Hypnosis
What have you heard about hypnosis? Your professor was raised to believe that it was inherently evil. He was taught that hypnotist
could usurp another’s free will and render that person vulnerable to demonic possession. What makes horror stories about hypnosis
any different than what one might be hear about tarantulas, venomous snakes, electricity, drugs, Halloween candy laced with razor
blades, or germs? Common sense would suggest that there is always a measure of truth in what we hear and there are almost
always things we can do to protect ourselves. Your professor’s simplest advice to you would be this: NEVER RELINQUISH YOUR
FREE WILL AND DO NOT EVER TRUST ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT YOU HAVE DONE SO AND THAT THEY CONTROL
IT. Here is what your professor believes to be true after his training in clinical hypnotherapy and 15 years of clinical practice
employing hypnosis. Whatever you come to believe – be it objectively right or wrong – it is the construct of that belief in your own
mind which creates effects or provides the evidence which you then assume support that belief. Psychology is very interested in
placebo effects, where an individual who has taken an inert pill ("sugar pill," perhaps) believes it to afford some benefit. Self-fulfilling
prophecies and the power of the situation can also offer powerful influences on what an individual experiences and how s/he reacts.
Furthermore, some sensory-perceptual experiences can be so compelling that we immediately respond. Think of the last time you
took your car through a drive-through car wash and found yourself slamming on your brakes, because you thought your car was
lurching forward. Seeing the huge brushes moving along the sides and toward the back of your car caused you to misperceive what
was really going on. It is possible that a devious individual might attempt to hypnotize you against your will. If you are someone
who scores high on a hypnotic susceptibility scale, you could experience dissociation. JUST REMEMBER. Dissociative experiences
occur to us all the time and do not mean that whatever triggered those experiences controls our will. One could argue that such
experiences do exert a strong influence on the focus of our attention. You experience a nostalgic memory, you find yourself
engrossed in a good book or movie, or you “miss” the street you on which needed to exit because you were deep in thought. These
are common occurrences. Regaining our usual sense of awareness typically happens naturally without any thought on our part.
Granted, sometimes some effort is required, e.g., if we are engrossed in a program on television or a videogame and are nagged by
the thought that we need to study. We might feel strongly attached to that activity and unwilling to relinquish that attachment for a
few more moments. One might argue that WE MUST take control of our will (and personal choices) given certain circumstances.
Links will be provided below that will discuss the various sides of the issue. Your professor will add a link to illustrate tactics an
unscrupulous person might employ and what you can do about it. The simplest thing you can do is assert the belief that you are in
control of your body, your thoughts, your life and that you choose not to relinquish that and NOT to listen to what the other person
is saying or be influenced by what he or she is doing. If you have deeper beliefs, this is the time to rely on those. Finally, if this
introduction is causing you anxiety, please note this. Anxiety is a very important source of information that demands a response
from you. You can avoid it or move away from it. Or, you can do something to calm your anxiety, keep your good sense in tact,
and act appropriately. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Fear springs from ignorance." Knowledge, and the practical application
of it, is often the very best antidote to the very things that inspire fear.
could usurp another’s free will and render that person vulnerable to demonic possession. What makes horror stories about hypnosis
any different than what one might be hear about tarantulas, venomous snakes, electricity, drugs, Halloween candy laced with razor
blades, or germs? Common sense would suggest that there is always a measure of truth in what we hear and there are almost
always things we can do to protect ourselves. Your professor’s simplest advice to you would be this: NEVER RELINQUISH YOUR
FREE WILL AND DO NOT EVER TRUST ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT YOU HAVE DONE SO AND THAT THEY CONTROL
IT. Here is what your professor believes to be true after his training in clinical hypnotherapy and 15 years of clinical practice
employing hypnosis. Whatever you come to believe – be it objectively right or wrong – it is the construct of that belief in your own
mind which creates effects or provides the evidence which you then assume support that belief. Psychology is very interested in
placebo effects, where an individual who has taken an inert pill ("sugar pill," perhaps) believes it to afford some benefit. Self-fulfilling
prophecies and the power of the situation can also offer powerful influences on what an individual experiences and how s/he reacts.
Furthermore, some sensory-perceptual experiences can be so compelling that we immediately respond. Think of the last time you
took your car through a drive-through car wash and found yourself slamming on your brakes, because you thought your car was
lurching forward. Seeing the huge brushes moving along the sides and toward the back of your car caused you to misperceive what
was really going on. It is possible that a devious individual might attempt to hypnotize you against your will. If you are someone
who scores high on a hypnotic susceptibility scale, you could experience dissociation. JUST REMEMBER. Dissociative experiences
occur to us all the time and do not mean that whatever triggered those experiences controls our will. One could argue that such
experiences do exert a strong influence on the focus of our attention. You experience a nostalgic memory, you find yourself
engrossed in a good book or movie, or you “miss” the street you on which needed to exit because you were deep in thought. These
are common occurrences. Regaining our usual sense of awareness typically happens naturally without any thought on our part.
Granted, sometimes some effort is required, e.g., if we are engrossed in a program on television or a videogame and are nagged by
the thought that we need to study. We might feel strongly attached to that activity and unwilling to relinquish that attachment for a
few more moments. One might argue that WE MUST take control of our will (and personal choices) given certain circumstances.
Links will be provided below that will discuss the various sides of the issue. Your professor will add a link to illustrate tactics an
unscrupulous person might employ and what you can do about it. The simplest thing you can do is assert the belief that you are in
control of your body, your thoughts, your life and that you choose not to relinquish that and NOT to listen to what the other person
is saying or be influenced by what he or she is doing. If you have deeper beliefs, this is the time to rely on those. Finally, if this
introduction is causing you anxiety, please note this. Anxiety is a very important source of information that demands a response
from you. You can avoid it or move away from it. Or, you can do something to calm your anxiety, keep your good sense in tact,
and act appropriately. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Fear springs from ignorance." Knowledge, and the practical application
of it, is often the very best antidote to the very things that inspire fear.
This book attempts to demystify
hypnosis, but also argues whether
hypnosis is anything other than a
person "playing a role" or pretending to
be hypnotized.
hypnosis, but also argues whether
hypnosis is anything other than a
person "playing a role" or pretending to
be hypnotized.
This book is carefully researched and
well documented. It will disturb
anyone who reads it. What the author
has described has been encountered
by your professor in his clinical
practice.
well documented. It will disturb
anyone who reads it. What the author
has described has been encountered
by your professor in his clinical
practice.
| Divergent Perspectives on Hypnosis |
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| Promoting the illusion of being hypnotized |
Many considered Milton H.
Erickson, M.D. to be the world's
greatest medical hypnotist. What
he could accomplish in a very
short time was astonishing.
Erickson, M.D. to be the world's
greatest medical hypnotist. What
he could accomplish in a very
short time was astonishing.