The Dark Side of Hypnosis We have all enjoyed a good story about the ‘dark side of hypnosis’, a suspenseful tale of assassination, murder, love gone wrong or revenge. These are common entertainments in the world of tall tales we thrive within. The ‘dark side of hypnosis’ is a common theme among books, movies and television, but is there truly a ‘dark side’ of hypnosis? In a way there is, however the ‘dark side’ of hypnosis is much more common and mundane than the entertainment industry would lead you to believe. In fact the entertainment industry is much a part of the ‘dark side’ of hypnosis as any other means in our society. Many times we are hypnotized quite by accident and these instances are generally harmless and well intentioned. Other times trances and hypnosis is projected upon us very purposefully, designed to drive you to buy, sell or do something you may not normally desire to do. The main culprits of purposeful hypnosis that you may not be aware of are the media, news, government, advertising, post as well as other people’s opinions. If you take a moment to think back to a time when there was no television, you will often picture a farm family with no more possessions than they need, maybe a candle burning for light and a fire to cook food by. Yet happy in the world they have created for themselves without the influence of a television constantly projecting the ‘needs’ of everyday life. If you compare this to today’s home life where most televisions are on at almost every hour of the day, a very different reality takes place. We are being influenced everyday by thousands of messages targeted directly to persuade us to purchase bigger, nicer, better, more convenient items. GPS takes the place of maps, disposable diapers instead of cloth and TiVo giving you the ability to never miss a single hypnotic message on TV. Honestly, I have yet to see a Swifter in a museum or on an episode of Little House on the Prairie. Most advertising is created very purposefully, their objective and business is to influence you to buy an item, one you may be persuaded to think you need. This is an example of the true, as un-ominous as it may sound, dark side to hypnosis. In being persuaded to buy a new car, when our current vehicle runs fine and may only need a good washing, we are not improving the self from within, we are using a material object to make ourselves feel better about our status in life. The news is just as abusive in its power to influence our lives, news is no longer about bringing new happening events into our lives as it is now about driving you to watch the news. News by definition is supposed to report recent events, intelligence and information. However I am sure you realize by now the news is about catching our interests, what will bring us in to watch, bad news; murder, war, rape, financial instability, disease; the list is endless. Good news would be much too repetitive and boring day after day; the sun rose, Joe had a great day at work and his wife managed to stay sane while watching their four children. The story you will hear on the news however is Joe went to work, there was a terrorist attack and his wife could no longer manage the children so she drown them in the bath tub. The danger of this dark side of hypnosis is that it can often create a false impression of the world we live in; sure it is important to know when bad things happen and to educate yourself to prevent them. What is dangerous is to think that everyday the ‘news’ is all that is happening in our world. Joe and his family above definitely had a bad day no doubt about it, but there were millions and millions of other families that had perfectly normal happy days as well; little Jimmy got an A, Sally learned to do a cartwheel, mom kept the grocery bill under $300.00 and dad experienced a rewarding day at work and came home an hour early. The news no longer gives us an accurate representation of the world in which we live, because they to have been influenced to want more, better ratings and more achievement awards. Hypnosis is a powerful thing and it is important to realize these dangers in a world that is so prevalent with hidden messages and suggestion. The mundane hypnotic dangers of our world come to us through the unconscious being influenced by our societies influences and suggestions. How do you compensate and keep a sane and realistic view of life? Take action in your own mind, choose what you believe, pay attention to the things that are happening around you. The easiest way not to fall victim to the ‘dark side of hypnosis’ or break negative hypnotic messages is to think rationally, critically, and originally. Know who you are and do not be a stranger to skepticism. Skepticism allows you to make your own decisions about what you take in as your true beliefs in life. Analyzing and ridiculing information will stand as a defense against negative messages and protect your mind from all around general pessimism.
For more information please visit http://www.conversational-hypnosis.com |