How Controlling is Hypnosis?

Question

I've seen the hypnosis shows and it looks like people do a lot of crazy things. I've always heard that a person will not do something the would not do, but is this true?

I'm not asking for perverted reasons. I'm just really curious what kind of power the hypnotist has over the person who is in the trance.

Answer 1

Hmm, hypnosis....

It's been a hobby of mine all my life, but I've only recently, in the past three years or so, found my groove and got it to work for me (for both platonic/innocent and somewhat pervy ones, I admit). And it has been my experience as someone who has had a modest degree of success in inducing trances by text in email and Instant Messenger, and by voice over the phone, that the old saying, "all hypnosis is self-hypnosis" is entirely true.

If the desire isn't there the person won't even go under. If the person doesn't *believe* hypnosis is possible in a context, he or she might go under, but nothing in the way of suggestions will stick. Really, you have to have the subject's permission to enter their unconscious mind, otherwise *nothing* happens....

Or even worse, you get a trance, and something *bad* happens. You hit an emotional hard limit of the subject's, which triggers something called an abreaction. This is basically the emotional crisis that occurs when the unconscious mind *wakes up* in trance, finds out that something is *wrong* and puts its foot down, so to speak, saying "no more". As far as us humble amateur and hobbyist hypnotists are concerned, this is where the story *ends* as trance either goes no further or suddenly and viciously *ends*, leaving you with one very sad, angry or terrified subject who is likely turned off to trance *for life*. And likely doesn't think too highly *of YOU* for putting them through this.

And quite frankly, this is where it begins for the professional hypnotist or hypnotherapist: finding hard limits so that they may be changed, or so that the emotional release can do its job and bring about personal growth and change that just wouldn't happen in waking life. Really, the use of hypnosis as therapy is separately licensed apart from that of social work and psychiatry for a *reason*, things that happen in trance can change minds as sharply as any psycho-tropic medication. :)

But I digress....point is, at the end of the day, your mind is your mind, and the subject's mind is also hers. It takes years, literally years of work and trust for an amateur or hobbyist entranceur like myself to even *get close* to causing any sort of lasting, permanent changes. And those only stick if they are what the subject wants out of the deal. Want proof? Watch someone induce a trance on someone, implant a simple, harmless post-hypnotic suggestion....and do all this for the first time.

Then have the subject *sleep on it*. If this is the subject's first trance on a topic, more often than not the suggestion will go buh-bye as sleeping will reset the brain back to its normal settings, just like a warm reboot does for a computer. Only if the subject really truly *wants* the suggestion to stick *and* is unaware that sleeping resets things will sleeping *not* reset things, at least early on....

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Except very few cases you are always in control of yourself during Hypnosis. If a suggestion goes against your values it will work for a very little time, if ever. Those using it to steal have great ability but the result doesn't last long, and they are much more illusionists than Hypnotists.

As for the show, well, they are shows and when they do not use willing subjects they usually use partners.

So, the Hypnotherapist usually has the power the subject gives to him.

Answer 3

Stage hypnosis is different than therapeutic hypnosis. A large part of this is due to context. When you agree to be in a stage hypnosis show, there is the expectation that you will be asked to do crazy things. By agreeing to be a participant on some level you are agreeing to do these things that you typically would not do and there is less fear of ridicule because you are in a setting where it is socially acceptable to do so.

Here is a performance done by stage hypnotist Brad Henderson at a summer camp:

http://youtu.be/yZ4ojgLWvG8

These kids were willing to act silly so it was easy for him to convince them to do so.

The state hypnotist is giving suggestions to the audience in the form of embedded commands. The reason that they work is because, again, these people have volunteered, thereby on a subconscious level agreeing to follow these directions.

I hope that this helps.

Answer 4

I used hypnosis to quit smoking.

The hypnosis dude did say that hypnosis can only help us do what we want to do ... it can't make us go against our morals, or better judgment.

I was conscious the whole hour, and remember almost every word the guy said ... I wrote it all down in a smoking journal 4 weeks after I quit smoking ... however, there was one hypnosis exercise where I started to cry uncontrollably --- but the guy had us envision (mediation envisioning) that we were in a coffin underground and we could hear our family and friends (OK, I inserted the 'Kill Bill Vol. II' here but it was sad and freaky).

Answer 5

Hypnosis induces a suggestible state of the mind, by stilling its other states, which rely on control impulses from its emotional, as well as its rational regions. The strategies and objectives of day to day human behaviors are determined by these messages, triggered by either emotions from the limbic system or by signals from the prefrontal regions of the brain. Hypnotic induction stills these controls and enables the system to accept verbal suggestions from the hypnotherapist. By stilling many of its inherited and acquired inhibitions, hypnosis makes a wider range of control options available to the system. Hypnotic suggestions access the normally hidden capabilities of the mind to retrieve deeper memories, to experience nonexistent sensations and to control motor systems in unique ways.

Hypnotism has been used in forensics, sports, education, physical therapy and rehabilitation. Scientists have used hypnosis to create temporary hallucinations, compulsions, certain types of memory loss, false memories, and delusions in the laboratory. Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy by licensed physicians, psychologists, and others. Physicians and psychiatrists may use hypnosis to treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, compulsive gaming, and post traumatic stress. Certified hypnotherapists treat smoking and weight management. Hypnosis has been used by artists for creative purposes. Stage hypnosis can persuade people to perform unusual feats in public. Sports personalities have been known to use hypnosis to improve performance.

Hypnosis reaches a command center of the mind, which has a broader range of permitted capabilities than those available to the conscious mind. Hypnotic suggestion can make the body feel hot, or cold. But such instructions are intuitively inhibited for the application through conscious control. Neither can a person be hypnotized, if he is opposed to it. A hypnotized subject will not follow any instruction, which is against his will. The limitations and the capabilities of hypnosis are decided by the inherited and acquired combinatorial codes of the mind.

How controlling? It depends.

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Answer 6

What Lucy says is exactly what I've always heard and that you will never do anything that's against you beliefs.

My daughter went to a comedy club and was hypnotized. She's an actress and a total ham. She had the crowd in stitches.

Answer 7

My professor says it induces an alpha state, which is like mild intoxication or deep relaxation in that you are prone to suggestion, but wouldn't do anything against your personal values. Also, he said no one can force you into a hypnotic state. In fact some people just can't even if they want to consciously.

Answer 8

If you think you cannot do things against your will, then think again. This is just BS that the new agers and government people don't want you to know.

Answer 9

ive heard from many people that you can only be hypnotized if you are willing to fully commit to the process

Answer 10

i didnt think that was true but if it is it must be a great power.