Poll: Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

[KiruTheMant]

So,for a while i've been secretly doing Hypnosis and trances on myself to improve my concentration and fidgetyness,and recently found that its been working,because as of late my work is easy to keep track of,and I can sit perfectly still and watch something with no comedic value for hours at a time,and have YET to notice a side effect other than blacking out when looking at something hypnotic(Like a Pendulum,or a clock,or something in perfect rhythm for a long period of time) and I usually snap out of it pretty quickly.

So my question is,what is everyones thoughts on hypnosis?

 

[SharPhoe]

I alraedy know that it can work, as I've been hypnotized by professionals twice now. Of course, like everyone says, in order for it to work, you have to WANT it to work. You can't go in thinking "Here's a perfect opportunity for me to act like a dummy and make people laugh" or "this stuff is bupkis, there's no way it'll work". Because then it doesn't, and you're left looking stupid.

 

[Kagim]

Hypnosis only works on people who are open to suggestion. You can resist hypnosis simply by saying to yourself, "Hypnosis doesn't work". You need to be completely relaxed and trust the person performing it. Most importantly you have to accept it works.

It's also not a miracle healing power. You can't hypnotize someone and just say "your no longer scared of rabbits!" it won't work. You can suggest things, you can get the person to act more truthful, but you can't rewire a persons brain like that. Its not magic.

Its been disputed whether or not its actually useful. I know my psy teacher thinks its silly. That's her thoughts on it though.

 

[GeckaWeot]

The thing about hypnosis is that you can't be focused on the fact that it's occurring, as Mr. SharPhoe capitulated upon. That's why most professionals and or pseudo-professionals use some sort of distraction that utilizes a rhythmatic, undulating motion or produces some calming, disarming white noise.

Personally I find the prospect of being hypnotized, even by a true, licensed and therefore liable professional, to be rather terrifying.

Call it a product of my type A, control-freak personality, but the idea of someone being able to open my head like a menu, say a few suggestive phrases as a jumping point for me and then having me spew out gods know what for gods know how long, then taking my personal exposition and picking it apart to reveal my deeply buried issues, is terrifying. I'd rather find my issues and their solutions on my own, or perhaps go out in a blaze of justified gunfire.

Then there's the issue of the pseudo-professionals, who might be licensed but without morals and enthralled by power. What's to keep them from getting into my head and, over time, introducing post-hypnotic suggestion phrases into my sub-concious?

So, though I might find it frightening, I'm more than happy to support someone else's choice in going to someone they feel they can trust and exposing all of themselves like a storybook. To each its own.

 

[KiruTheMant]

The thing about hypnosis is that you can't be focused on the fact that it's occurring, as Mr. SharPhoe capitulated upon. That's why most professionals and or pseudo-professionals use some sort of distraction that utilizes a rhythmatic, undulating motion or produces some calming, disarming white noise.

Personally I find the prospect of being hypnotized, even by a true, licensed and therefore liable professional, to be rather terrifying.

Call it a product of my type A, control-freak personality, but the idea of someone being able to open my head like a menu, say a few suggestive phrases as a jumping point for me and then having me spew out gods know what for gods know how long, then taking my personal exposition and picking it apart to reveal my deeply buried issues, is terrifying. I'd rather find my issues and their solutions on my own, or perhaps go out in a blaze of justified gunfire.

Then there's the issue of the pseudo-professionals, who might be licensed but without morals and enthralled by power. What's to keep them from getting into my head and, over time, introducing post-hypnotic suggestion phrases into my sub-concious?

So, though I might find it frightening, I'm more than happy to support someone else's choice in going to someone they feel they can trust and exposing all of themselves like a storybook. To each its own.

Mhmm.Most of the time people try to avoid doctor hypnosis and revert to Self-Help Tapes Hypnosis when afraid of this.

 

[Kiriona]

According to my psychology class, hypnosis only works on certain people who are vulnerable to suggestion. The way they tell this is by standing behind you and telling you to fall back into their arms. If you look back at them, you can't be hypnotized, because your mind isn't as open to suggestion as the person who just falls back without looking.
There's also some other tests that they do, but my teacher wouldn't tell us what they were.

 

[KiruTheMant]

According to my psychology class, hypnosis only works on certain people who are vulnerable to suggestion. The way they tell this is by standing behind you and telling you to fall back into their arms. If you look back at them, you can't be hypnotized, because your mind isn't as open to suggestion as the person who just falls back without looking.
There's also some other tests that they do, but my teacher wouldn't tell us what they were.

Your sure of this?My Psychologist told me that ANYONE can be Hypnotized,but only certain ways work with certain people,that even the most raging disobediant person can be hypnotized.

 

[WolfThomas]

It's pretty much crap, a pseudo science for quacks and modern day witch doctors (note I'm not saying old fashioned witch doctor-ing is bad, please don't voodoo me). As part of my university course we are shown how to perform accurate and unbiased study designs, this has pretty much made me cynical to any form of complementary or alternate form of medicine/science.

People who get hypnotized want to be hypnotized. I would also never trust anything pulled from hyponsis, there was a whole thing in the 80s where people were creating false memories via confabulation and the influence of the person doing it, basically all these people had stories of child abuse and satanic rituals that never happened.

 

[robert022614]

well i have never been able to be hypnotized i went to a show once with some friends and got called on and he tried to put a group of us to sleep those that didnt do it got sent back to our seats. its sort of selective and you have to think its going to work you dont black out and you know what your doing ie: acting like a chicken. you just go along with it in a weird way idk i watch too much penn and teller:bullshit maybe, but i for one am not a believer.

 

[Agayek]

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!

Hypnosis is most likely a bunch of garbage. I don't doubt that you can plant subconscious suggestions in people's heads with the proper training in psychology, but people must actually want it to happen. It's like that "Wizard's First Rule" from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. "People are stupid. They will believe any lie, provided they either want it to be true, or are afraid it is." This is basically the premise behind hypnosis. People want the magical power to control others to be true, so when someone attempts it on them, the Placebo effect kicks in and it happens because they want it to/are convinced it is.

PS - I don't actually know anything about hypnosis so the preceding is based entirely on hearsay and rumor.