hypnotism - real or fraudulent?

exegesis

New Blood
E
Joined
Nov 26, 2003
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Here is something I'm curious about.

Is hypnotism a real phenomenon? Is there anything to it it, at all? If so, how does it work, and what are the limits of its effectiveness?

I found a number of resources online, but it's hard to know what to trust. I figured most posters here would have pretty good BS filters.

Thanks,
Josh
 
Depends on what it's used for.

It works well for creating false memories.
 
To the best of my knowledge it is some kind of "subconscious acting" going on between the hypnotiser and the hypnotised.

from http://www.skepdic.com/hypnosis.html

In short, what is called hypnosis is an act of social conformity rather than a unique state of consciousness. The subject acts in accordance with expectations of the hypnotist and hypnotic situation and behaves as he or she thinks one is supposed to behave while hypnotized.
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I've seen it described as an extreme state of monomania, where the hypnotized person is voluntarily induced into giving away the steering wheel and letting someone else drive for a while.

Yah, it's real, but tends to work only on certain types. If you don't think it'll work on you, it probably won't.
 
I used to think it was a fraud, but its real.

I saw some of my classmates get hypnotized at a show in college. I know these folks, and they are all skeptic of these sort of things. After the show was over, they couldnt remember what they did. They remembered being on stage, but they couldnt recall dancing the funky chicken on stage, or running around screaming that they were kermit the frog.

At any rate, 2 of the 5 were successfully hypnotized. The other 3 were sent off the stage after the hypnosis apparently didnt take hold. A trained hypnotist can tell who is faking and who is really under.

My understanding is that hypnosis doesnt work well on strong-willed people. To be under hypnosis, you have to be willing to let the hypnotist lead you and follow his "power of suggestion"

Another thing is that the hypnotic power of suggestion on works to a certain extent. For example, if someone is strongly morally opposed to something, you cant get them to do it. So if you are a very modest person, it would be impossible for a hypnotist to get you to strip off your clothes.
 
My understanding is that hypnosis doesnt work well on strong-willed people. To be under hypnosis, you have to be willing to let the hypnotist lead you and follow his "power of suggestion"
Click to expand...

Kinda. You must allow yourself to be hypnotized (whatever that means). Relax, follow the instructions and listen to the hypnotist. You'll get there.

Another thing is that the hypnotic power of suggestion on works to a certain extent. For example, if someone is strongly morally opposed to something, you cant get them to do it. So if you are a very modest person, it would be impossible for a hypnotist to get you to strip off your clothes.
Click to expand...

Not true in my experience. You just need to create an 'acceptable' situation for the subject.

It takes initial cooperation, after the trance-state is achieved it is a matter of wording and anchoring.
 
Interesting article.

What's curious is that it seems to put a lot more stock into hypnosis being a genuine alteration of consciousness. A skeptical website described it as basically role-playing, a person acting the way they think a hypnotized person should act. But this Scientific American claimed that they had done pretty good testing to dispel this skepticism.

So it seems there is disagreement among those "in the know." Thanks for all the opinions.

Josh
 
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