Supernatural Science

I was about to turn in for the evening, when I realized that I’ve been too busy drafting future posts these last few days, and forgotten to send out a current post. So here’s a quickie… rough and fast. Enjoy it while it lasts!

This week’s episode of Supernatural Science (produced by the BBC, aired locally by PBS) was a wee bit disappointing for the pseudo-science junkie in me. There wasn’t much debunking going on, other than the general idea that hypnosis itself is some supernatural oogity-boogity power.

Still, in spite of the low oogity factor, the program fascinated me in, largely because it echoed so many of my own ideas about hypnosis. (I’m usually interested in 3 types of ideas.. those that support my own views, those that contradict views, and those that are brand new to me.)

Anyway — here’s a rough summary of what I found reinforced/clarified by the program.

• Scientists argue about exactly whether or not hypnosis is a specific/unique brain state or not. In my opinion, hypnosis is probably less a specific state, but a means of reaching a type of state - one which includes heightened suggestibility, a focused attention, and a shut down of all peripheral distractions.
• People can reach the same or similar states of suggestibility through other methods, including the use of rhythm, placebo, trust in authority, or placebo, drugs, and a few other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten. Interesting to me personally is the “authority” angle… which was dramatized quite well in the program, with references to the famous Milgram experiment.
• The ability to plant the “right” suggestions is probably more important than the skill of hypnotic induction. This takes a lot of the oogity boogity black magic out of hypnosis, but it also suggests that care in choosing a hypnotist is extremely important.
• The oft-repeated truth that “you can’t be hypnotized to do anything you wouldn’t normally choose to do” is only a half truth -- as someone on the program said, a hypnotist may not convince you to shoot your mother, but he might convince you that your mother is the devil, and the devil must be killed.
• The ability to plant suggestions through both hypnotic and other means can be abused by religious cults and political leaders. It can also be a problem in some forms of therapy, where false-memories crop up, which in some cases has lead to the breakups of families and even criminal charges, when the memory was actually planted (usually unintentionally) by a therapist.

One of the most dramatic hypnotic examples demonstrated on the program was that of surgery with no anesthetic - It’s quite impressive to watch video of someone undergoing surgery while fully conscious, aware, and under no anesthesia… I think there’s a video of this on YouTube that I’ll try and dig up tomorrow. I may go back and add a few links, as well… but this is it for now.

Just for general information.. I’ve been on both sides of the hypnosis equation, with a lot of success. But I’m *NOT* brave enough to try the surgery thing!