have often commented on how pleasant an experience it was.

I see a lot of younger magicians dallying with hypnosis. You can't flirt with it, its one of those things you have to apply yourself to. There's no half way measures.