How do I know if I have been hypnotized? by M. Vance Romane
In my younger days in the 1960’s to early 1980’s when I presented many hypnosis shows, I had people hypnotized on stage entertaining the audience as Tiny Tim, Elvis, Tom Jones, the Beatles, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty Contestants, Muscle Builders, Dancers, Yodelers, and many others. Sometimes, after being on stage hypnotized, entertaining the audience for over two hours, they would say “I don’t think I was hypnotized. I heard you all the time.”
I would say, “Well if you didn’t hear me, you would have to either be deaf or dead. In most cases, you must hear the hypnotist to make it work. There are cases where I used to have people do things by just shifting my eyes up, down, left, or right, raising a hand, or having them read a special note. However, it is usual to have to hear someone to know what to do.
Then I would say, well, if you were not hypnotized, why did you do everything I told you to do during the entire show. They would say “I don’t know, I FELT like it.” The question “Have I been hypnotized?” is the wrong question because most people will not realize they have been hypnotized the first time you hypnotize them. They do not feel dramatically different other than deep relaxation, focusing on the hypnotist’s voice and wanting to follow his hypnotic instructions. The right question is “Did I feel different?” Or “Did my thoughts, feelings or behavior change following the hypnosis?” It is more likely someone will know they were hypnotized after being hypnotized several times.
You can waste a lot of concentration and mind power asking your self over and over: “Is it working, I hope it works, when will it work, please work, why doesn’t it work. It must work. This is my last resort.” Hypnosis is a skill and the more you do it, the better you are at it. This constant “monkey in the mind, fear of failure” wastes a lot of mental energy, acts like negative self-hypnosis, and ends up with a scattered focus of concentration upon the voice of the hypnotist. Remember this quote? “That which I hath feared hath come upon me.” The best attitude is “This is going to be great. I am looking forward to my success. This is so easy a child can do it. I have been hypnotized thousands of times before while absorbed in thought – when daydreaming; when totally absorbed while watching a movie in a theatre, and when driving past the exit I meant to take.”
Conscious Awareness: During hypnosis, you will experience a state of focused attention and relaxation. You may or may not be aware you are in an altered state or recall the suggestions given to you. If you forget much of the session, you were in a deeper hypnosis with amnesia or partial amnesia because of your intense focus of attention upon the voice of the hypnotist. Sometimes people think they remember everything said to them, but they may forget parts without being aware of it.
Sensations and Perception: Hypnosis can involve changes in perception and sensations. You may have felt deeply relaxed, detached from your surroundings, or experienced a heightened sense of focus during the session. These sensations can indicate that you were hypnotized. Other sensations can include feelings of floating; heaviness, time passing fast; watering of the eyes; temporary numbness; eyelid fluttering; part of your body seems to have disappeared; lack of or little body movement; slower, smoother more relaxed breathing; pains or aches vanishing due to the relaxation and more.
Response to Instructions: Hypnosis involves the power of suggestion. If you find yourself responding positively to the hypnotist’s instructions and experiencing changes in your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors as a result, you were indeed hypnotized. Comments of people after hypnosis can be: “I don’t think I was hypnotized, but I don’t feel like a smoke.” Or “After I was hypnotized, I found myself leaving food on the plate, eating less and feeling satisfied, exercising and I used to hate exercise.” Fifty years ago, a hypnotist said: “When hypnosis is on every street corner, everyone will want it.” That time is remarkably close. When I was young in the sixties, I was the only hypnotist in the telephone book. Now there are many hypnotists in most every city, with varying degrees of training, skill, and experience. Hypnosis conventions in the 1980’s were mostly bearded men. It was rare to see a woman hypnotist in the 60’s to 80’s. Now, up to two thirds of attendees at hypnosis conventions are women.
Time Distortion: Hypnosis can create a sense of time distortion, where an hour of hypnosis may feel like 5 or 10 minutes. If you experienced a distorted perception of time during the session, this is a strong indication of hypnosis.
Post-Hypnotic Effects: After a hypnosis session, you may notice positive changes in your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors because of the hypnotic instructions given during the session. These changes can serve as additional indicators that you were hypnotized.
It’s important to note that the effectiveness of hypnosis can vary from person to person. Some individuals are more receptive to hypnosis than others. Additionally, the depth of hypnosis can also vary, ranging from a light trance to a deep state. Even a light hypnosis state can dramatically help someone. Less receptive people can acquire the skill of deeper hypnosis with guidance and practice.
Another myth is that you need to see a hypnotist live. Thousands of my students have quit smoking, lost large amounts of weight and more from just listening to my recorded hypnosis seminars and sessions. The most amazing fact about hypnosis is that many people leave the method of hypnosis as the last resort to solve their problem, and that is the only method that worked for them!
Have a great summer!
Vance Romane