Hypnosis :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Hypnosis: It Isn't Just For Circus Sideshows Anymore The highlight of my second day at Bryn Mawr College was going to see an exciting hypnosis show. I was one of the lucky few chosen to go up on stage and be made a fool of in front of three hundred other freshman. I stood up on the well-lit stage and listened intently to the oddly-dressed hypnotist. He told me to attempt to hold out my arms straight and look at the ceiling, without moving my head. I followed his instructions, but five minutes later, I was asked to sit down because the performer did not feel that I was as susceptible to hypnosis as the other ten women on stage. Embarrassed, I returned to my seat to watch the merriment. I giggled as I watched people I had been on stage with laugh uncontrollably, dance the hula, and quack like ducks. After the show, I could not help but ask myself why these seemingly normal people would behave so ludicrously at the suggestion of a stranger. After talking with the some of the subjects after the show, I was convinced that they were in a com pletely different brain state than the audience; some of my friends felt the opposite. Such is the nature of hypnosis. Some believe that while under hypnosis the brain differs from other states; others believe that this is not the case. Like the brain, hypnosis is mysterious. Therefore, it is no wonder that there is so much contention about hypnosis, it's uses and effects. But, how does hypnosis work? What does it do to the brain? Is it a legitimate way to get in touch with the unconscious? Evidence of the existence of hypnosis is seen as early as the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. In fact, "hypnosis" comes form the Greek word, hypnos, meaning sleep. It has been used extensively throughout history and it recently recieved an increase in it's legitimacy when in 1996, the National Institutes of Health publicly recommended that hypnosis be covered by health insurance, when used in conjunction with other forms of therapy (1). Hypnosis is a versatile tool. It is used for entertainment, medical recovery, and therapy, such as behavior modification and memory recollection. Hypnosis has been documented to allieve pains, phobias, addictions, irritable bowel syndrome, and asthma. Hypnosis has also been linked to memory recall. A person can hypnotize herself or agree to be hypnotized by another (2).