Don’t be SCARED!

Since I want to start practicing hypnosis I had to find some test subjects. I asked around a bit and found that a lot of people are very very afraid of hypnosis. There was one girl who for some reason was holding on to my wrist (perhaps me poking her had something to do with it). I told her:

“You know, I could hypnotise you like this within seconds..”

She made a face like a deer on a dark road, staring in the headlights closing in for the kill. She quickly let go and nearly begged me not to do that. She was so scared of hypnosis. Now situations like this are pretty funny, but not really helpful in my search for subjects to hypnotise.

A lot of people seem to have a really horrible opinion of what hypnosis is. I guess what we learn here is that people really do not know that much about hypnosis. People take what they see on TV and accept that as the truth, and I must admit, after seeing people get humiliated on TV through hypnosis, I can understand their fears.

Then again, a good hypnotist will have at least some influence on people’s opinions or decisions. It just proves that people need to be educated about what hypnosis is, and what you can realize with it. It also proves the need for a pre-talk before hypnotising people, you need to make them at ease, make them believe that nothing bad will or can happen, perhaps even tell them that they can wake up at any point.

There are many ways you can accomplish this, and it is not hard. But here’s a little tip, do not use phrases like “Don’t be scared” or “You should not be scared”, as they tend to make people wonder things like “Wait, what? Is there something I should be scared of then?!”. Just ensure them that it will be a pleasant experience and they will be able to experience feelings they never felt before. Curiosity increases expectation and makes people want to go under. Try to lead them to feeling safe instead of trying to push your beliefs on them by force.

Remember all those movies where they say “Don’t look down!”?