Living Dead Chipmunk

I know a couple of people that quit smoking through hypnotism... but I always thought hypnotism was nothing more than a stage trick at magic shows, or else a con-artist scam about "finding your past lives".

So what's up with hypnotism?

catman

Hypnotism works: check out this fascinating article:
<a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/hypnosis.htm" target="_blank">http://www.howstuffworks.com/hypnosis.htm</a>

catman

You wiil see in the article information that directly correlates to what I said on the thread I started "How the Brain Works." Hypnotism is dealing with only the right brain--excluding the left brain as much as possible.

Corona688

Hypnotism and hypnosis are not the same thing. Hypnotism is, afaik, using the power of suggestion to influence your mind and opinions, and scientifically rather dubious.

Hypnosis, on the other hand, deals more with controlled relaxation techniques. This would indeed be useful in quitting smoking, as it allows you to relax and endure the cravings easier..
I'm somewhat more aquainted with this field than most as my father's a GP and quite proficient with hypnosis.

Corey Hammer

Hypnosis is nothing like what that site says (by the way, hypnotism is the same thing). Hypnosis in absolutely no way accesses the nonconscious portions of the brain anymore than normal daily activities. There is no change in the state of consciousness. I especially love their comments at the end...

But that's not the point! The trance theory is still blatantly and patently wrong.

In fact, hypnosis is simply a willingness cooperate. There's even a psychological scale to measure you hypnotizability with that as the basis (& it's externally valid). When people on stage gets hypnotized and do some silly things, they are also partly fulfilling a social role. That is, they're (partially) faking.

Catman, you didn't know what you were talking about with the brain either.

Hypnosis, the last time I saw, had no different effect on stopping addiction than a placebo procedure.

catman

Oh really? Care to explain? I would like to know your opinion--it is certainly a field I do not stake any pride in for I am just learning this stuff myself. Also--I think you misunderstood the article on hyponosis. I don't see where what you said hypnotism is contradicts with what the article said it is. It was I who said it is getting control or influence of the right brain (thus subconscious mind).

Corey Hammer

Which part didn't you understand? Subjects of hypnosis DO NOT ENTER an altered state of any sort. It does provide access to the "subconscious."

...and I know. You're still wrong about that too.

I will expand with a list of journal references when I get home from work.

catman

I don't believe the article made the claim of a person being in an altered state of consciousness. Perhaps you are saying they are saying that because they compared it to a trance. They compared it to a self-induced trance if I am not mistaken--which would be the same thing.

Yes--the subconsious is a right brain function--the conscious is a basically left brain function--but there are proobably some influence of each vice versa. If hyponotism does not provide a direct influence to the subconscious--then it is allowing the hypnotist control of the consious left brain function. It works out having the same effect any way you want to look at it. as far as saying that hypnotism is no more effective than a placebo in the case of trying to get people to stop smoking--I would not argue with that at all. That is probably right.

FloatingEgg

Hypnotism is the use of hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a change in the focus of a person's attention, ultimately, there has to be cooperation on the subject’s part, but it doesn't mean that this cooperation comes out of a desire to act like a hypnotized person.

For example, why would someone be willing to bare severe pain, for example, just so that they could feel like they're fulfilling a social role? Hypnotism was used in place of anesthetic in major surgeries at one time, if you're curious about why I chose that analogy.

Hypnosis is also an intense state of concentration, and we enter similar states on a regular basis, though we don't notice it so much, watching a movie for example.

Corey Hammer

There is evidence for another theory, the Dissociative Theory (Hilgard, 1992). Hilgard argues that there may a split in consciousness so that normally involunary processes can be controlled and voluntary ones become spontaneous as a result of a social agreement to share control with the hypnotist.

Evidence exists for both theories, but the Social Roles theory explains most of the evidence. Research continues to explore the processes behind hypnosis, but I repeat, no altered state as evidenced by EEG's exists in hypnotism. If there is this evidence, so me the study.