Spot the Difference - Stage Hypnosis and Clinical Hypnosis
Well?
As you remember from the article, Hypnotherapy – What is it?, when it comes to the being hypnotized bit, there isn't any difference to speak of. The big diff lies in
the application of the big H.
It is true that some people can be hpnotized more deeply than others, and more easily, especially those with the strongest and most creative minds and the greatest ability to use their intelligence. It is also true that a very few people are not able to get into a state of hypnosis at all. Notice that I am saying 'are not able to get' into a state of hypnosis and not that they cannot be hypnotized.
There is a difference. Anybody can resist hypnosis if they want to, but for those who are unable to get into a state of hypnosis, there is usually a reason, and this could be because they are drunk, they are hard drug addicts, they are very young children (under about six years of age), they are truly educationally sub-normal, they are severely mentally handicapped, they suffer from psychoses, they suffer from epilepsy or they are senile.
As long as you don't fit into any of those categories, you should have no trouble getting into hypnosis. In truth, the vast majority of people are hypnotizable, and those who proudly proclaim that they cannot be hypnotized are in fact saying that they lack the ability to focus their mind, because that's all hypnosis is - a state of focussed concentration - so nothing to boast about if you can't do it!
Basically, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist just facilitates the condition, and the ease with which you become hypnotized depends on your suggestibility (suggestibility being how easily you can be influenced by someone or something) and your ability to focus your mind, or truly concentrate, on a particular suggestion.
That in itself means that you are an intelligent, strong-minded soul. We are all suggestible to an extent, some just more so than others, and while the clinical hypnotherapist works with all sorts to produce a state of hypnosis suitable for therapy to be carried out, the stage hypnotist will only work with the most suggestible – those who are most likely to want to join in and be part of the fun, and thus be most likely to allow themselves to be hypnotized.
Yes, I did say allow, because you have to allow someone to hypnotize you, as no one can be hypnotized against their will. Furthermore, you cannot be made to do anything under hypnosis that you wouldn’t do or wouldn’t like to do in normal life, given the opportunity, or indeed, anything that offends your own personal moral code.
Magic Marv
What happens on stage is that the stage hypnotist, let’s call him Magic Marv, gets his audience to perform a few tricks, which are in fact suggestibility tests, and he and his team, dotted about the theatre, note the ones who 'pass' the test, so when the Magic Marv calls for volunteers from the audience, those who 'passed' the test are encouraged to 'come on down!' After that, Magic Marv does further tests with the group, weeding out all but the most suggestible. Now remember that these people have come along to the show because they enjoy the type of entertainment on offer and they are there to have fun. Magic Marv knows this, and this knowledge, coupled with the fact that they 'passed' Magic Marv’s tests and have come up on to the stage, tells Marv that they are extroverts who will join in the fun, because that's what they are secretly happy to do. So when Magic Marv hypnotizes them to apparently do his bidding on stage in front of the audience, they do just that, as they are now fulfilling a secret desire – to entertain others. Of course, having read the previous paragraph, you know why I use the word 'apparently'. In other words, the hypnotizees are doing what Magic Marv has asked them, but it’s only something that they would do anyway, given the chance, which of course they have been!
Furthermore, as anyone who has experienced hypnosis will tell you, you are totally aware of everything around you, if not more so, during hypnosis, so at all times during the performance, the hypnotizee is aware of what he or she is doing.
And just like the 'amusing' drunk when they sober up, they have to save face when the show is over. What to do? Easy. Just say, 'I was completely out of it. I didn’t know what I was doing,' or some equally derisory feeble cliché of an excuse, and the tired old myths about hypnosis and the all-powerful Magic Marv go marching on. Sad, but true! But that’s showbiz, folks.
The Difference
You will be pleased to hear that there is a world of difference between the stage hypnotist and the hypnotherapist, besides their job title.
The stage hypnotist is a skilled user of 'razzamatazz' and relies heavily on the confidence of his approach, showmanship, and the willingness of his subjects to perform simple 'tasks', while the clinical hypnotherapist relies on his or her knowledge of the human psyche, a caring and compassionate manner, an understanding of the phenomena surrounding hypnosis, and a client who is prepared to accept help with change.
However, there’s no real harm done just so long as you remember that hypnosis really is a serious tool to be used for the benefit of people in medicine, dentistry and therapy, and that the showbiz use is like using your best kitchen knife to scrape paint off a wall. Sure it works, but it isn’t what it was intended for and not only are you not getting the most out of the implement, but also you are also giving yourself extra washing up.
As you remember from the article, Hypnotherapy – What is it?, when it comes to the being hypnotized bit, there isn't any difference to speak of. The big diff lies in
the application of the big H.
It is true that some people can be hpnotized more deeply than others, and more easily, especially those with the strongest and most creative minds and the greatest ability to use their intelligence. It is also true that a very few people are not able to get into a state of hypnosis at all. Notice that I am saying 'are not able to get' into a state of hypnosis and not that they cannot be hypnotized.
There is a difference. Anybody can resist hypnosis if they want to, but for those who are unable to get into a state of hypnosis, there is usually a reason, and this could be because they are drunk, they are hard drug addicts, they are very young children (under about six years of age), they are truly educationally sub-normal, they are severely mentally handicapped, they suffer from psychoses, they suffer from epilepsy or they are senile.
As long as you don't fit into any of those categories, you should have no trouble getting into hypnosis. In truth, the vast majority of people are hypnotizable, and those who proudly proclaim that they cannot be hypnotized are in fact saying that they lack the ability to focus their mind, because that's all hypnosis is - a state of focussed concentration - so nothing to boast about if you can't do it!
Basically, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist just facilitates the condition, and the ease with which you become hypnotized depends on your suggestibility (suggestibility being how easily you can be influenced by someone or something) and your ability to focus your mind, or truly concentrate, on a particular suggestion.
That in itself means that you are an intelligent, strong-minded soul. We are all suggestible to an extent, some just more so than others, and while the clinical hypnotherapist works with all sorts to produce a state of hypnosis suitable for therapy to be carried out, the stage hypnotist will only work with the most suggestible – those who are most likely to want to join in and be part of the fun, and thus be most likely to allow themselves to be hypnotized.
Yes, I did say allow, because you have to allow someone to hypnotize you, as no one can be hypnotized against their will. Furthermore, you cannot be made to do anything under hypnosis that you wouldn’t do or wouldn’t like to do in normal life, given the opportunity, or indeed, anything that offends your own personal moral code.
Magic Marv
What happens on stage is that the stage hypnotist, let’s call him Magic Marv, gets his audience to perform a few tricks, which are in fact suggestibility tests, and he and his team, dotted about the theatre, note the ones who 'pass' the test, so when the Magic Marv calls for volunteers from the audience, those who 'passed' the test are encouraged to 'come on down!' After that, Magic Marv does further tests with the group, weeding out all but the most suggestible. Now remember that these people have come along to the show because they enjoy the type of entertainment on offer and they are there to have fun. Magic Marv knows this, and this knowledge, coupled with the fact that they 'passed' Magic Marv’s tests and have come up on to the stage, tells Marv that they are extroverts who will join in the fun, because that's what they are secretly happy to do. So when Magic Marv hypnotizes them to apparently do his bidding on stage in front of the audience, they do just that, as they are now fulfilling a secret desire – to entertain others. Of course, having read the previous paragraph, you know why I use the word 'apparently'. In other words, the hypnotizees are doing what Magic Marv has asked them, but it’s only something that they would do anyway, given the chance, which of course they have been!
Furthermore, as anyone who has experienced hypnosis will tell you, you are totally aware of everything around you, if not more so, during hypnosis, so at all times during the performance, the hypnotizee is aware of what he or she is doing.
And just like the 'amusing' drunk when they sober up, they have to save face when the show is over. What to do? Easy. Just say, 'I was completely out of it. I didn’t know what I was doing,' or some equally derisory feeble cliché of an excuse, and the tired old myths about hypnosis and the all-powerful Magic Marv go marching on. Sad, but true! But that’s showbiz, folks.
The Difference
You will be pleased to hear that there is a world of difference between the stage hypnotist and the hypnotherapist, besides their job title.
The stage hypnotist is a skilled user of 'razzamatazz' and relies heavily on the confidence of his approach, showmanship, and the willingness of his subjects to perform simple 'tasks', while the clinical hypnotherapist relies on his or her knowledge of the human psyche, a caring and compassionate manner, an understanding of the phenomena surrounding hypnosis, and a client who is prepared to accept help with change.
However, there’s no real harm done just so long as you remember that hypnosis really is a serious tool to be used for the benefit of people in medicine, dentistry and therapy, and that the showbiz use is like using your best kitchen knife to scrape paint off a wall. Sure it works, but it isn’t what it was intended for and not only are you not getting the most out of the implement, but also you are also giving yourself extra washing up.
