Stage hypnotists.

[Amy90]

A few years ago whilst on holiday in Greece the hotel advertised a show by a hypnotist. Me and my friends went to the show and he asked for volunteers. I was the only one of my friends who was up for it and stepped forwards. I have always been sceptical about these stage hypnotists and thought that it was all an act. With that in mind I decided that I would have he perfect chance to find out for myself. So there I was on the stage with five other people and the hypnotist started to hypnotise us.

I decided that I wasn't going to deliberately resist his efforts and see if he could genuinely hypnotise me. I have to say that he certainly did. When you see these people on TV, you tend to think that they are in some kind of trance and don't remember what's going on. Well, you do remember all of it. He asks you to do things and you seem unable to refuse. I can remember everything I did and whilst I did ridiculous things, they seemed perfectly normal at the time. I would liken it to being drunk in that your inhibitions are diminished. It was great fun. Has anyone else done this.

[MarkRae]

I'm a trained hypnotist. I hate, loathe and abominate these people. Still, they certainly do seem to work on, and entertain, the weak-minded...

[fliptheswitch]

No. Are you sure he didn't just spike your drink? :P

[MarkRae]

Hypnotising people isn't particularly difficult, flip - stage hypnotists truly are the scum of the earth...

[JackDanielsU]

Yep Ive "gone under" - despite the guy saying it wouldnt work if you were drunk or a cynic - Was an odd feeling, and watching the video back is weird in a good way.

[Amy90]

OK Mark. If my question had been about Nobel prize winning particle physicists then I suppose you'd have claimed to be one of those too.

[erin-x]

I went to see Derren Brown this year and he got one man in the audience to do something particularly amazing. I don't think he likes to be known as a hypnotist, but I don't know what else to call what he did.

[fliptheswitch]

Really? I've never believed the likes of Paul Mckenna, and other people you see do it on the TV. It just looks so staged.

[Amy90]

That's what I thought but he really did it.

[Amy90]

Flip. I was completely sober when i did it.

[MarkRae]

Erin, like I said, it's not particularly difficult. Of course, it's also not particularly difficult to spike somebody's drink and make them do things they wouldn't normally do. Stage hypnosis is scarcely different, and just as odious...

[erin-x]

Oh Flip, Derren Brown truly boggles my mind. Obviously everything is staged to an extent but the thing he done could have gone horribly wrong. He did tell us at the end to not disclose details of the show so I wont tell lol x

[fliptheswitch]

I like Derren Brown. He usually then tells people how he does his "tricks", and shows how easy it is for these fraudsters to make people believe in what they do.
He's a cold-reader, isn't he?

[fliptheswitch]

ERIN!! You can't say that and just leave it! lol.

Come on... spill :))

[MarkRae]

Erin, seriously...? It honestly never occurred to you that he said that just to propagate the myth that you saw something extraordinary...?

[erin-x]

I think so Flip. He is incredibly intelligent... smells nice too!! haha x

[Amy90]

I will say this and it's quite important. If the hypnotist had given me a knife and told me to stab the nearest person to me I would have done just that. That's a frightening thought and something I discussed with the hypnotist when I saw him the following week.

[erin-x]

Okay but shhhh... All i'll say is that it involved a rather big needle and someones hand.
And it was just incase word got out and it spoiled the show for other people that he said that. It will probably be on tv soon.. well hopefully. x

[fliptheswitch]

Amy, sorry. Some of your comments just made me think of rohypnol...

"He asks you to do things and you seem unable to refuse. I would liken it to being drunk in that your inhibitions are diminished."

[MarkRae]

Amy, you're 100% correct, and that's why these people truly are the scum of the earth...

Any of the "they can't make you do anything you wouldn't normally do" argument is total and utter botox...

[Amy90]

Erin. What he told you is common place for TV show recordings so details of the show don't get out.