Are You Hypnotized?

The first time I saw a stage hypnotist perform was in college. It was remarkable. Within minutes, the hypnotist had a volunteer strutting around clucking like a chicken. Was this just an act, was the volunteer really hypnotized, or was it something else? I wasn’t certain. From what I’ve read, stage hypnotists deploy a combination of psychological factors such as peer pressure, social compliance, participant selection, suggestibility, physical manipulation and trickery, to name a few.

What struck me most was how the hypnotist had implanted a post-hypnotic suggestion. After the volunteer was “snapped” out of his trance, whenever the hypnotist said, “Chicken,” the volunteer instantly clucked… and did so loudly!

After the performance, I talked to the volunteer. He didn’t recall acting like a chicken… nor did he know why he clucked. His claims rang true and he seemed most sincere.

Over the years, I’ve observed that in some ways many people appear to be hypnotized… myself included. While few people cluck when “chicken” is mentioned, certain other words do elicit equally abrupt and predictable responses. Sometimes I wonder if our society is operating under post-hypnotic suggestions? Just bring up religion, politics, abortion, offshore drilling, healthcare, diet or lifestyle issues… and observe what happens. The mere mention of certain subjects or words often elicits uncontrollable clucks… I mean auto-responses. It’s difficult to have a meaningful conversation when someone starts clucking before you can finish asking your question or sharing your idea.

In order for a volunteer to be hypnotized, he/she must willingly enable the hypnotist to take control of his/her critical thinking. Recently, I’ve observed many people have willingly enabled radio talk show hosts, cable TV personalities, religious leaders and politicians to do the same. For many, blind trust (following) has replaced independent critical thinking.

Before selecting volunteers, the stage hypnotist gives the audience a few exercises and plants ideas in their minds: “Only intelligent people can be hypnotized” or “Only those who are open-minded to being hypnotized can be,” and so on. Do these kinds of suggestions and affirmations sound familiar? If not, try replacing “hypnotized” with Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Christian, Muslim, Atheist, and so on.

Hypnotists identify people who appear to be trusting and willing to go along. Once a volunteer is selected, the hypnotist has him/her imagine some ordinary situations, like being cold, hot or thirsty. Gradually he builds on these connections with more suggestions until eventually he has them strutting and clucking like a chicken. Whether it’s a stage hypnotist, an authority figure, celebrity or someone else… the process works much the same. For whatever the reasons, some people are more susceptible to falling under spells (and remaining under) than others.

As with most things in our lives, change starts with awareness. In the case of hypnosis, “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis.” In other words, we must be willing to go along. Whether we remain mesmerized, wake up or stay someplace in between… the choice is always ours.

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