XIII Hypnosis and Truth - Or Manipulation?

Q

Is there a way I can hypnotize someone to tell the truth for 10 minutes? https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-way-I-can-hypnotize-someone-to-tell-the-truth-for-10-minutes/answer/Ellen-Roepert

I

Ellen Roepert

recreational hypnotist and subject

Written Fri

No. Hypnosis will not force people to tell the truth. Hypnosis is not something you'd find easy to learn. It might take more than 10 just to hypnotise someone. And once hypnotised, they are still themselves, if they don't want to tell you the truth, they won't.

What is “the truth” anyway?

Hans-Georg Lundahl

How do you explain what happens in this video:

"Hypnotize My Roommate" - Kutztown Trio 1 3 College Hypnosis
John Cerbone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__TcCFv3QE

Ellen Roepert

13h ago

That is a hypnotist using what is often called a rapid hypnosis induction. It requires years of practice to learn how to do that, and it usually requires at least 30 minutes of talking and getting to know each other and preparation.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

13h ago

Which is not shown in video.

But could the girl be lying, or is he getting straight answers?

Ellen Roepert

13h ago

She is probably saying exactly what she thinks he wants her to say. That's not necessarily the truth.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

13h ago

Ah, that is interesting.

So, if I allowed a girl disciple of Cerbone to hypnotise me in a similar fashion, she could manipulate me to say things I had never dreamed of and which are not true?

[Meaning, as readers of my blog may know, Katherine Anne.]

Ellen Roepert

13h ago

Anyone you talk to can possibly manipulate you into saying lots of things. That has nothing to do with hypnosis.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

13h ago

OK, she could manipulate me into saying the kind of things someone could manipulate me into saying otherwise, but not the kind of things someone would not be able to manipulate me to say otherwise?

Ellen Roepert

12h ago

Manipulation is unrelated to hypnosis.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

12m ago

I don’t think so.

• 1) The more you focus on someone, the more he or she is able to manipulate you.
• 2) Hypnosis as per induction already involves synonyms to “it feels soooooooooo good to” be manipulated by the hypnotist.

By the way, I don’t think we were talking about the same thing when we were asking whether hypnosis would make her tell the truth.

You said hypnosis would not force her to tell the truth if she decided to lie. Probably correct, in so far as she recalled that decision … which hypnosis could have made her forget.

I was thinking more on lines of hypnosis making it more difficult to lie successfully, since she could not concentrate on lying, since concentrated on sth else while on the other hand it would also remove certain inhibitions from telling the truth.

The fact the room mate agreed to get hypnotised in the first place was kind of getting into an agreement - subconscious or not - to reveal things she would normally not have revealed.

Meaning, with a hypnotist she would be not forced, but manipulated … question being, what is more likely : into telling the truth? or into saying what she empathetically thinks the hypnotist wants to hear?

I don’t know, you are the expert on the mind under hypnosis.

I have been to a dentist who used it once or twice, I have been dabbling on my own with autohypnosis, I was semi-hypnotised by a girl I liked before that and even better after that : she made me answer “1*1” to equal “2”. I rejected hypnosis for many years at about age 22, but was even so an alpha state junkie and this enhanced my prayer life, and I have been hankering back to hypnosis now that I have had my prayer life disturbed.

I also went through one session of psychosynthesis while on a teachers’ conference, and that in fact meant hypnosis.

That is it, except for of late using hypno videos (with some caution and restraint about some content) each time I am into what I call a hypno binge.

You, on the other hand, have been through it with people who were expert, you have talked through with them what happened, and what can happen to a mind under hypnosis and things like that.

But on the other hand, I think there is some ideology in the way you answer about certain things. Sorry. I am currently not hypnotised by you and I am not quite manipulated by you either.

Ellen Roepert

9m ago

Hypnosis rarely makes anyone forget anything.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

6m ago

I think it on the contrary succeeds very well in making you forget lots of things for the moment.

Ellen Roepert

even later

There is no point in me trying to disel all the myths from your comments.

[dispel, I suppose]

Other answers

Each now first given with my follow up question, but may be updated if it is answered.

II

Keith Blakemore-Noble

Master hypnotist & trainer for 7 years, use for therapy and for entertainment.

Written Sat

No.

Not unless they wanted you to. In which case you wouldn't need to anyway.

Hypnosis is not mind control , you can not use it to force someone to do something they don't want to do.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

"just now"

I’d like to ask you the same thing which I asked Ellen Roepert, do you think the guy Cerbone on hypnotise my room mate is getting true answers?

[link to video, see above]

III

Diana Laskaris

works at Impact, LLC

Written Fri

I agree with the previous responder. Also, remember that one of the challenges with hypnosis is that the mind will “fill in blanks” the way it believes is true. This is why hypnosis, which is great for many things like recall and behavioral change, cannot be used in court. If someone is asked under hypnosis, “did you see a blue car in front of your house on Thursday June 22?” their mind will play through all the other times it saw a blue car in front of your house and make the logical, but not necessarily true, leap that, yes, there was a blue car in front of the house on the day in question.

This is not to say that hypnosis creates unreliable or untruthful responses. Most often quite the opposite. However, because the mind’s response can be based on its own differing interpretations of “truth” what is true in one mind may not match what is true in another.

Diana

http://www.dianalaskaris.com

Hans-Georg Lundahl

"just now"

I’d like to ask you the same thing which I asked Ellen Roepert, do you think the guy Cerbone on hypnotise my room mate is getting true answers?

[link to video, see above]