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[teamnoir]

Periodically, I hear this idea around hypnosis. Here's an example statement from another forum.

The first rule of hypnosis is that one can not be hypnotized in to doing anything one is not already willing to do.This isn't a rule. it's more of an arbitrary belief. And I would posit that it is an abusive belief and one to which I do not subscribe.

The

Comments

[prismfire]

While I agree that it is not a strictly true statement I offer up the other benefit of the statement of giving a subject the belief that they do have some control over thier actions. If a subject believes that a hypnotist can make them do anything they want them to then that belief will be self prophetic. The statement is an illusion of safety as well as a sort of *trust your own natural defenses kind of thing* It takes a damned good hypnotist to consistently make people do things against thier will. Its creating the belief that if they really dont want to do it they wont.