BY
THOMAS G RICHARDSON
Many of the old hands will be aware of how a stage hypnotist works and performs but those newly qualified or fairly new to the profession may not be. I feel it important that as therapists we should know about stage hypnosis and the differences between stage hypnosis and hypnosis as practiced in hypnotherapy. Many patients we see will have got their knowledge of hypnosis from what they see on stage or TV. They will have many convictions and incorrect ideas about hypnosis garnered from these shows.
Many stage hypnotists run perfectly ethical shows and I hasten to point out that I have no wish to denigrate stage hypnosis merely to show how it works so that it can be explained to a client. To do this I am going to show you how a typical stage show works. Every show of course is different but many of the points are the same.
The hypnotist comes on stage. There will be an air of expectancy. He may start by describing the effects of hypnosis and what it can achieve throwing in the odd one line joke to warm up the audience and establish a rapport. Once he has the audience receptive he will say something along the lines of:
"I want every one to clasp their hands together. Clasp them tighter! Tighter still! Imagine them locked together. When I count from one to three you will be unable to open your hands. Locked tight! Locked tight! One, two, three!"
At three everyone tries to open their hands. Many do so quite easily, others with a struggle, but much to the amazement of 15 to 20 per cent of the audience they are unable to open their hands. They are in what is called a waking state of hypnosis.
"Would all those who cannot open their hands please come up onto the stage".
Once on the stage these people are chatted to and cut down to the number that the hypnotist wishes to work with. He won't want anyone too old and frail but rather the young, enthusiastic and flamboyant. They make much better performers for a stage show.
He has now achieved several things. He has got volunteers without the need to ask for them. He knows that these people will go quickly into deep hypnosis as they are already responding well to suggestion. He has further pruned down the number and type of person he wishes to perform with. Stage hypnotists are master technicians and very good psychologists. If you have not made the effort to see a stage show it can be an education to do so.
Once the subjects are placed in deep hypnosis the show carries on. At the end all subjects are awakened and return to their seats. They will have taken part in hopefully an ethical and entertaining show. Many Hypnotherapists disagree with stage shows and see many problems with them. This is not what I wish to discuss. The main problem as I see it for the Hypnotherapist is this: the audience will now be convinced that the stage hypnotist could place each and every one of them into the same depth of hypnosis as those on the stage. He cannot, but he will not let the audience know this. He could probably place each one of the audience into a light to a medium state of hypnosis but this is rarely sufficient for a stage show, as could any good hypnotherapist. The stage hypnotist will not enlighten his audience after all he is billed as the great Marvo. He who can bend everyone to his will etc. He does not wish to spoil this illusion and indeed why should he.
When a client comes to us they may expect to be placed in the same depth of hypnosis as those they have seen in a stage show. We also get the 15 to 20 per cent that go into deep hypnosis immediately but this leave the 80 per cent who go into a light to medium state of hypnosis. We know that light stages of hypnosis can be very beneficial to the patient and this has to be explained preferably before the patient is placed under hypnosis. If you can explain how the stage show operates and how subjects are selected with the hand clasp test and that people selected in this way can be hypnotised by practically anyone, you will find it that much easier to convince a patient he/she was under hypnosis when in a light state of hypnosis.