Question 1

Can you really be hypnotized?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that occurs in most people on a regular basis.

Many people associate hypnosis with a state of deep relaxation, but the process of hypnosis does not have to involve relaxation at all! In fact, one way to induce hypnotic trance is by using a "shock induction", which uses the startle reflex to make the mind open the suggestion.

If you have ever watched a stage hypnosis show and seen the hypnotist shout "SLEEP!" while yanking the arm of a subject, who then collapses in a heap, you have witnessed a shock induction.

Most people can be hypnotized. In general, if you have at least normal intelligence and even a bit of imagination, then you can too.

The process may vary between stage hypnosis and clinical hypnosis, but the end result is the same, a state of heightened suggestibility where hypnotic suggestions bypass the critical faculty and subconscious mind / unconscious mind act upon them.

For most people, the experience of hypnosis is profound. Your heart rate drops and smooths out and your brain activity settles into something closer to an active sleep state than full wakefulness. For many of us, the closest state we have to compare to in daily life is that of "lucid dreaming'. Of course, the hypnotized subject remains in complete control and has an awareness of what is going on around them at all times.

If you'd like to experience hypnosis, reach out to your local hypnotist! We LOVE what we do. You don't need to be seeking some type of behavioral therapy, or need to change something in everyday life. Most of us are always looking for a new hypnotic subject and would be more than happy to gve you a demonstration of the power of your subconscious mind / unconscious mind.

Question 2

How is hypnosis done?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is a state of intense concentration or focused attention marked by increased suggestibility. The hypnotic trance state is created by way of an "induction". An induction is a way get the conscious mind to take a back seat and allow access to the unconscious mind.

There are many forms of hypnotic inductions that can lead to the hypnotic trance state. They range from the progressive relaxation technique that can take minutes to hours, to "instant" inductions that can have a person open to verbal suggestions in split second.

When used as a form of therapy, hypnosis is often induced using one of the relaxation techniques, but more rapid inductions also have a place in the office.

For street and stage hypnosis, the more rapid inductions are used almost exclusively.

At their core, all inductions have one thing in common, they must create a trance-like state by bypassing the critical faculty of the conscious mind allowing hypnotic suggestions a clear path to the subconscious.

For more analytical subjects, confusion techniques and indirect suggestions are often the easiest way to accomplish hypnosis. For the less analytical a wider variety of inductions and more direct suggestions are called for.

When hypnosis is used as a form or therapy, especially in conjunction with other behavioral therapy techniques, deep trance is not necessarily required. Things like pain control for physical chronic pain can be accomplished at remarkably light levels of trance.

Of course, on stage, a deep level of trance is often a plus as it enhances the effectiveness of hypnosis as an entertainment tool.

Question 3

Are the people on stage under the control of the hypnotist?

Accepted Answer

No they are not under any control but their own. In fact, you have probably seen someone during a stage show who simply didn't react to some skit, so the hypnotist moved on to others. That person might not have felt like doing what was suggested, might have objected to the content or might simply have been feeling really good at the moment and chose to ignore the hypnotist. In hypnosis, you don't relinquish control, you just remove the barriers that were previously in place that prevented you from "going all in" with what you are imagining.

What you see during a stage show is a group of people playing "make-believe" with an intensity that you would not understand unless you had experienced it. The altered state that they have entered allows them to ignore distractions, remove all traces of being self-conscious, and to "get lost" in the suggestions they are recieving. To make them real. If you have seen children playing and seen the intensity with which they can visualize the environment and components of what they are doing, you might realize it's been a while since you have imagined something that vividly.

As adults, we forget how much fun it was to imagine that the ground beneath the monkey bars is "lava" and to do so with such focus that there's no way we are going to be the first to drop. The people on stage have rediscovered how much imagination and play can be.

That is one of the greatest powers of hypnosis!

Question 4

What do you mean by "Stage Hypnosis"?

Accepted Answer

Stage hypnosis can encompass several types of performances.

The most obvious is probably the stage shows you see at the fair, in a club, at a corporate event or even at a graduation party. The hypnotist tests the suggestibility of the audience members then brings those who most likely to put on a good show up onto the stage. From there the comedy begins, with routines that demonstrate hypnotic phenomenon in a humorous way. At it's best it's hilarious, fresh and a fun experience for all. At it's worst, it's demeaning, predictable, not funny and even dangerous.

Another type of stage hypnosis is the hypnosis demonstration. In this type of performance, the purpose is to educate, rather than to entertain. Hypnotic phenomenon takes front stage and the comedy takes a back seat. In this type of show, the purpose is for you to walk out with a better understanding of what hypnosis is and more importantly, what it is not.

The final category is the seminar presentation. The purpose of this type of performance is once again educational, but in this case, hypnosis is only used to prove a point about some other topic. A classic example is a performance given before a group of salespeople, where hypnosis is used to show illustrate how a mindset can have a large impact on the success or failure of a sale.

In stage hypnosis, the hypnosis is real, or at least it should be. It's highly unethical to plant "shills" in the audience, but it does happen.

Can you really be hypnotized?

How is hypnosis done?

Are the people on stage under the control of the hypnotist?

What do you mean by "Stage Hypnosis"?

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