Animavore wrote:I remember reading Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind and even he doubted hypnosis. I must get that book back off my friend.
I've got tickets to see Derren in July. Too exciting

What aspects of hypnosis are real?
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Animavore wrote:I remember reading Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind and even he doubted hypnosis. I must get that book back off my friend.
Scarlett and Ironclad wrote:Campermon,...a middle aged, middle class, Guardian reading, dad of four, knackered hippy, woolly jumper wearing wino and science teacher.
trubble76 wrote:I have heard that hypnosis is real and medically useful but my own limited experience shows nothing of the sort. I went for a session with the intention to tackle a touch of depression. The hypnotist got me to close my eyes and relax and talk through some imaginary situations. We discussed an imaginary house and the colours of the walls and how tidy the rooms were and so on. The result was more depression because I had spent good money on finding out what colour some imaginary walls might be.
As a result of that one session, I'm inclined to believe it's mostly bullshit. I do not have the skills to analyse medical testing so if someone tells me hypnosis has been proven then I can only conclude that either my chosen hypnotherapist was incompetent or that one session in insufficient to pass judgement.
Scarlett wrote:trubble76 wrote:I have heard that hypnosis is real and medically useful but my own limited experience shows nothing of the sort. I went for a session with the intention to tackle a touch of depression. The hypnotist got me to close my eyes and relax and talk through some imaginary situations. We discussed an imaginary house and the colours of the walls and how tidy the rooms were and so on. The result was more depression because I had spent good money on finding out what colour some imaginary walls might be.
As a result of that one session, I'm inclined to believe it's mostly bullshit. I do not have the skills to analyse medical testing so if someone tells me hypnosis has been proven then I can only conclude that either my chosen hypnotherapist was incompetent or that one session in insufficient to pass judgement.
A really long time ago I went to a hypnotist for stopping smoking. I bought a pack of cigs on my way home through stress at just having spent £30 on that pile of shite
igorfrankensteen wrote:Finally, some good posts, at least indirectly addressing the limits of hypnosis. Note how though the stories are all from people who had generally negative experiences, that they were all specific, and that they included recognition that other people did have positive experiences.
My own appraisal is that hypnotism is a lot like the placebo effect, in that a person has to have various other factors already in place within them, in order for things to work as hoped. And, when the challenge being addressed is severe enough, there's no way placebos or hypnotism can possibly work.
kennyc wrote:Hypnosis is nothing more than the power of suggestion. Some are more susceptible to suggestion than others. Some are more influenced by peer pressure than others. Some methods can increase susceptibility.
Hey, anyone every hypnotize a chicken? I used to do that as a kid.
The_Metatron wrote:kennyc wrote:Hypnosis is nothing more than the power of suggestion. Some are more susceptible to suggestion than others. Some are more influenced by peer pressure than others. Some methods can increase susceptibility.
Hey, anyone every hypnotize a chicken? I used to do that as a kid.
Hell yes, I did. I told an Air Force buddy about it, and he wouldn't believe me. His boss had a farm with chickens on it, and let me go show him. After I did, he ran around sticking every chicken he could catch on its back and hypnotizing it.
Funniest goddamned thing you ever saw.
Funny that a couple of anecdotes are considered "good posts", but requests for rigorous scientific evidence are dismissed as a waste of time.
JVRaines wrote:Thanks. Now I'm sitting here in my underwear clucking like a chicken.
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