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

For those who are interested in the subject there is a relatively straight forward way to explore the phenomenon that can be carried out even on an internet forum. For those who are willing to take part, whether sceptic or otherwis, I would invite you to take part in this little experiment. It is totally safe and merely tests the depth of the hypnotic state, which of course varies from person to person. In this instance the object the hypnosis is to acquire a state of peaceful relaxation. Simply follow the 8 steps outlined below and report your experience as described.

1. At the bottom of this list you will find an image.
2. After reading through this list scroll down to the image and orientate your browser window so that the image sits right at the centre of your screen.
3. Without placing your attention on the image, relax your shoulders, place your hands comfortably in your lap, and breath in deeply through you nose and exhale normally through your mouth three or four times. This is simply to relax you in readiness for entering the hypnotic state.
4. Bring your attention to bear on the image while at the same time being aware of your breathing. Breath normally, not too deeply and not to shallowly, not to quick and not to slow, and count your breaths in groups of four, like so:
   1... 2... 3... 4....
   2... 2... 3... 4...
   3... 2... 3.... etc
5. While maintaining your attention on the image count up to 16, in groups of 4 breaths each.
6. After this you will be hypnotised, but you will remain clam and alert and in full control of all your faculties.
7. Scroll slowly to the bottom of the page and carry out the instructions you find there, all the time maintaining the calm and relaxed state you have acquired through the hypnotic process describe above.
8. Please begin....

Use the forum's PM system to send me your full bank account details and PIN number straight away. This will seem totally normal and bring you a great sense of calmness and contentment, allowing you go on with you everyday activities in the normal way yet filled with a genuine sense of well-being, peace, and relaxation.

Thanks. Now I'm sitting here in my underwear clucking like a chicken.

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.

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

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

Funnily enough, the main reason I decided to try it out was my friend's mother and sister both quit smoking after trying hypnotherapy. They were full of praise about it. I'm a touch suspicious.

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.

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.

The thing is, I would really like it to be truly effective. It would be great to have a treatment that is safe and effective for a range of maladies, all without drugs. It has some backers that I find personally convincing too but I was left very disappointed after trying it out for myself.
I would love a practitioner to explain to me why it didn't work for me but I get the suspicion that even the practitioners don't really understand it either.

One rule of thumb that is pretty reliable is "if it seems too good to be true, it usually is", hypnotherapy does seem too good to be true to me, except of course in my own experience where it didn't seem good at all.

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.

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.

I remember watching in the news some time ago, about these guys robbing convenience stores by hypnotising the cashiers.
I remember being a bit skeptical about it, as I was never a big believer in hypnosis.
But I must admit, it did help tilt the scale a bit in favor of believing it works.
Never bothered to research about it though.
Anyone remember these stories?
I'll see if I can find a link.
EDIT:

Darn it, can't get it to work from my phone.
Does the link work for you guys?



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I call rubbish on hypnotism.

You would need to carefully define what hypnosis is before you can say if its fake or not.

If hypnosis is someone speaking to you in a nice way can make you more relaxed and forget about your problems for a while then its real.

If paying someone £500 to say those things to get you to give up smoking then I'm prepared to increase your chances (placebo mainly)

if hypnosis means you can go back to your past lives then using the technical medical term its bollocks

Which is exactly why I said above that hypnotherapy is mostly if not entirely a combination of relaxation techniques and CBT, but that it is different from hypnosis, which is rubbish.

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.

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.

I didn't see anyone dismiss them as a waste of time. I myself only said that since you are the one claiming it's all fraud, and that the Medical Establishment does not, that as far as I am concerned, it is you who have the burden of the proof. YOU are the one who claims that because you personally have stated that you think it's bunk, that everyone ELSE has to prove otherwise.

All I'm saying is, that that isn't how Science or logic works.

JVRaines wrote:Thanks. Now I'm sitting here in my underwear clucking like a chicken.

No change there then.