If you have ever watched someone on stage cluck like a chicken, forget their own name, or behave like they are someone else while under hypnosis, you probably have wondered if hypnosis is real. Or are those people on stage just pretending.
It is a reasonable question. The things that people do under hypnosis on stage can seem extraordinary and even unbelievable. And, if you have considered hypnosis for yourself, you might have wondered whether you lose control, reveal secrets, or find yourself doing something you wouldn’t ordinarily do.
I understand the skepticism. Before I began working with hypnosis, I had my own experiences with anxiety and other challenges. Today, hypnosis is an important part of my life and my working helping other people navigate change.
So, is hypnosis real?
Yes. But hypnosis is much more interesting and much more useful than what you might have seen on stage.
But is stage hypnosis real, or are the people pretending?
Yes. Stage hypnosis is real, but it takes place under very particular circumstances.
Think about the people who volunteer to go on stage for a hypnosis show. They are not a random selection from the audience, but people who are the most enthusiastic about the opportunity to do something unusual. Once on stage, the hypnotist does an induction and provides a few suggestions. The willing participants may experience those suggestions in ways that surprise even themselves. The hypnotist only keeps the most responsive people, the people most willing to do the most unusual stuff and asks everyone else to return to their seats.
After completing the selection of participants, which is only a small fraction of the entire audience, the show really begins. Are some people acting during the show? It is possible. But it would be a mistake to assume that everyone is pretending because their behavior looks extraordinary. Hypnosis is a genuine experience, and someone can respond to a suggestion without deliberately acting out a role, even when the behavior looks theatrical to an observer.
The important distinction is that stage hypnosis is designed to entertain and the circumstances surrounding the show encourage participation, imagination, and dramatic responses.
The hypnosis that I practice at Mind & Meaning has a different purpose entirely—to help people improve their lives by changing habits, mind-frames, and how they respond to life’s circumstances.
In my own personal experience, hypnosis has been instrumental in overcoming severe anxiety and reframing negative events from the past. Millions of other people have also found it useful to quit smoking, change eating habits, or change how they respond to stress.