Dear all,
Did anyone watch the programme on telly last night about hypnosis? It
was very interesting and sparked off a conversation between one of my
house-mates and myself. We were both quite amazed by some of the events
that occured under hypnosis - such as a woman's ability to rid her body
of a skin disorder. However, what was also shown was the ability to
'cure' people's phobias, such as fear of heights. I've decided that
such examples of hypnosis actually working are not due to the hypnosis
itself, but in fact to a case of complete mind over matter. What I mean
is, convince someone that they are under hypnosis, tell them that they
will no longer be afraid of heights, and all will be well. This is an
extremely simplified idea, but it all boils down to faith in hypnosis
and in yourself. If you believe in hypnosis, then it is more likely
that you will have faith in the whole procedure and thus it will have a
positive effect. If you truly believe that you will be helped by this
process then it's because you want to help yourself, but just need an
excuse to be able to confront it. Perhaps hypnosis acts as a bit of a
turbo boost in the way that one really wants to be rid of a phobia, and
hypnosis enables them to tackle it head on. Without sounding corny, it
gives them an inner strength. Therefore, hypnosis itself does not help
the person, it's the effect that the idea of hypnosis has on the person
that helps them.
Some thing else I saw on telly the other day was about coincidences.
It's amazing how some things happen, but it reminded me of what Stevan
was saying in our first Current Debates lecture about experimental
proof of parapsychology, and how some results must simply be put down
to chance. After hearing some of the things that were talked about on
this programmes, I've come to believe that anything could happen at
anytime and thus results must be taken with a pinch of salt in some
circumstances due to these 'strange happenings'.
Louise.
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