Maybe I'm just going to do all of these blogs about psychology topics.. I mean I am "studying" and doing this blog at the same time so why not. Alright, anyways, this week one of the concepts in Chapter 4 was hypnosis. Hypnosis is defined as "a state of consciousness in which a person is especially susceptible to suggestion" (White 147). There are 4 steps that every hypnotists follows in some way. These steps are to tell the person being hypnotized: to focus on what's being said, to relax, to "let go"/accept suggestions easily, and finally, to use vivid imagination. The main component is the "accept suggestions" part. People can be hypnotized only when they are active and alert, also if they are willing to be hypnotized. Overall, 80% of people can be hypnotized, but only 40% are good subjects for hypnosis. The most susceptible people are usually those who fantasize/daydream a lot, have vivid imaginations, and people who are able to get "really into" whatever they're doing.
There's a table in our textbook that has some interesting information regarding what hypnosis can do. According to the book, hypnosis can: help people relax in situations that would normally cause stress, remove pain, alter sensory perceptions, and actually create amnesia during the session (for a brief time). There are also some myths that aren’t true, hypnosis can’t give extra strength, enhance memory, or regress people to some time in the past.
There are 2 main theories on why hypnosis works, one deals with dissociation and the other deals with a sort of social “role-playing.” The dissociation theory is somewhat self explanatory; it suggests that people are able to dissociate with a certain part of their brain/thoughts and sometimes their body. The social “role-playing” or cognitive theory suggests that people who are hypnotized aren’t really in a different state of mind, they are “merely playing a role” and that role is… a person being hypnotized.
I'm not sure if I believe it, but anyways, here's a random guy using hypnosis to get out of a speeding ticket: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gcQDuv_Kb0
I don't really know if I believe all that stuff. I guess I'd have to experience it myself first.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen or experienced hypnotism first hand but it seems possible enough. In my psych class last week we were talking about how some people choose to be hynotized during surgery to decrease pain instead of been put under anesthesia which just seems a little too crazy.
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