Hypnosis
 

Who has had experience with it?

I don't know that my encounter would count as "experience" but back in college ... I believe it was my freshman year... the residence hall peeps had a hypnotist there for entertainment during Welcome Week. It was one of those things where he would get like 10 or so people on stage, put them to "sleep" and make them do funny things.

I don't remember anything about it except when I "woke up" I felt really tired like I had just slept for a really long time. I don't think he made me do anything too terribly crazy, but from what I heard, he had people acting like chickens and other various animals. :)

My campus brought in a hypnotist, too. I was involved with the organization that brought him to campus, so I got to be one of the 'spotters' who made sure the people who were hypnotized didn't fall out of their chairs or whatever.

It was amazing to watch him hypnotize people. Some were more receptive than others - it didn't work at all on some participants. I decided that night that I would never volunteer for anything like that... it was just too creepy to see how easily those folks were manipulated. Spooked me right out! :eek:

I've had a couple people try to hypnotize me, and they weren't able to do so. I'm thinking it might have been a good thing.

I tried it to quit smoking once. It was a disaster. I think my brain only heard the "smoking" part and not the "quit" part. I never wanted a cigarette so badly as I did when I walked out of that session.

We've had two hypnotists come to my university in the years I've been here; one was terrible and the other was Michael C. Anthony. Youtube him, google him, whatever. He was amazing. I want to buy his CDs because everyone who has them RAVES about them, but they're a bit expensive.

lol

I think a lot of universities had hypnotists come to campus. Probably the same hypnotist or from the same event concept.

I always thought the students on the stage were in on the joke.

I wasn't thinking so much of stage hypnosis as I was therapeutic hypnosis.

Like AGDee, I went to a hypnotherapist to try to quit smoking. I really loved the experience although I don't believe I was entirely hypnotized. I left feeling great and used the audio tape as part of my arsenal when I quit.

I'd love to do it again for other things. Whether or not I was really under doesn't matter to me. For me, it was thoroughly relaxing and I felt more focused and at ease than I had in years. I'd recommend it.