What exactly is....

[just saw the light]

Hypnotism?? What is it exactly? What is happening to a person's mind when they are hypnotised. Is it even real? If so, how come people never just naturally become hypnotised. You would think it would happen every now and then because it seems like hypnotists don't have much trouble making it happen.

[Loren Pechtel]

Originally posted by just saw the light
Hypnotism?? What is it exactly? What is happening to a person's mind when they are hypnotised. Is it even real? If so, how come people never just naturally become hypnotised. You would think it would happen every now and then because it seems like hypnotists don't have much trouble making it happen.

Well, having seen what my parents were able to do with it in therapy I'm convinced it's real.

As for it happening naturally--ever hear of highway hypnosis?

[Mageth]

Originally posted by just saw the light
Hypnotism?? What is it exactly? What is happening to a person's mind when they are hypnotised.

I don't think the mechanism of hypnotism is fully understood. IOW, no one knows "exactly" what it is or what causes it.

Is it even real?

Apparently so, but some of the claims made about it are not.

If so, how come people never just naturally become hypnotised.

I would imagine that it has happened naturally. I've self-hypnotized before.

You would think it would happen every now and then because it seems like hypnotists don't have much trouble making it happen.

Actually, they do for some people. It appears that some people are more susceptible to being hypnotized than others. Some seem virtually impossible to hypnotize. And virtually anyone can resist being hypnotized if they want to.

In the case of hypnotists that put on public displays, remember that many in the audience are "believers" in the hypnotist in the first place and probably quite susceptible to suggestion. So I'd be careful making too much out of such "circus" performances.