Is Hypnosis Real? Stage Hypnosis, Mind Control, and Past Life Regression

Author: Andreas Balasis, LCSW-QS, CHP

Reviewer:  Dr. Mary Perleoni, LMHC ✓

Solipsism says nothing is real outside the awareness of your own mind. I'd say that there is a real component in the sense that what's happening in the brain is likely happening in those moments.

It could be argued that there are components that are real.

Is Stage Hypnosis Real?

What those stage hypnotists tend to do, from my understanding, is they'll do almost a pre-screen before the show even starts. Or they'll look into the crowd and see, one, who is eager to volunteer, because that shows an openness, an agreeableness, a willingness to engage in the experience.

But they'll also do stuff like, if you do this and you see that someone immediately mirrors it, that's a sign. If you wipe your brow, go through your hair, you make an adjustment and someone mirrors it, they take that as a sign of higher hypnotizability. It might sound a little ridiculous, but it's true. That isn't a validated test, and while some people link it to mirror neurons, the science on that is still unsettled. That's neurobiological in its basis.

Imagine looking at a cutting board with a lemon on it. Imagine what it's like, the color, the vibrancy of the yellow, the feel of the knife in your hand, cutting that lemon into wedges. And now in your mind's eye, imagine picking up one of those wedges, raising it to your mouth and biting into it.

If someone reacts with a sour kind of look, that shows that they're able to be more absorbed in that sort of imagined state, that there is a physiological reaction to a cognitive action.

So there are different things that those stage hypnotists can do to get an idea of who is going to be most responsive and who's going to be most willing to follow the social expectation of the show, which is to give people a show. And that's a whole other theory of the mechanics of it, why people do what they do.

Is there an expectancy? Is there a desire to fit in with the context that they're in? That's part of it as well.

Can Hypnosis Make You Do Something Against Your Will?

Evidence shows no. You can't directly hack into someone's sense of morals, ethics, and values and change them. I don't think the research shows that to be the case.

Can Anyone Be Hypnotized?

Current understanding is that hypnotizability falls under a normal distribution. Some people are highly hypnotizable, most are in between and can often respond well with the right approach, and some are less hypnotizable, because there are always ways to influence.

What About Past Life Regression Hypnotherapy?

I personally don't delve into that. I work with this life, the experiences that we understand from this life. I'm not knocking people who have belief or who practice past life regression. I'm really not, because I'm no arbiter of truth. We don't know what we don't know.

Maybe it's there, maybe it's not. It's just not what I integrate into my practice. And for some people, that's what adds to a negative association with hypnosis, because they view it as something that is mystical or based on pseudoscience or has no foundation in the way that we conceptualize science today.

I come from a utilitarian standpoint. If that's what someone's seeking and they think it helps, more power to them, but that's just not how I operate.

Where Does Science End and Pseudoscience Begin?

I'm even wary of calling it pseudoscience, because what is pseudoscience today might be verifiable tomorrow. There are a lot of things that we can't see that exist. We just might not have the hardware to be able to measure them at this time.

So I try to suspend judgment until there is an abundance of evidence to confirm or deny. I look to see what is most helpful and what there is currently evidence for.

Meet Andreas Balasis

My name is Andreas Balasis. I'm a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Florida, and I'm a certified hypnosis practitioner through the International Hypnosis Association.

I've seen the effectiveness in my own life, even before I knew what I was doing. It's something that I truly believe in.

If you've been curious about hypnotherapy but unsure what's real, reach out to IBWHC to set up a conversation with Andreas.