Soooo, I don't know if any of you are interested in (or believe in) hypnosis but at the science festival last week I went to a session about it. It was pretty interesting! I've always recognised that whatever it is hypnosis can help with certain things, like phobias but always been a bit freaked out that I might be susceptible to it. Before the event started the presenter offered to do me a 1-2-1 session the next day to see if we could shift my eternal nausea at all but I felt a bit reluctant!
The event was so interesting though and showed me how hypnosis is just about allowing you mind to do things in a way disconnected from your consciousness. The presenter (a scientific researcher I should add) explained how all this, you are a chicken crap from stage hypnosis is knickers because you can't make people do what they don't want to do and they are aware of what has happened.
He also warned about how during hypnosis you are susceptible to acquiring false memories. He told a story about a woman who got hypnosis from this random guy (anyone can do it, there are no regulations) who had learnt from this weird training video. The woman apparently had repressed memories of her father abusing her but when the case was going to court the presenter was called in and saw the video which was all "you were just a girl but he was an older man" " he did ...." etc. It was really shocking! Because you do remember what has happened during hypnosis the woman had incorporated all this suggestion into her memories where in reality nothing of the sort had ever happened. The guy who'd worked on her had no idea what he was doing to her. Luckily the judge threw the case right out when the video was shown to him/her.
Anyway, at the end there was group hypnosis, just relaxation and trying little things like raising your arm without realising you are doing it. After all teh good stuff I'd learned I was really disappointed I was not at all susceptible! When he said your mouth is feeling dry, you're thirsty, all I could think was how noisy the guy behind me was as he swallowed!
Anyone tried hypnosis or though about trying it for anything? The lesson was to be careful who you pick!
