fithelere (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} fithelere) wrote,@ 2008-02-25 09:58:00 |
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More Fun with Hypnosis
So on Saturday, I got to do my first group hypnosis presentation. It wasn't a hypnosis stage show like you usually think of; for those to work, you need at least fifty people in your audience (preferably a hundred), so that you can select the 5 to 10% who are natural somnambulists. I had about a dozen people, and in keeping with the statistical odds, I had one natural somnambulist, about eight people who were pretty good at going into hypnosis, and a few who either tried and didn't make it, or just preferred to watch. Considering that we were at a party with kids playing air hockey in the next room, dogs barking nearby, and all manner of other distractions, it's kind of amazing that anyone went under.
Funny side note: When the dog barked, the folks who weren't in hypnosis all instantly looked at it, but the folks who were under remained completely still. One of them said later that she hadn't even heard the dog. (She was the natural I mentioned.)
So for my finale, I asked the natural if she'd help me with a demonstration. After she agreed, I used a 10-second induction, and her head rolled back; she was out. I then informed her that her arm was becoming straight and stiff, which it did, so much that her whole body moved when I pushed her arm. Then I woke up the rest of her but left her arm in hypnosis. Her expression and laugh when she realized her arm was stuck in the air were truly priceless.
The next day, she and her two daughters each had a therapeutic session. One of her daughters was pretty much the same as she was, so at the end of the session, I asked if the daughter wanted to "do the arm thing." (The daughters had missed the demo the day before.) Being a really good sport, the daughter agreed; and her arm stayed in catalepsy, even though she was fully aware, for several minutes while I called everyone in the house to come see. In the meantime, her sister was having fun pushing her around by her arm. After I released her arm, I noticed her rubbing her shoulder, so I asked if she'd like the pain to go away. She nodded, and I said, "When I reach the count of three, all discomfort will be gone. One, two, three [snap fingers]!" I could tell from her expression that it worked.
So on Saturday, I got to do my first group hypnosis presentation. It wasn't a hypnosis stage show like you usually think of; for those to work, you need at least fifty people in your audience (preferably a hundred), so that you can select the 5 to 10% who are natural somnambulists. I had about a dozen people, and in keeping with the statistical odds, I had one natural somnambulist, about eight people who were pretty good at going into hypnosis, and a few who either tried and didn't make it, or just preferred to watch. Considering that we were at a party with kids playing air hockey in the next room, dogs barking nearby, and all manner of other distractions, it's kind of amazing that anyone went under.
Funny side note: When the dog barked, the folks who weren't in hypnosis all instantly looked at it, but the folks who were under remained completely still. One of them said later that she hadn't even heard the dog. (She was the natural I mentioned.)
So for my finale, I asked the natural if she'd help me with a demonstration. After she agreed, I used a 10-second induction, and her head rolled back; she was out. I then informed her that her arm was becoming straight and stiff, which it did, so much that her whole body moved when I pushed her arm. Then I woke up the rest of her but left her arm in hypnosis. Her expression and laugh when she realized her arm was stuck in the air were truly priceless.
The next day, she and her two daughters each had a therapeutic session. One of her daughters was pretty much the same as she was, so at the end of the session, I asked if the daughter wanted to "do the arm thing." (The daughters had missed the demo the day before.) Being a really good sport, the daughter agreed; and her arm stayed in catalepsy, even though she was fully aware, for several minutes while I called everyone in the house to come see. In the meantime, her sister was having fun pushing her around by her arm. After I released her arm, I noticed her rubbing her shoulder, so I asked if she'd like the pain to go away. She nodded, and I said, "When I reach the count of three, all discomfort will be gone. One, two, three [snap fingers]!" I could tell from her expression that it worked.
