hypnotism Hypnotism - Real or Fake ?

[Detection]

As the title says, do you think Hypnotism is real or fake?

I think its all a big act, I don't believe you can hypnotise someone, I see hypnotists to be as fake as psychics and mediums

One reason for not believing it is hypnotists saying things like "You can only be hypnotised if you believe it will work" - Sorry, but if something is real, it will work whether you believe it or not.

What do you think ?

(My gf is really into all that stuff, she believes its all real, I think its all a crock of money making S**t )

[Lovell]

It's fake, I believe even a few hypnotists have admitted to it.

[Pow]

Yes,

The whole believe it will work, it's more to do with being open minded I think. If you are easily led, and believe people and don't question certain things then it works easier I think. If you are quite strong minded with strong opinions and constantly thinking "This isn't going to work", then I don't think It works.

This is purely on my own opinion so dont expect me to quote sources :)

[Charisma Veteran]

Totally works. According to Office Space :laugh:

Yeah, I'm highly skeptical. Maybe (like Pow said above) if someone is very easily fooled into these things... But then again, the placebo effect is pretty strong and the human mind's ability to affect us physically is amazing--people get better because they believe a sugar pill is a powerful medicine, people feel and act drunk if they believe nonalcoholic beer is the real thing, etc. So I believe it can work in that situation.

[ashpowell]

I don't believe in it at all, but a few mates have apparently been hypnotised.. I just can't understand how it would work and don't think it would ever work on me.

[Detection]

Yes,

The whole believe it will work, it's more to do with being open minded I think. If you are easily led, and believe people and don't question certain things then it works easier I think. If you are quite strong minded with strong opinions and constantly thinking "This isn't going to work", then I don't think It works.

This is purely on my own opinion so dont expect me to quote sources :)

Since when has anything 'real' only worked if you believed in it?

If someone shot me in the arm with a drug and I was strong minded and refused to believe in it, it would still affect me

Placebo, same as homoeopathy imo

Totally works. According to Office Space :laugh:

Yeah, I'm highly skeptical. Maybe (like Pow said above) if someone is very easily fooled into these things... But then again, the placebo effect is pretty strong and the human mind's ability to affect us physically is amazing--people get better because they believe a sugar pill is a powerful medicine, people feel and act drunk if they believe nonalcoholic beer is the real thing, etc. So I believe it can work in that situation.

Yea, Placebo is my thoughts too :)

[Hum]

Just as their are 'real' doctors and quacks, hypnosis can be genuine or not.

Genuine hypnosis is quite real, and is the fastest way of changing Beliefs, and your Reality. ;)

[XerXis]

Depends on what you mean? Acting like a chicken or drunk on stage because someone tells you to do it has more to do with how people act in a group (peer pressure, wanting it to be real, placebo effect, etc) and the hypnotist/mentalist/whatever selecting the right kind of people from the audience.

However using hypnotism as a form of therapy seems to work on a group of people, not everybody though.

Since when has anything 'real' only worked if you believed in it?

If someone shot me in the arm with a drug and I was strong minded and refused to believe in it, it would still affect me

Placebo, same as homoeopathy imo

Yea, Placebo is my thoughts too :)

The placebo can lead to measurable physical effects though, the mind is a strange thing :)

That said: people believing in homeopathy and spending money on it are really beyond saving ;)

[Pow]

Since when has anything 'real' only worked if you believed in it?

If someone shot me in the arm with a drug and I was strong minded and refused to believe in it, it would still affect me

Placebo, same as homoeopathy imo

Yea, Placebo is my thoughts too :)

Tricking the mind and being shot is completely different.

Anyways I think it's real.

[Shadrack]

I believe that it could work. I saw a hypnotist performer once and had 2 friends who were in the show (volunteered before the show).

The show hypnotist took a large group of volunteers and mass hypnotized them by having them perform breathing exercises (or something). He tapped people on the shoulder if he didn't think they were good candidates for his show and they would leave. Eventually he narrowed down the group to 7 or 8 people who were the most "open for suggestion".

The show was basically what you would expect. When I snap you will sleep. When you wake up you can't remember your name. This time, if you put your finger in your belly button you CAN remember your name. Stuff like that. Seeing my two friends up there was hilarious. Definitely an added bonus for the show. One of my friends midway through the show appeared to gain alertness and he walked off stage. My other friend (a female) looked totally under the whole time.

Later they both recall the experience and said it was a really strange one. Both felt really energized the next day like they woke up from a deep sleep. They both recalled everything that happened, and remembered feeling a strong sense to perform the actions that the hypnotist was asking them to perform. An eagerness to please one might say. They knew what their name was but when they went to say it they couldn't. She knew that broom stick wasn't really a hot guy that she had fallen in love with, but felt compelled to perform and act it out as if it was.

The whole thing was really entertaining. I'd recommend seeing a show like that if ever you get a chance. I don't think my friends were just playing a fast one on anybody. I don't see them as just being convinced to play out a hoax. But anything is possible, I suppose.

The mind is a very power and unknown thing.

[Gladiatorus]

As an ex psychology student, I can tell you it is real, but it doesn't work like "magic". It depends on your personality structure. Some personality structures allow it and some don't. Now, acting like a chicken is just a staged show.

[Yorak]

So basically if you are weak-minded, you can be hypnotized. Real men/women will be unaffected.

[Xerax]

So basically if you are weak-minded, you can be hypnotized. Real men/women will be unaffected.

This is what I'm taking from it.

[Detection]

I watched something tonight where a guy put a girl under while they were sitting in an ice hotel, he told her she was suddenly really hot and she started taking off her fur coat and boots etc

Later he told her she no longer knew what the number 'four' was, and sure enough when she woke up, he asked her to count his fingers and she went from 3 to 5, even spelling F O U R and asking her to say the word, she was unable to pronounce it

I just saw the whole thing as them wanting to please him and the cameras so not to look stupid (er)

[greenwizard88]

I was hypnotized once for a comedy act. I ended up flashing the audience (unintentionally, I was in a hurry to save the world from aliens with big dick guns). Trust me, it's real. I'm not big enough to want to show my dong to 100's of people.

having said that, you have to be willing to let yourself be hypnotized, and even then you can only implant suggestions. In my case, it was the suggestion that I wanted to save the world. That took precedence over everything else, including my (and the comedian's!) sense of modesty.

I should add though, I wanted to have fun and have a good time, so I wasn't trying to fight it. Had I not wanted to be on stage, I don't believe the hypnotism would have been as effective, and this is why often a hypnotist on stage will ask for 20 volunteers and end up with ~10. Some people just don't want to let go like that.

[Detection]

So basically if you are weak-minded, you can be hypnotized. Real men/women will be unaffected.

Exactly

[Shadrack]

Sometimes hypnotism is more of a coached meditation than a "I will control everything that you say and do".

I believe that it may be possible to hypnotize a large group of people and the whole "group think" does play a role. But don't underestimate "group think". It is extremely powerful and more than just a willingness to be deceitful. For more information see: religion.

So basically if you are weak-minded, you can be hypnotized. Real men/women will be unaffected.

That's probably true.

On further thought... the show that I saw was oriented at a christian group. This was back in high school when I was in a church youth group.

It wouldn't surprise me if atheist were harder to hypnotize than christians.

[Detection]

Sometimes hypnotism is more of a coached meditation than a "I will control everything that you say and do".

I believe that it may be possible to hypnotize a large group of people and the whole "group think" does play a role. But don't underestimate "group think". It is extremely powerful and more than just a willingness to be deceitful. For more information see: religion.

That's probably true.

On further thought... the show that I saw was oriented at a christian group. This was back in high school when I was in a church youth group.

It wouldn't surprise me if atheist were harder to hypnotize than christians.

Religion is BANNED from this thread, why do all threads have to bring it up ?

Everyone knows it is a sure way to get a thread closed, not clever and wrong forum. (See Religion forum)

Read thread title "HYPNOTISM"

[Detection]

I was hypnotized once for a comedy act. I ended up flashing the audience (unintentionally, I was in a hurry to save the world from aliens with big dick guns). Trust me, it's real. I'm not big enough to want to show my dong to 100's of people. having said that, you have to be willing to let yourself be hypnotized, and even then you can only implant suggestions. In my case, it was the suggestion that I wanted to save the world. That took precedence over everything else, including my (and the comedian's!) sense of modesty. I should add though, I wanted to have fun and have a good time, so I wasn't trying to fight it. Had I not wanted to be on stage, I don't believe the hypnotism would have been as effective, and this is why often a hypnotist on stage will ask for 20 volunteers and end up with ~10. Some people just don't want to let go like that.

So how did the hypnotist put you under ?

What did you feel as you went under ?

Personally the most I would get from it would be falling asleep from the droning voice and quiet surroundings

[n_K]

It's a bit like drugs/drink and whatnot really, some people that have never touched alcohol will have a sip and be drunk for hours, others can have bottles and bottles and still feel fine, all depends on your mindset and how you're built on the inside.

If you've got a rubbish willpower, are weak minded or will follow a crowd etc. are obvious traits that hypotism will work, but for example it probably wouldn't work on jeremy paxman because he's very strongly minded.

[srbeen]

I was briefly hypnotized once.. I believe it can be accomplished.

[Detection]

It's a bit like drugs/drink and whatnot really, some people that have never touched alcohol will have a sip and be drunk for hours, others can have bottles and bottles and still feel fine, all depends on your mindset and how you're built on the inside.

If you've got a rubbish willpower, are weak minded or will follow a crowd etc. are obvious traits that hypotism will work, but for example it probably wouldn't work on jeremy paxman because he's very strongly minded.

Yea but alcohol is real :)

[n_K]

Yea but alcohol is real :)

But the effects it has on the same individual having the same amounts but in a different mindset is huge.

[Detection]

But the effects it has on the same individual having the same amounts but in a different mindset is huge.

Only one way though, if I believe I won't get drunk from 8 cans and then drink them, I will get drunk

If I believe I will get drunk from 1 can, then yea it can work that way on some people, but you can't out-think a real drug once its in your system

You can build up a tolerance, but again, that is a real physical thing

[Hum]

Religion is BANNED from this thread, why do all threads have to bring it up ?

Everyone knows it is a sure way to get a thread closed, not clever and wrong forum. (See Religion forum)

Read thread title "HYPNOTISM"

Hypnotism is a way of rapidly changing Beliefs, create Healings.

It directly borders on the Spiritual, therefore challenges Religious beliefs.

There is no escaping the religious connection with this subject, I'm afraid. :laugh: