WORKSHOP ON PRE-INDUCTION SPEECH BRUCE BONNETT I. WHAT IS A PRE-INDUCTION SPEECH?

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1 WORKSHOP ON PRE-INDUCTION SPEECH BRUCE BONNETT I. WHAT IS A PRE-INDUCTION SPEECH? II. WHY IS THE PRE-INDUCTION SPEECH IMPORTANT? 1

2 A. Establishes yourself as an expert. B. Makes your sessions MUCH more likely to be effective. C. That means you can get more repeat business and referrals and make more $$$$$$$$$$$$. D. Also calms you down because this part of the session you definitely know what will happen. III. LIST OF QUESTIONS AND TOPICS YOU MIGHT CHOOSE TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PRE-INDUCTION TALK A. Some questions you might consider asking the client 1. What are the client s past experiences, if any, using hypnosis, attending a stage hypnosis show, seeing hypnosis on TV or in movies, etc.? 2. Does the client have any fears or doubts about hypnosis? 3. Does the client have any reservations or hesitations about using hypnosis (for example, worries about whether hypnosis contradicts the client s religious beliefs)? 4. Does the client have any belief that he or she cannot be hypnotized? 5. Does the client have any other questions? 6. Does the client give you permission to hypnotize him or her? B. Some topics you might consider addressing 1. Can you make a client bark like a dog or rob a bank or do something he or she does not want to do? 2. Does hypnosis really work? (studies done about hypnosis or testimonials from other past clients can help convince a new client) 3. Hypnosis is a way to maximize use of our inner resources. 4. Is hypnosis a miracle cure than can fix any problem in one session? 5. Hypnosis can feel different to different people. Some feel very awake. 6. Everyone has already experienced hypnosis naturally in the past driving on a freeway perhaps, being absorbed in a good movie, etc. 7. Is the session ruined if it is interrupted by something or if there is noise distracting the client? 8. Some clients remember every detail of the session; others do not remember much. Either way is ok. 9. Will the client be ok to drive after the session? 2

3 10. Are there negative side effects? 11. Can the client get stuck in hypnosis if, for example, the hypnotherapist has a heart attack during the middle of the session? 12. Will the client fall asleep or be unconscious? If you use the word sleep, what do you mean? 13. What if the client has trouble visualizing things or making mental pictures but can only think about something if told to imagine it? 14. Will the session be ruined if the client has to adjust his/her position in the middle of the session or has to go to the bathroom? 15. Will the client reveal secrets under the spell of hypnosis? 16. What if the client does not have a weak mind, tends to be stubborn and does not like being controlled or ordered by others? 17. Will I be able to remember things from my past better when in hypnosis? If I remember something during hypnosis, does that mean it really happened in the past? 18. Will I be able to move or react if there is an emergency like an earthquake during a session? 19. Can you tell me exactly how many sessions I need to fix my issue? 20. Theory of mind (conscious vs. subconscious parts of the mind; analogy of nightclub bouncer and security) 21. Should the client worry about making mental notes during the session? (maybe offer to the client after the session if there is anything you think the client would find useful to consciously be reminded of) 22. Do all clients feel like they were hypnotized during the session? If a client does not feel like he or she was hypnotized, does that mean the session was not effective? 23. What if the client starts to feel uncomfortable or cold during the session? IV. SAMPLES (***you may want to use these as scripts to practice with during today s workshop) A. The Pre-Induction Talk on You've probably seen stage hypnosis at some time? Well,... hypnotherapy is not the same - if you are watching someone who has been hypnotized on stage, it may appear as though they don't know what's happening to them. With hypnotherapy you are aware of everything the whole of the time - and that's exactly how it should be. You may, or may not, be able to remember everything afterwards - but at the time you will hear everything that is said. We are all different - some people go into a very deep trance and remember nothing at all afterwards, others remain in a light trance, which can work 3

4 equally well as a deep one - but - more often than not - people drift into different levels of conscious awareness and remember parts of the experience. You can never be made to say, or do, anything you don't want to - and if I or anyone else were to give you suggestions that you didn't morally approve of - you would come out of hypnosis. You will never give away any secrets - or be made to act in any derogatory way. You are in control - but at the same time you are also very deeply relaxed. During this relaxed state - your subconscious mind is open and receptive to the suggestions given to you - providing they are the suggestions that you consciously want to take effect. You will be able to hear everything during the hypnosis session - you'll be aware of outside noises and movements - this is perfectly normal because you are in a heightened state of awareness in hypnosis. I will ask you to visualize certain things - now, if you can't actually see them - please don't worry - we are all different - some people can't visualize because their representational system is more auditory or kinesthetically inclined - so just try to remember or think about or sense the things that I am saying. After the hypnosis session the only differences you may be aware of is that you feel more relaxed than usual - and you will feel differently about (whatever you are treating your client for). Do you have any questions? B. Keith Livingston ( I m here to speak with you about hypnosis. In the next few moments you ll learn how hypnosis can help you tap the powers of your inner mind. We ll remove common myths and misconceptions about hypnosis and explore some of its many uses. First of all, let s dispel some of the common myths about hypnosis, correct some inaccuracies and learn the truth. Myths & Misconceptions: Many people get their ideas about hypnosis from television, books or motion pictures. While the plot lines of these entertainment vehicles make for good stories, they are often inaccurate. Many misconceptions about hypnosis are due to the fact that the term sleep is often used when discussing hypnosis. Hypnosis is not sleep but because many times, people experiencing hypnosis are very, very relaxed, it may outwardly appear like sleep. One difference is in a hypnotic state you can think clearly. And did you know while in hypnosis, your morals and ethics remain intact? In other words, you won t do anything against your will. You can reject or accept 4

5 suggestions it s your decision. Scientific experiments have proven that, if someone were to give you suggestions that you disagreed with, you would simply reject them. Some ill-informed people think it s possible to become stuck in trance. In fact, if someone hypnotized you and then decided to take a trip to Tahiti, in the middle of a trance, you would simply continue to relax for a few moments and then choose to emerge when you felt like it. In hundreds of years of hypnosis this has always been the case. Because hypnosis is not truth serum, people can lie while experiencing hypnosis. In hypnosis, the psychological Law of Self-Preservation is in effect. You can control what you choose to say. So while in a hypnotic trance you won t spill the beans or tell your secrets. Some people believe that in order to be hypnotized you must have a weak mind. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because hypnosis is not a contest of willpower, a highly intelligent, strong-willed and imaginative person can make a great hypnotic subject. Many people think that in order to experience hypnosis, they must become unconscious. This is probably the most common misconception about hypnosis. In hypnosis, you are aware and can hear clearly, in fact, hypnosis is a state of increased awareness. In a trance state your hearing may be sharper, you may feel subtler sensations and your imagination and memory are enhanced. Naturally occurring hypnosis: Hypnosis is a natural state, in fact, we are in hypnosis many times each day. We pass through hypnosis on our way to sleep and when we wake up each morning. Recent studies of ultradian rhythms, these are bio-rhythms that are less than one day long, conclude that every 90 to 120 minutes we pass into a state physiologically identical to hypnosis. So when people ask; Can I be hypnotized? The answer is; You already are. Here are some other times in which people experience hypnosis naturally. If you ve ever woken up, feeling very relaxed but not needing to be anywhere and thought something like Maybe I ll get up and brush my teeth, but your body is too relaxed to move, you ve been experiencing hypnosis. Becoming absorbed in a good book or movie is experiencing hypnosis. Driving on long trips on automatic pilot is known as highway hypnosis. Becoming bored or allowing your mind to drift away leads to hypnosis. Becoming extremely engaged in something and allowing your mind to focus means that you are experiencing hypnosis. Because of the rhythmic sounds and swaying, riding on the train is often a highly hypnotic experience. 5

6 Hypnosis is a state in which you can think clearly and your imagination is active. It s a state where you could move if you wanted to or if there were an emergency but you would rather just remain delightfully relaxed. It s a state in which beneficial ideas can more quickly and easily gain access to the inner mind. And because we all experience trance each day, we can understand just how safe it is. What Is Hypnosis? We all have a conscious mind, and what some people call either a subconscious or an unconscious mind. Hypnosis deals with your unconscious mind which, for the sake of clarity, I ll call the inner mind. Your conscious mind is responsible for logical, analytical, linear thinking. Though our belief systems and behaviors reside in the inner mind, the conscious mind is responsible for guarding them. So, when someone tells you something that you think is not true, your conscious mind may reject the idea or suggestion. Your inner mind is more symbolic and holistic in nature. Emotions are the domain of your inner mind as are perceptions, habits, beliefs and automatic bodily functions such as breathing and digestion. Often times we learn something consciously, then the inner mind takes over that learned behavior. So behaviors that we once learned step-by-step, like tying our shoes, are now second nature or automatic, unconscious behavior. These are things we ve learned to do so well we don t have to think too much about them. Habits are another example of this automatic behavior. And what about ideas that our conscious mind accepts? Once an idea is accepted by the conscious mind it can pass through to the inner mind. Once accepted by the inner mind, the mind behaves as if it is true. If the conscious mind is willing to play along, is not paying attention, is in shock or is not yet fully formed (as in the case of a child) new ideas can establish themselves in the inner mind. This is why it is so important to be positive with children. So, in order to get new, beneficial ideas to be accepted by the inner mind, we must relax the conscious mind and communicate directly with the inner mind. If this idea is accepted by the inner mind, the whole mind is focused and tuned in to making that idea true. Since the inner mind runs the body, our perceptions and emotions, as well as habits, it can line up all those resources to make things happen. Deep in your mind, changes can take place that allow you feel different emotions, have different habits, learn things quickly and respond with a more thoroughly resourceful physiology. 6

7 In hypnosis, we temporarily relax the conscious mind and gain access to the powerful inner mind. In this beneficial, relaxed state, we can more easily get positive ideas across to the most powerful parts of our minds. So one definition of hypnosis is this; Hypnosis is a temporary relaxing of the conscious mind allowing positive and beneficial ideas to become accepted by the inner mind. When these ideas are presented with sufficient skill and connected to an individuals motivations they become powerful permanent allies for healing, personal development or habit control. Some prominent hypnosis scholars take the position that all hypnosis is selfhypnosis. In other words, the person hypnotizing you is merely your guide, showing you how to achieve hypnosis. Another way of putting this is you must agree to be hypnotized. What is hypnosis like? People describe the experience of hypnosis as highly pleasurable and often comment upon emerging that they feel like they ve had a refreshing nap. You might feel any number of sensations while in trance. Most people s muscles grow loose and relaxed. Many report pleasant feelings. Often the breathing grows deeper and slower as a result of increased relaxation. Feelings of warmth or tingling are common. Often people report an increased ability to visualize much like daydreaming. Some people s perception of time is altered the trance state may seem much longer or shorter in duration than it actually is. While some continue to listen to the words of the hypnotist, others report that the mind drifts away to some pleasant memory or imagined scene. Because the conscious mind may drift away, some report only a general sense of what was said in the trance- just like seeing a movie but not perfectly remembering every scene. Each individuals experience of trance is unique. The Uses of Hypnosis In the hands of a qualified and skilled person hypnosis can be a valuable ally for healing, self-improvement, pain management, habit control and much, much more Both the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association approved hypnosis as a valid therapeutic modality in the late 1950 s. Though many people are familiar with the success of hypnosis in smoking cessation and weight loss, most are unaware of its powerful uses as an anesthetic and to speed healing. 7

8 Hypnosis has long been used to help people suffering from trauma and to overcome roadblocks originating from past experiences. Hypnosis has been used by law enforcement to help witnesses increase recall. Hypnosis can be used to overcome anxieties fear and phobias. Hypnosis is a powerful tool for performance enhancement and goal setting. The hypnotic state is a great stress buster. Every situation can benefit from having the powerful inner mind on your side. I hope you now better understand how hypnosis can help to improve your life. You ve learned that in trance you can hear clearly and your morals are intact. You ve learned that no one has ever gotten stuck in trance. You ve learned that having a strong mind can actually help you to enter hypnosis easily. You ve learned just how safe and natural hypnosis is. Perhaps now you re feeling more comfortable about experiencing hypnosis C. Pre-Induction Talk For Children on www. HypnoticWorld.com [NOTE: This can vary depending on the age and intelligence of the child.] Do you know much about hypnosis? I bet you've seen stage hypnosis, haven't you? Have you ever watched (name of famous TV hypnotist) Well - that type of hypnosis isn't exactly the same as you'll be learning today - but this is even better, because it is something that, once you've learned - you'll be able to use it for the rest of your life. I'll explain a bit about it first of all and then - if you have any questions we'll talk about those. If you think of your mind as an iceberg (outline with your fingers as you talk, as a child may not know what an iceberg looks like) - the tip of the iceberg is like your conscious mind - the part of your mind that you're thinking with right now - and everything below that is your subconscious mind. This part contains all the memories of everything you've ever done, seen, heard, felt and thought in your life. It controls your automatic behavior - like how you feel when people say certain things to you - or how - once you learn to read or write or ride a bike you can do it without even thinking about it. 8

9 Yet in the beginning, when you were learning to do these things you had to think about it with your conscious mind - the part of the iceberg that sticks out of the sea. Hypnosis will allow us to reprogram your subconscious mind the way that you want. You will only do things that you want to do - and if I or anyone else ever try to make you say or do things that you don't want to then you would either reject the suggestions or come out of hypnosis. The best thing that anyone can ever have is their imagination. When you dream you can imagine all sorts of things and if you really want to - and they're good things - you can make them come true. Hypnosis is a bit like dreaming - but you're not asleep - you can hear everything that is being said. It's like when you're watching TV or playing on your games console - you can still hear other things but you're totally focused on your favorite program or game. You can use hypnosis for just about anything once you've learned how to. You can sleep better at night, you can do well at school or be really good at sport. You can have the best memory in your school - you can make more friends because it can be used to help you to improve your confidence. If you're ever poorly you can even use it to help you to get better more quickly. In fact there's very little that you can't use hypnosis with in some way. It's also a really nice feeling to be hypnotized. You might feel heavy - or you could feel as though you're flying in the sky - like a bird - or sitting on a magic carpet. I'm going to show you how powerful your wonderful imagination is - you do want to see? (When child consents - demonstrate the balloon and book suggestibility test...). You see - you have a fantastic imagination. Check out if child has any questions and answer them seriously. Even if a child's question seems simple it's important to answer them in a way that they will understand. Okay - now there's just one other thing. I can't hypnotize anyone who doesn't want to be hypnotized. You've got to want to be hypnotized, okay? (Wait for consent). Good - now what's your favorite TV program? (If they don't watch TV use book hero, film or activity). I want you to imagine that you're watching your favorite program on TV. 9

10 You can do this with your eyes open or closed but you may find it easier to see the pictures with your eyes closed. Nod your head when you can see the TV in front of you. Okay - reach over and turn it on - or use the remote to select the right channel if you prefer. What is happening? Allow the child to describe program, characters, plot, etc, then commence with deepener and suggestions, or include your own visualization depending on child's responses D. Part of Bruce Bonnett s Pre-Induction Talk Note: In your explanation of hypnosis, set things up so you cannot fail. In other words, try to anticipate in advance different reactions different clients might have during or after the session and explain those as acceptable possibilities BEFORE you do an induction. Some clients are good at the kind of hypnosis stage hypnotists do. It is pretty amazing. I could give them the suggestion that laughing gas was coming into the room and they would laugh like crazy. I once had a client who had to drink a nasty chalky horrible tasting barium drink prior to an MRI or CT Scan. In hypnosis, I just gave her the suggestion that it would taste like her favorite milkshake. When she went in for the procedure, she gulped down the barium drink and asked if they had any refills! For other clients like attorneys who tend to be stuck in their heads -- hypnosis is more of an analytical thought process. It works just as well but is more subtle. Many clients are pretty alert and listen to everything I say during the first session. That makes sense because they are curious about hypnosis and what I am saying. Others may let their minds drift off to relaxing thoughts or think about their to do lists or other things going on in their lives. No matter what, the subconscious part of the mind is still absorbing the beneficial suggestions. It is a little like at night when you are asleep but part of your mind is still listening in the background for an emergency or the alarm clock. No matter whether you are concentrating consciously on what I am saying or your mind is drifting somewhere else, your subconscious is still paying attention to me. If I do want to make sure you are consciously paying attention at any point, I may ask you to nod or say something. 10

11 There is no need to take notes. No test. If I want to remind you of some tool or tip, I will tell you after I count you out of hypnosis at the end of the session or text or you later. Your job is just to relax. I actually find it sort of amusing and enjoy it slightly when some clients tell me at the end of the session that they don t think it worked or they that did not feel anything. Because inevitably they start noticing changes after the session anyway. For some clients, the changes come quickly --- sort of like we flipped all the right switches in one or two sessions. For other clients, it may take a few sessions to start to turn around long held beliefs, habits, and reactions. Some clients see me once or twice and that is all they need --- and they tell everyone about me and how great hypnosis is. Other clients see me a number of times until we get things going in the right direction. Some clients will come back for a booster session when they need it or when some new issue or stress presents itself in their lives. And, I have a number of really lucky clients who can afford to see me once or twice a week because they see how much it transforms their lives and lets them constantly keep improving and achieving whatever they want. It is probably easiest for you to imagine, make believe, visualize, daydream, or pretend you are experiencing the things I describe. But, it also works for you to imagine you are watching it all on a big TV screen. Or, it works too for you just to think about what I am saying. It s really up to you. In addition to the hypnotic suggestions I will be giving your mind today, I will also you a list of some tips and tools you can use including self-hypnosis instructions in between our sessions. V. WHY DIFFERENT HYPNOTHERAPISTS PRE- INDUCTION TALK MIGHT BE DIFFERENT AND WHY EVEN ONE HYPNOTHERAPIST MAY NEED TO ADJUST HIS/HER PRE-INDUCTION TALK FOR DIFFERENT CLIENTS A. You are unique. You may like to describe hypnosis differently than some other hypnotherapist. B. Your clients are unique. C. Time constraints. 11

12 VI. WHAT IF A CLIENT DOES NOT THINK HE OR SHE CAN BE HYPNOTIZED OR DID NOT FEEL HYPNOTIZED? (and Bruce s billionaire client story) SUCCESS IN HYPNOSIS DEPENDS ON MOTIVATION, STUDY SUGGESTS COLUMBUS, Ohio -- People who are willing and motivated to be hypnotized may be as successful in hypnotherapy as those defined as "hypnotizable" or able to enter "altered states," new research suggests. In experiments at Ohio State University, scientists found that people with low susceptibility to hypnosis -- but told to act highly susceptible to it -- were six times more likely to successfully carry out a post-hypnotic suggestion than those who were actually highly susceptible to hypnosis and dissociative experiences. These results suggest that successfully performing post-hypnotic suggestions may have less to do with ease of being hypnotized and more to do with motivation -- that is, a person's willingness to buy into the idea of hypnosis and do what it takes to try to make it work. "Traditionally, hypnotic behavior has been described as a type of altered state where fundamental cognitive changes take place, as something separate from everyday social behavior," said Joseph P. Green, assistant professor of psychology at the Ohio State University at Lima and lead author of the study. "However, our results suggest that hypnotic behavior can be explained using the same principles we use to explain social behavior. Our research suggests that all the things that affect social behavior -- expectations, beliefs, instructions, cues -- will affect hypnotic behavior." Green conducted this research with Steven Jay Lynn, professor of psychology at Ohio University. The pair presented their work Aug. 15 in New York at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Green and Lynn's study involved 112 university undergraduates previously tested for their susceptibility to hypnosis (high or low) and their tendency to have dissociative experiences (greater or lesser). Dissociative experiences occur when one engages in behaviors outside of conscious awareness. These students were contacted by the researchers and asked to participate in a follow-up hypnosis experiment. Before the hypnotist hypnotized the students, the researchers took low susceptible subjects aside and told them to act like "excellent, highly hypnotizable subjects." The hypnotist then hypnotized the whole student group. Before ending the session, the hypnotist told the students that after they woke up, they would automatically write down certain target numbers while simultaneously performing another task -- and that they would do this "automatic writing" without any conscious attention. After the students awoke from hypnosis, the researchers tested their ability to perform this automatic writing task. Each student wrote down target numbers with 12

13 one hand while simultaneously performing another writing task with their other hand. The researchers found that those students less susceptible to hypnosis -- but acting as if they were highly susceptible to it -- were six times more likely to complete the automatic writing task correctly than were the more hypnotizable students. Further, they found that students' previous dissociative experiences and their success on other difficult hypnotic suggestions had no bearing on their ability to pass the automatic writing task. "These results, along with findings from other investigations, seriously question the role of dissociation in hypnotic phenomenon," he said. These findings should give people confidence that, if they are highly motivated and willing to try hypnosis, hypnotherapy may work for them, Green said. However, both Green and Lynn strongly recommend that individuals interested in trying hypnotherapy seek a qualified professional. "It is a skill that people can practice and learn," Green said. "In fact, our results suggest that the success of hypnotherapy is likely very similar to success in 'regular' psychological treatments. If a person is motivated and willing to try out different behaviors and experiences, it's likely to work." 1 VII. BONUS: EXAMPLE OF ISSUES YOU MIGHT HAVE TO ADDRESS IF CLIENTS HAVE SEEN MOVIES ABOUT HYPNOSIS THAT ARE PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELY INACCURATE: GET OUT ***SPOILER ALERT -- Take your break early if you have not yet seen the movie Get Out and you don t want to hear details about some of what happens in the movie! And, don t read the below information until you have seen the movie if you don t want to know some of the movie s details before you see it!

14 Domestic Box Office $175,484,140 International Box Office $76,672,456 Worldwide Box Office $252,156,596 Production Budget: $5,000,000 What 'Get Out' Gets Wrong And Right About Hypnotism By Sarah Sloat on March 29, 2017 We first see Missy Armitage s (played by Catherine Keener) eerie silver spoon spinning in a glass of iced tea, when the central characters of Get Out meet to discuss upcoming weekend plans and the smoking habits of the protagonist, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya). Missy, the mother of Chris s girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams), offers her services as a hypnotherapist to help cure Chris of his habit of smoking. He refuses. Chris, however, unwittingly becomes hypnotized in a later conversation with Missy. This moment is the catalyst towards the horrific ordeal Chris later undergoes in the film. So: Does hypnosis work Get Out-style, or is this just the trappings of a scary movie? The answer is both yes and no. 14

15 Here s what Get Out got wrong and got right about hypnosis. You Can t Be Tricked Into Hypnosis In Get Out, Chris explicitly says, multiple times, that he doesn t want to be hypnotized yet proceeds to be hypnotized against his will. In real life that simply can t happen, says John Kihlstrom, a University of California, Berkeley professor who researches and writes on hypnosis. You have to be willing to be hypnotized, Kihlstrom tells Inverse. Nothing happens in hypnosis without the subject s active involvement. There s no surreptitious hypnosis, except in movies. It Was a Lucky Guess That Chris Was Even Capable of Being Hypnotized It s also statistically unlikely that Chris would fall under the sway of hypnosis. Only about five to ten percent of people are considered hypnotic virtuosos, meaning that they are easily hypnotized. The bell curve, Kihlstrom says, applies to hypnosis with most people falling into the middle as at least moderately responsive to hypnosis. To get to that state, however, could take time and multiple sessions with a hypnotist. Why some people are more likely to be hypnotized than others was a long-standing mystery. What hypnotizability comes down to, researchers believe, is activity within a person s brain. In 2016, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers found that people who consistently scored high on tests of hypnotizability had distinct changes in the brain while they were hypnotized. There seemed to be a decrease in brain activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate, an increase in the connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula, along with a decrease in connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the default mode network. These changes in functional activity in the brain suggest to researchers that when someone is hypnotized, there s a disconnect between a person s actions and how aware they are of those actions. A Spinning Spoon Could Hypnotize Someone The spoon that Missy uses in Get Out is known as a fixation device. This plays a role in the first stage of hypnosis, known as hypnotic induction : Once someone s eyes are fixated on something, they are more likely to relax, making them more responsive to external instruction. While Kihlstrom hasn t heard of someone using a spinning spoon before, he says that it makes sense in the context of stereotypical devices, like receding spirals and swinging pocket watches. The induction of hypnosis always begins with focused attention, says Kihlstrom. Usually, the subject is just asked to focus on the voice of the hypnotist. Watches, spirals, and I suppose stirring spoons are better visuals. 15

16 Chris Didn t Need to Re-live Painful Memories to Be Hypnotized In Get Out, Chris is asked to think back to the day that his mother died what he was doing, what his sensory memories were. In real life, it s not the exact memory that is important for successful hypnosis so much as considering specific details. You don t need memories to be triggered, you just need the capacity to focus your attention, Kihlstrom says. I ve never heard of subjects being asked to describe a memory before entering hypnosis. I don t see how that can help, except to get the subject involved in an imaginative experience. While memories aren t essential, it is common for hypnotists to offer suggestions that help guide the subject into altered states of consciousness, perception, and memory. What ultimately works is different for individuals, but the overall goal is to induce a sense of reduced sensory acuity whether that is a subdued sense of sight, sound, or tactile sensation. The Sunken Place Is Real At Least in Chris s Mind The sunken place in Get Out is terrifying: An endless, seemingly cosmic void where Chris is silently trapped. This presumably all happens within his consciousness as he loses control over his body. While the science says that Chris couldn t have ended up in this state without willing hypnotization, it s true that classic hypnosis is accompanied by convictions of the imagination. Kihlstrom writes in the journal Cortex that these border on delusion, and feelings of involuntariness bordering on compulsion. While scientists don t have a robust sense of the exact mechanism that ignites these feelings, they do know that it is this experience of involuntariness, not the vividness of mental images, that gives hypnotic experiences their hallucinatory quality. Hypnosis Isn t Actually Scary While the hypnosis in Get Out is straight up evil, hypnosis in real life can actually do a lot of good. Hypnosis is considered by institutions like the American Psychological Association as a powerful and effective therapeutic technique that helps people effectively quit bad habits like smoking (which happens in the movie), treat conditions like anxiety and mood disorders, and act as an adjunct to anesthesia in outpatient surgery. Hypnosis has always had a place in medicine and psychotherapy, and there is growing appreciation of its utility, says Kihlstrom. I think that hypnosis has pretty found implications for consciousness [as well], and may also help us to understand better the neural substrates of consciousness. 16

17 (bold emphasis added) NOTE: There are a number of other interesting articles online discussing the parts of this movie that somewhat accurately portray some aspects of hypnosis and other parts of this movie that do not match what really happens when a person is hypnotized. For example, see: KEEP PRACTICING! 17

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