The Facts About Hypnosis For Entertainment
Film and TV depictions of hypnosis
are often grossly inaccurate and can lead to some people
developing a misguided fear or distrust
of hypnosis. People can be led to believe that the hypnotist
can take control of the person being hypnotized, and
even make them do something against their will. This is
sometimes
called the ‘Svengali effect’ (after the sinister
character in the 1894 novel Trilby by George Du Maurier).
While this may make for interesting storylines, the reality
is quite the opposite. In hypnosis you are always in
control and can choose to follow or reject suggestions
you may find objectionable or disturbing. It seems that
in hypnosis, negative or objectionable suggestions are
not well received by the subconscious, even in this
state of increased suggestibility.
There is a very big
difference between clinical hypnotherapy and stage hypnotism.
While the former is
a therapeutic
process for the benefit of the client, the latter is
a performance, a show designed purely to entertain the
audience.
The people who volunteer as subjects for stage hypnotism,
are in effect self-selecting themselves and are happy
to lose their inhibitions and be the center of attention
(extroverts).
Some are willing to go along with the show, whether or
not
they are actually in a state of hypnosis. It could be
reasonably argued that the same results could be obtained
under the
influence of nothing more than a few glasses of alcoholic
refreshment.
More Facts...
Although researchers have studied hypnosis,
there are no scientific conclusions on how to define it.
What we do know is that our mind works
on two levels - a conscious and a subconscious, or outer
and inner state of mind. Our conscious mind does the
important reasoning required for making decisions, performing
physical activities and
solving
problems.
Our
subconscious
mind works very differently, handling tasks that don't
require conscious decision making. It regulates our heart
rate,
respiration, the blinking of our eyes, feeling of pain
and all our
habits. The subconscious is considered the more powerful
part of our mind, in many respects. What lies in the subconscious
can strongly influence the conscious decisions we make
on a daily basis. This is why hypnotherapy, or "clinical
hypnotism", can be such an effective tool to achieve
positive changes in our lives.
During hypnosis, the subconscious mind becomes the dominant
factor. The conscious mind is still aware, but much less
interested in the moment.
In simple terms, hypnosis is merely
a state of increased suggestibility: a state in which we
are more likely to
accept the suggestions of another person than
we are without the condition of hypnosis. This is possible
because, apparently, the subconscious simply processes
information differently from the critical, conscious part
of the mind. While all that we learn eventually reaches
the subconscious mind,
the
hypnotic state is a more direct and effective way of reaching
a goal. Once a suggestion is received and accepted by
the subconscious, it is acted
upon
automatically and uncritically, as long as it remains in
effect. This can have a profound affect on managing one's
health and goal achievement prospects.
Hypnotism Q & A
Q: Is
it true that persons able to be hypnotized are weak-willed
or less intelligent?
A: Just the opposite.
Successful stage hypnosis requires the willingness
of the subject to be hypnotized. Once that condition
exists,
the more
intelligent and imaginative the person is, the
higher the likelihood of achieving hypnosis.
Q: Will a person under hypnosis
do anything they are told, good or bad?
A: That depends on
whether they would likely do the same when not in hypnosis.
A hypnotized subject will not likely do anything contrary
to their most
basic principles of behavior. Even under hypnosis,
a subject can reject an improper or immoral suggestion.
For example, a recovering alcoholic may reject the suggestion
that they will consume an alcoholic beverage.
Q: Will a
hypnotized person reveal their deepest secrets on demand?
A: Not
necessarily.
Hypnosis is not a 'truth serum'. A person can just as easily
keep a secret in hypnosis as they
can out of hypnosis. A true professional hypnotist would
not ask a subject to reveal deep personal secrets in the
first place.
Q: Is a person in
hypnosis aware of what they are doing?
A: Yes. Even in the
deepest levels of trance, a person
in hypnosis remains
completely aware of themselves and their surroundings. They often don't believe
that they were hypnotized, because they don't feel any
different during hypnotic trance. Hypnosis is an altered
mental state, not an altered physical state.
Q: Can anyone
be hypnotized?
A: Generally speaking,
yes. That is, anyone who possesses the ability to focus
and
concentrate for more than a few minutes. Persons with ADD
can be
hypnotized as long as they also possess other qualities that are considered
to those of a good subject, such as good intelligence and imagination.
Q: How long does a hypnosis show last?
A: Typically, a professional stage hypnosis
show
will run about 75
to
90
minutes, depending on the venue.
Q: How can you tell a good stage hypnotist
from a bad one?
A: It's not always easy. The average person doesn't
know what to look for. Often, bad stage hypnotists don't even know how bad they
are. That's why
we screen all hypnotists listed at HypnoticEvents™.com. For some helpful information, click here.
