Hypnotism.
 

Just wondering if anyone else had any experience with the awesomeness that is hypnotism. I was fascinated with the art since I was a young'n, and rather recently I got a book that explained it to me. I hypnotized two of my buddies pretty successfully, and it was a really cool experience for all 3 of us.

So anybody else had any hypnotic expuriences?

EDIT: w007! 1200th post!

Oh it is quite real and true. I saw it performed by a psycologist at the renaissance fair last year. It was amazing how the process worked. Before you knew it, he changed sexualaties in an instant! It all has something to do with getting your host to truly immerse themselves in this hypnotic world you've layed out for them.

I managed to remember a few bits and I actually managed to hypnotise this dumb girl into think she was on the moon. I began with something simple that most people would fall for, then I went in for the kill with my deep persuasive voice keeping her in the hypnotic trance.

The human mind is such a very fun toy!

I don't really think it's something I could fully believe in unless I were to be hypnotized myself.

Yea same bere Ambi :). But I have that with a lot of stuff.

Who needs hypnotism when you can have powerful mind altering drugs?!

It's just power of suggestion. If you want to be hypnotized, whether you realize it or not, then your mind will let yourself become "hypnotized."

If you're really steadfast and determined on not being hypnotized, then it just won't happen. It's like any other party trick involving power of suggestion.

I've been involved in a parlor trick like "hypnotism" before. A friend's mother lit a candle, and invited us to try to put it out by moving two of our fingers in a single downward stroke near the candle's flame. Obviously, the displaced air is what put the candle out, but she had set up the trick as if we were putting out the candle by will alone. After we were all confident in our ability to put the candle out, she waved her hand over the candle and stated that we would not be able to put the candle out again, as she had placed a "spell" on it (she was apparently "Wiccan," or whatever you call it, or at least claimed to be). Even though we all tried as hard as we could to put the candle out after she had waved her hand over it... no one could do it.

It was all a trick, naturally. Magic tricks like that are just that... tricks. Because the woman was significantly older than us, and therefore a symbol of wisdom and authority (at least on a subconscious level), our minds accepted what she said as a universal truth. Our mindset wouldn't allow us to put out the candle. Power of suggestion. Simple.

Try it on a group of people who are younger than you sometime.

I never believed in hypnotism at all until I saw a show put on by a friend using other friends as guinea pigs.

I heard it explained once that, whilst hypnotism can make you suggestible, it can't make you do something you don't want to do. Thus stage hypnotists do a test early on to see which of their volunteers are attention-seeking whores. Those are the ones who will stand up and make dicks of themselves.

Hypnotism.....Someone tried it on me once and I fell asleep. Then again isen't that like an easy stage of hypnosis and whatnot?

Exactly true. That's how all that mind stuffn's works.

Is that so? Hmmm.... ponderous.

Nah. Hypnotism is about relaxation, but you need to be concious. Otherwise, that whole hypno-stuff don't work.

Oooh, nifty.

I've never seen it proven that the stereotypical "when I clap my hands you will become a monkey/duck/chicken through the mystical power of hypnosis!" stuff works, and as such, I must take youse guys's collective word for it. But I think hypnosis is sometimes used by psychologists/psychiatrists to get answers out of an uncooperative (or insane) patient. Or maybe that's a complete fabrication produced by the media that I've incorporated into my subconscious as an actual learned fact. I needs must ask my psychologist-parents. They will surely know.

If there is such a thing, wow... it doesn't say much for the power of the human mind, do it?

Sometimes you don't realise that you're conscious though. My mum uses a hypnotism relaxation tape and when it's finished she can't remember a thing about it as if she was asleep the whole time but she's still conscious enough to wake herself up when the hypnotist tells her to.

It doesn't really say much about the human mind at all. As Searex said, only people who are willing to be hypnotized can be. But I dunno. I guess it's a powerful art, at the risk for sounding corny.

Totally. It's however the hypnotist wants it to be, really.

Actualy... (I'm obviosly not an expert at this) Of what I've heard, you actualy NOT conscious. People I know say your literaly saying you thoughts. IE: If someone where to say "Your on the moon", the first thing that will go through you mind is "I'm on the moon?", or if you DO refuse to think your hypnotised, you'll think "I'm on the moon? Pft, the hell? I'm not on the moon.". I'm not saying this is a fact, but that what i think

No, that's not how it works. You aren't fully concious, that's true, but you aren't unconcious either. You find a happy medium. And I dunno about the speaking part, I'm not sure about that.

If you refuse you to be hypnotized, you won't go under. You'll just be sitting there, unaffected, listening to people tell you you're on the moon.

Well, like I said... I'm not an expert and I'm assuming that from the stuff i've heard

I wrote a whole paper on Clinical Hypnosis in AP Psychology this semester, some very interesting stuff indeed...

So... enlighten us.

I had a weird hypnotism experience.

Me and my dad were bored, so we got this little star thing that flashes in a really hypnotic way and he moved it slowly in a circle while speaking.

I actually started to fade out and my muscle were moving by themselves before I pulled myself back. It was weird, the same thing happened 2 more times, the third time I actually wen under and started to beleive I was the Master Chief, at least thats what my dad said.

o_0

That's called a seizure.

Or possibly getting really relaxed, falling asleep and then dreaming.

After all, muscles twitching involuntarily often happens when a body is winding down.

....Touche.



:|

But how do you explain me thinking I was the MC?

It was kinda cool, except I can't remeber it at all :(

Well, since you can't remember it, how do you know it happened?

I already told you that my dad told me after he snapped me out of it.

I meant I could remember myself actuall being the MC, not that it didn't happen.

Yes, but he could just be playing with you; Bending the truth, or just being an overall asshole about it. ^_^

I would like to request that you not call my father an asshole, even if you're playing around.

But I do suppose he was bending the truth :)

That's the spirit! Sorry young chap.

+sleeptalking possibly.

Even if you don't normally talk in your sleep, your father would have been testing you if he thought you were hypnotised.

My point is, even if you were hypnotised, there is no logical way for you to think you were MC unless someone else gave you that idea.

Well, would it help that I'm obsessed with Halo and would actually WANT to be the MC?

That may well be justification. :p