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Hypnotism Research Paper

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Hypnotism Research Paper
When most hear the word hypnotism, they think of a mysterious, suited figure waving a pocket watch back and forth in front of someone’s eyes. Most picture this ominous man guiding his subject into a semi-sleep, zombie-like state with absolute ease. Once hypnotized, the subject effortlessly moves and speaks and acts as if they are on an invisible leash guided by the hypnotist. We believe the subject is compelled to obey any command, no matter how strange or unreasonable, muttering, “Yes, master.” This popular representation is what is shown of hypnotism in movies and television, but in fact, it is so much different. People have been pondering and arguing over hypnosis for more than 200 years, but science has yet to fully explain how it actually happens. Hypnosis involves the subconscious mind taking over and can be used for shows and entertainment or psychiatric hypnotherapy. Present day hypnotist, Cody Horton has been referred to as “The World’s Most Spell-Binding Stage Hypnotist.” She is the author of several motivating, self-help books, and self-hypnotism audio books that can help you solve just about any problem you may have. “On Hypnotism,” a book written by the famous hypnotist, James Braid in 1860, helps to explain the origin of hypnotherapy and correct many of the historical misconceptions that have developed regarding the actual meaning of hypnotism. Our understanding of hypnosis has enormously advanced in the past century, but the phenomenon is still considered a mystery. Figuring out how hypnotism works is just a small piece of a much larger puzzle, how the human mind works. Scientists are unlikely to arrive at a definitive explanation of the mind in the foreseeable future, so it is a good bet that hypnosis will remain very close to a mystery. Psychiatrists do understand the general characteristics of hypnosis, and they even have a model as to how to works. We can easily see what a person does when they are under hypnosis, but it is not


Cited: Erickson, Milton H., and Ernest Lawrence. Rossi. Foreword. Hypnotherapy: an Exploratory Casebook. New York: Irvington, 1992. 8-11. Print. Harris, Tom. "HowStuffWorks "How Hypnosis Works"" Howstuffworks "Science" Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs- myth/extrasensory-perceptions/hypnosis.htm>. "James Braid Biography." James Braid Society. 2006. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.jamesbraidsociety.com/jamesbraid.htm>. "James Braid." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2010): 1. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. "Prepare Yourself to Be Mystified." CODY HORTON -- The World 's Most Spell-Binding Hypnotist! Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.codyhorton.com/>. "The Discovery of Hypnosis—Braid 's Lost Manuscript, “On Hypnotism” (1860): A Brief Communication." International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 57.2 (2009): 127-132. E-Journals. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. "Voice Flame Extinguisher." Mythbusters. Discovery Channel. 11 Apr. 2007. Television.

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