What exactly is hypnosis and how does it work? Where is it used and is it effective?
Trying to keep it fairly brief…
Stage hypnosis is a form of entertainment, generally involving ‘hypnotising’ memebers of the audience into doing silly and amusing things. There is also hypnosis used for therapeutic purposes, such as helping someone to quit smoking or to conquer a phobia.
Hypnosis is one of those murky and controversial subjects surrounded by a great deal of misinformation, sometimes circulated by some of its own practitioners (those who want to surround it with an air of intrigue, power and mystery).
The main point is that there is no such thing as a ‘hypnotic trance’ as such, and a hypnotist can NOT take control over another person or turn them into some sort of puppet to do their bidding.
Stage hypnosis is largely a matter of an understanding between some suggestible or co-operative types in the audience and the hypnotist. They follow his suggestions because they want to, at a conscious or sub-conscious level, and because he creates the conditions wherein it is socially acceptable to do things normally considered unacceptable (be silly, hog attention, get laughs, be outrageous, be a ‘star’ for the night).
In some stage hypnosis routines it seems like the hypnotist is ‘controlling’ the subject e.g. locking their hands together by simple verbal command. Well, yes and no. He provides the idea. Those who want to go along with it, but may feel (convince themselves) they have no choice. Those who don’t want to go along with it simply don’t, and their hands don’t get ‘locked’.
In other stage routines, it seems like the hypnotist empowers people to do things they couldn’t normally do - tolerate minor pain, regress, eat an onion just as they would an apple etc. In every case, these people are doing things they could do anyway, but in normal life one either wouldn’t think of doing these things, or wouldn’t think them possible.
Therapeutic hypnosis is different. It’s essentially an exercise in deep, controlled relaxation, during which the authority and presence of the hypnotist can help the subject to form good, strong mental suggestions to help him or her to modify their feelings or behaviour.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=104115
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=83405
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55447
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=68366
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=80302
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=82864
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=40760
Enjoy.
While hypnosis has been used to help people stop smoking, lose weight, gain confidence, take over the world, etc., it doesn’t help everybody, and it doesn’t help everyone it does help equally effectively. So I would caution someone against trying hypnosis for the behavioral or thought changes it promises, but I would wholeheartedly encourage them to try it for its relaxation benefits.