Fun with Hypnosis...

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A few years back I was taken to see a hypnotist by my mother because I had severe anxiety and depression that was affecting my health.

After asking me some really wierd and personal questions the hypnotist began the procedure. At first it seems to work and I start getting drowsy and dreamy. Just like going to sleep. Then it gets wierd...

He asks me to count down from ten out loud, and as I do so, the whole dreamy vista he has painted for me shatters and I'm just lying there on a couch with my eyes closed.
I had to lay there for over and hour and a half while this guy goes off on a complete tangent, making me explore my childhood. I HAD TO FRIKKING TALK TO MY YOUNGER SELF. I had to tell myself I wasn't scared and that I was proud. The hypnotist asked me all these questions. 'Can you think of a time you felt safe and secure? Can you think of a time you felt scared?' And I just made up these awful and stupid stories.

Whenever I couldn't think of an idea, I just said 'I'm sorry, I can't remember.' and he would say 'That's okay, just go back to that time...'

After an hour and a half I just got sick of talking to my younger self and analysing hilariously corny made-up childhood memories. Most people would have done this way before I did, but I was young and just a bit scared of this guy. I got up and told him that I had never actually been hypnotised, and that it just wasn't working. He looked completely shocked and confused. I just walked right out the door.

It was one of my wierdest experiences, having someone attempt to access my subconscious while I was still very much awake and thinking 'This is bullshit'.


Ah well. Have any of you guys been to a hypnotist? Tell me about your experiences and laugh at mine....

 

[DazZ.]

I've seen people be hypnotised on stage and it works perfectly, had you actually been in the right frame of mind you'd have been willing to talk to your younger self and it might have been worth the time.

But a friend of mine got hypnotised on stage and got told he could see the crowd naked, whenever the Mission Impossible theme came on he put on shades and commando rolled through the bar, loads of stuff like that for around an hour.

 

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I've seen people be hypnotised on stage and it works perfectly, had you actually been in the right frame of mind you'd have been willing to talk to your younger self and it might have been worth the time.

But a friend of mine got hypnotised on stage and got told he could see the crowd naked, whenever the Mission Impossible theme came on he put on shades and commando rolled through the bar, loads of stuff like that for around an hour.

Oh hell, I believe in hypnotism alright, I've seen bizarre stuff like that too, but the particular hypnotist I went to was far too hasty and wrecked the procedure.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Fun Fact: I heard from my Sister that Hypnotism only works if you believe it will work. If you don't believe in Hypnotism you cannot be hypnotized. Weird I know.

OT: No, but I may try it at least once. I think Hypnotism is possible but it's like Ghosts: A number of people have seen/felt them, but there are still skeptics out there.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I was sent to one a few years ago, much for the same reasons as the OP.
Didn't really have a great time visualising myself as a bird of thinking of my 'safe place', but I learned to hypnotize myself to an extent using rhythmic breathing techniques. It occasionally helps me sleep.

He was a cool guy, though. An old German hippy. We spent most of the time talking about this, that and the other.

 

[Burwood123]

Fun Fact: I heard from my Sister that Hypnotism only works if you believe it will work. If you don't believe in Hypnotism you cannot be hypnotized. Weird I know.

That's called a 'Placebo effect' it works with pills too, doctors conducted experiments where pain sufferers were given either a painkiller, or a regular sugar pill, and in all cases every patient showed signs of healing, so mind over matter i guess.
I persoannly don't believe in hypnotism, nor do any of the prescribable drugs work, for me anyways, Recent studies have shown, marijuana, and even small doses of ketamine will relieve anxiety and depression, marijuana works for me.

Sources: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100803/Ketamine-reduces-depression-in-treatment-resistant-bipolar-disorder-Study.aspx

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

This works creepily well.

 

[yoyo13rom]

A few years back I was taken to see a hypnotist by my mother because I had severe anxiety and depression that was affecting my health.

After asking me some really wierd and personal questions the hypnotist began the procedure. At first it seems to work and I start getting drowsy and dreamy. Just like going to sleep. Then it gets wierd...

He asks me to count down from ten out loud, and as I do so, the whole dreamy vista he has painted for me shatters and I'm just lying there on a couch with my eyes closed.
I had to lay there for over and hour and a half while this guy goes off on a complete tangent, making me explore my childhood. I HAD TO FRIKKING TALK TO MY YOUNGER SELF. I had to tell myself I wasn't scared and that I was proud. The hypnotist asked me all these questions. 'Can you think of a time you felt safe and secure? Can you think of a time you felt scared?' And I just made up these awful and stupid stories.

Whenever I couldn't think of an idea, I just said 'I'm sorry, I can't remember.' and he would say 'That's okay, just go back to that time...'

After an hour and a half I just got sick of talking to my younger self and analysing hilariously corny made-up childhood memories. Most people would have done this way before I did, but I was young and just a bit scared of this guy. I got up and told him that I had never actually been hypnotised, and that it just wasn't working. He looked completely shocked and confused. I just walked right out the door.

It was one of my wierdest experiences, having someone attempt to access my subconscious while I was still very much awake and thinking 'This is bullshit'.


Ah well. Have any of you guys been to a hypnotist? Tell me about your experiences and laugh at mine....

I've had the same problems and I went to a shrink.
She did the same procedure you described (getting me relaxed and stuff and asking me to talk and analyse my younger self), but it can never be considered hypnosis. More of a get "relaxed and expose yourself if you want to find out what's wrong with you" procedure.
I for one liked it + it helped me get through a rough part of my life.

 

[Guest_Star]

Fun Fact: I heard from my Sister that Hypnotism only works if you believe it will work. If you don't believe in Hypnotism you cannot be hypnotized. Weird I know.

OT: No, but I may try it at least once. I think Hypnotism is possible but it's like Ghosts: A number of people have seen/felt them, but there are still skeptics out there.

Yeah, but unlike ghosts, hypnotism is fairly well documented.

Hypnotism is related to placebo in that it's the same mechanisms that are working. If you don't believe it (subconsciously) it doesn't work (well). It's a nicer form of brainwashing in that it relies on someone (either yourself or someone else) to implant ideas into your subconscious when you're in a relaxed (but easily suggestive state).

But unlike brainwashing it isn't possible to make ppl act against their own will (unless they're willing to). Saw an interview with Paul McKenna once where he talked about selecting ppl for his shows, it had not only to be "open minded" people, but also people with low inhibitions.
Even if someone is readily hypnotized, if they're real shy or proud, they not gonna run around on stage like a chicken even if they believe they are cuz they know they're making a fool of themselves. So they most likely be very boring and quiet chickens on stage. And that's not very good entertainment.

 

[silentsentinel]

Fun Fact: I heard from my Sister that Hypnotism only works if you believe it will work. If you don't believe in Hypnotism you cannot be hypnotized. Weird I know.

OT: No, but I may try it at least once. I think Hypnotism is possible but it's like Ghosts: A number of people have seen/felt them, but there are still skeptics out there.

That's actually a myth. Hypnotism will work even if you don't believe in it. If you try to resist the procedure, however, then it probably won't work.

Also, there was a hypnotist at my old school. A lot of prideful people I know did stuff they would have never done without hypnotism (imitate a washing machine, bark like a dog, etc.) So I believe in hypnotism. It's just not the mystical thing people make it out to be.

 

[SpikeyGirl]

I highly doubt it would work with me but there is absolutly no one I would trust to try it on me so I'll never find out.

In one of my psychology lessons we had a discussion about hypnotism and I spent time picking apart the theory of it.

Fun fact, I'm wearing a hypno-toad t-shirt at the moment.

 

[the Dept of Science]

My friend is a massive Derren Brown fan (like, spent-£120-on-one-of-his-books massive), so I know a lot about hypnosis and all that stuff through him and some of my own reading. I've seen him do it quite a lot of times and I have been to one big hypnosis stage show (I know 2 of the people that went on stage so I'm sure they weren't plants).

Its very well documented and is based on what to me looks like pretty sound theories of how the mind works.
It isn't "real" in the way that it works in movies. Its impossible to hypnotise someone against their will, it requires them to play along. In fact, the way it sortof works is getting someones mind to trick itself into believing something so much that it appears real. This happens by relaxing the brain so that the main functions (consciousness) that we are familiar with are dulled and the hypnotist can communicate with the subconcious.