by User517 » May 6th, 2009, 8:15 pm
[quote="davelowe1977"]
I can be fairly sure as most of the outcomes of clinical studies on hypnotic physical effects are either negligible or down to other factors.
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The problem with clinical studies is that they look for something specific and quantifiable, and as always, the devil is in the details.. Although it has been found by some that effects are negligible, there have been several studies which suggest that hypnosis might allow for increased bust size, and growth/shrinking in certain areas, weight loss, behavior control, perceptions. Many of these studies are aimed at a general population, skeptics, or are administered by persons who don't know what they're doing. Some of these are even found to have data altered or ignored in order to prove the original conclusion of the person who conducted the study. Academically, hypnosis is often tossed in with other arcane practices like Astrology, and due to it being featured publicly as a gimmick for entertainment, or as a tool used by shady doctors who molest patients, most don't acknowledge its capabilities beyond these instances. Although this is the case, most in the know still suggest caution whenever dealing with hypnosis simply because the results are not always predictable.
And that is why most studies don't do well. It isn't something that works the same on everyone since people are wired differently, have different values, beliefs, and may be more or less willing to really accept the suggestions or even go into trance. Often these studies simply don't continue for long enough for any possible results to take. And depending on how that study is carried out, it may even be up to the individual's decision on how often they listen, or in what state. There is also often the placebo effect (real suggestions verses something fake) which is usually always treated as a means of discounting the changes of hypnosis. Hypnosis is not a drug, and cannot be tested for as an isolated variable. Both hypnosis and the placebo effect work off a belief that actions being done will lead to a particular outcome. As most often the outcome, both voiced and unvoiced of either is something wanted that will not cause harm to the person (due to moral issues), it becomes even harder to differentiate between the two. As you may have noticed, most of the files here deal with things that can be rather harmful or immoral, and may even go against things which that person is expecting. Which are factors that no study could test for. As anything presumed new and dangerous is concerned, people tend to be a bit more attentive, and more willing to adopt it into their person, this too helps the results.
Furthermore, the users of the files often are accustom to going into trance, and occasionally choose to have no advance knowledge of what specific things are suggested in the files, so therefore their results would be even harder to sort out. In the long run it doesn't matter if it is just wishful thinking or the work of suggestions, both utilize similar mental processes.
Once you've moved beyond that, it has been proven that the mind can cause some significant changes to the body including, but not limited to; changes in metabolism, changes in blood flow, healing, paralysis, desensitization. All these things are controlled by nervous or autonomic systems, and has been proven in certain extreme cases, can be influenced by specific will or effort. Many of these things, over time can lead to real physical changes, such as expansion of certain soft tissues, weight loss/gain, changes in muscle mass, im/potency, incontinence, decreased strength/mobility. This is how some prescription drugs also achieve these things. Hypnosis is just merely another way of tapping into those processes without it being drug induced or the result of many years of training.
It may all be in your head, but that does not mean that it is fantasy or totally impossible.