Have you ever been hypnotized?

[AmericanEagle]

just curious

I have not, but I understand for many it is helpful,
and that some people cannot be hypnotized too.

[Acousticado]

Nope, and have no real need or want to...not even for some showman's comedic purposes.

[guitarjamman]

I can't seem to be - tried once to help in quitting smoking. I spent my whole time analyzing what the hypnotist was trying to accomplish and was never able to relax enough to "fall into it" so to speak. Luckily when I found out my wife was pregnant, I got enough of a kick in the rear to make it happen cold turkey that day.

That said, I love watching hypnotists and have been to shows where there are comedic hypnotists and its amazing to see how malleable the human consciousness is.

[Silly Moustache]

I seem to remember that someone tried once - but I'm far too much of a control freak to allow myself to fall.

............................ or do I just think that ?

[Arthur Blake]

Here's an interesting thought:

People that are hypnotized don't recognize that they are.

Some have held that in our normal waking state, we hold some cherished beliefs about the nature of reality, which are not true.

[harmonics101]

Haven't been hypnotized, but I have been hypmotized,

H

[jwing]

I have been hypnotized when I took a class in self-hypnosis. I used self-hypnosis to help get myself through my final year of college, when the engineering courses got very challenging and offered just once per year, so there was no option to fail or drop the class and take it later. Hypnosis helped me filter out distractions and focus on my studying.

In the ensuing years, I learned to associate memory ticklers with normal activities - a kind of hypnosis shortcut. For instance, if I have the sprinkler on in the backyard before work, I insert in my mind a memory-tickler to turn the sprinkler off when I close the front door going out to my car.

Lately, I've been battling a habit of procrastination, so I've re-started the full-on self-hypnosis. It's been working. Just like with the studying in college, hypnosis needs repeated application to be effective.

[Scootch]

The first time I saw my wife undress...

[Gypsyblue]

I did a past life regression with a professional hypnotist who was highly recommended.

I do believe life is one long, endless life, which includes past embodiments through-out history and unrecorded history...but I'm skeptical that she was really able to put me into a trance.

However, she thought she did and I did "relive" some turning point moments from what seemed like they could have been authentic past incarnations.

But I remain skeptical about that session.

[catdaddy]

Yes I have. As an undergrad I participated in a study as a volunteer (got extra credit for my Psych 101 class). Was hypnotized half a dozen times. Mostly relaxing stuff. One session involved inducing some uncomfortable body sensations but nothing very extreme.

[buddyhu]

I have not been successfully hypnotized, even though I've volunteered to be hypnotized two or three times. I do think hypnosis is pretty interesting. I Have watched some people be hypnotized and be given a post-hypnotic suggestions for pain control, and they were all successful (these suggestions were for pain control in the time immediately following major back surgeries: laminectomy and fusion), and was impressed when they all required NO medication.

One of the folks that I knew who was an accomplished hypnotist used to say, "I don't know why some people make such a big deal about hypnosis; we are all going in and out of trance states all the time, but we just don't recognize it." Seems more and more true all the time.

[BrunoBlack]

Yes. Early in my professional career I had a fair amount of stage fright when I had important speaking engagements. Then I had to present to an audience of 1000 people and was getting pretty stressed before the event. I got hypnotized and was given a post hypnotic suggestion which was to touch the upper right-hand corner of my lecture notes at the start of the presentation so I would feel a rush of peace overwhelm me. For whatever reason it worked, and with time I lost most of my anxiety associated with public speaking in front of large audiences.

[ewalling]

Occultist writer Colin Wilson theorized that a person's susceptibility to hypnosis was commensurate with his/her presence of mind. According to this theory, a person impervious to hypnosis is more awake to what is happening in his/her life, stronger minded, and better able to appreciate experience. The more person more susceptible to hypnosis, on the other hand, will be more absent-minded, dreamier, and more likely to follow others and unquestionaingly accept what they are told.

[Steve DeRosa]

Yes...

[jwing]

Originally Posted by ewalling

Occultist writer Colin Wilson theorized that a person's susceptibility to hypnosis was commensurate with his/her presence of mind. According to this theory, a person impervious to hypnosis is more awake to what is happening in his/her life, stronger minded, and better able to appreciate experience. The more person more susceptible to hypnosis, on the other hand, will be more absent-minded, dreamier, and more likely to follow others and unquestionaingly accept what they are told.

Colin Wilson didn't know what he was theorizing about. Hypnosis will work only when a person is open to allowing it to work. It will not work on an unwilling or unknowing subject, despite what Mr. Wilson saw in movies and Three Stooges episodes.

Also, a hypnotized person cannot be convinced to do something that he/she would be against doing when not hypnotized, nor will a post hypnotic suggestion induce behavior that is contrary to a person's values.