Is hypnosis dangerous?

[furryfox85]

Yeah my family is like really worried they think my brain will become all fucked up and stuff, it's like they think hypnosis is the hypnosis you see in cartoons with braindead zombies doing whatever you tell them to do.

i could use someone who is very experienced with hypnosis so i could get some tips, preferrably over MSN or Skype

[Alien4420]

It's no more dangerous than other things you do in trance, like watching TV shows. Many people don't know it, but when you have a daydream or become so absorbed in a movie you forget you're watching a movie you're in trance, just as you would be if you were in a hypnotist's office. Which isn't to say hypnosis can't do harm if the suggestions are malicious, but then, so can a car or a kitchen knife used the wrong way.

[furryfox85]

what im trying to achieve with hypnosis is furry transformation and that is kinda extreme, im not going to use a permanent/curse im gonna use a trigger and that will be no harm when i finally succed in doing it?

[HypnotizeMike]

I think the normal use of hypnosis is safe and can be used without harm. I don't think anyone has ever shown a negative effect of repeated use of hypnosis.

Hypnosis has been successfully used to help people make positive changes in their life by helping them stop smoking or loose weight. But, at the same time, I think that people have a fear that someone will try to take advantage of the opportunity and of the individual hypnotized.

[Alien4420]

what im trying to achieve with hypnosis is furry transformation and that is kinda extreme, im not going to use a permanent/curse im gonna use a trigger and that will be no harm when i finally succed in doing it?

I don't see why there should be, as long as you choose a file file that isn't malicious.

[Inanenoble]

Hypnosis is dangerous but in the sense that someone who doesn't do it right or in your best interests can harm you. (This is ignoring addiction and possibly using harmful files intentionally)

My suggestion is not to take it too lightly and always assume that a file will work.

[DKaiser]

As far as I know, there are two dangers to hypnosis. I'm only a basic certified hypnotherapist, so more experienced people might have more to add:
Abreaction: This is where a trance conjures up very bad memories from your past, due to having relation to some traumatic event. This is very unlikely to happen, especially in the context of erotic hypnosis, as you're generally not here for something like memory regression or trauma recovery. Aside from being stressful, there's not much this can do to you permanently unless you have some previous mental issue(for which you should be seeing a hypnotherapist first, then using hypnosis for fun and enjoyment).
Overindulgence: This is where a highly suggestible subject takes liberties with the suggestions, either consciously or unconsciously. An example would be someone using a transformation file, yet coming out as a four legged version of the animal(obviously not conducive to normal everyday life). This is not much of a problem either, as long as you keep in mind what the file is there to do, and asking the hypnotist if something happens that seems out of whack.

In general, aside from unexpected things like the two mentioned above, hypnosis has a golden rule: If you don't want it to happen, it won't. Thus, hypnosis is quite safe if you know what you're getting into.

Hope that helps.

[Jeshi]

Going into trance by itself is perfectly safe. The action of doing it is fine.
Being hypnotized is also perfectly safe if no suggestions are made.

However when suggestions come into the mix thats when it becomes risky. Depending on the suggestion, dangerous things can happen. But as long as you know what the suggestions are ahead of time, then there can be no danger.


If you want to trigger yourself into a furry, make sure you know you can get un-triggered and that you won't have anything set up that would be dangerous for you to have access too while triggered. This includes people.

But you won't become brain dead. The subconscious is in charge of preventing that from happening and while it might not be able to filter suggestions itself, it can still outright decide not to follow them if it knows not to.

It's why a lot of people get jolted out of trance if the hypnotist says "Slow your heart beat.".

[Glasnerven]

But you won't become brain dead. The subconscious is in charge of preventing that from happening and while it might not be able to filter suggestions itself, it can still outright decide not to follow them if it knows not to.

What if you don't trust your subconscious to do an adequate job of looking out for you?

[MN_FriendlyGuy]

Glasnerven - Before posting this reply, I browsed the forum. I browsed the forum to review postings you've submitted.

I chose to review the postings because I was concerned about possible paranoia.

Your subconscious loves you

It watches over you and protects you

Before browsing the forum, I was ready to remind you that there are people in your life who love you; People you trust; People you can talk with.

And now that I've browsed the forum, it's still true. When someone is apprehensive about something, talking about it with someone trusted can be a good choice.

But browsing the forum allowed me to learn you're a hypnotist.

It allowed me to learn about the types of trance you enjoy guiding. And it makes me wonder whether a sense of apprehension might actually be a correct response for you to feel.

Of course I could be wrong. This is about your feelings after all; how you feel about trusting the subconscious to do an adequate job of looking out for you.

No, you're definitely not paranoid.

[Alien4420]

In all honesty, I have to disagree with some of these posts. The subconscious will not always do an adequate job of looking out for you, when you go into trance you're intentionally disabling a brain mechanism that does that. And the frequent assertion that hypnosis can't make you do things that are harmful is just plain wrong. No, you won't accept a direct suggestion to walk off a cliff. But that's just about as far as the protection goes.

I believe that trance is a natural mechanism that allows us to accept emotional memes from others in the group. As such, it's important to our survival. But it can be abused. Arguably, every time you turn on the TV and watch an advertisement, that's exactly what's happening -- hypnosis is being abused. "Come to where the flavor is, come to Marlboro Country." An old friend of mine just died because we dumb kids accepted that very direct and not very subtle suggestion, craftily constructed by the cynics of Madison Avenue (What boy didn't want to be a cowboy? And note the trochaic meter and rhetoric).

So, per the OP's question, many of the files on this site are harmless and just for amusement. But I think it's important to recognize that not all of them are, that some are here for the jollies of those who are into D&S and S&M and that yes, you can end up covering yourself in tattoos or eating like a pig as a result of listening to them. You may not, I've seen lots of posts here from people who can't go under at all, but if you're suggestible, these files can dramatically change what you like and want. Which, honestly, is a blast and then some, I've had a great time, but I don't want anyone to end up like those guys who listen to Forced Gay on a bet and end up leaving their wives. You should never listen to a file without knowing what's in it and accepting the possibility that the suggestions will change you.

[darkenedav]

My opinion is this;

If on any level something in a trance or suggestion doesn't agree with you (regardless of your level of suggestibility) you can just push it away and ignore it.

It's the same principle as a bad relationship, the only reason people go back to the person abusing them again and again is a part of them likes it.

If that were to happen just like the above there are lots of people out there to help remind you how strong willed us humans can be and get you back on your feet.

All things considered, I have remind people,
"You can't get someone to murder someone else with hypnosis"

Also YAY hypnosis! lol {does love the fun side of the whole shebang!

[Glasnerven]

MN_FriendlyGuy, thanks for your response. I do have a few followup questions.

Your subconscious loves you

It watches over you and protects you

What if I'm not so much questioning its motivations as I am its *competence*? How do I know it's not going to make things worse in a misguided attempt to help?

It allowed me to learn about the types of trance you enjoy guiding. And it makes me wonder whether a sense of apprehension might actually be a correct response for you to feel.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that you disapprove of me and feel that I deserve to have bad things happen to me?

[Alien4420]

How does the subconscious of somebody who commits suicide love them?

How competent is it?

It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the field of psychotherapy is based on the observation that the subconscious can a) harm the individual and is b) surpassingly dumb.

And -- I don't want to be argumentative here, but since people could be hurt -- you will *not* reject every suggestion that hurts you, or that you don't want. That's a myth, and one that can cause harm on this site, where there are suggestions that are intended to do just that.

*One of the main functions of the subconscious is to do harm to the individual* when that is in the interest of the group and of the propagation of the individual's DNA. It may make us march off to war. Or rush in front of a truck to save our kid. Or off ourselves when we're a burden on society.

When you go into trance, you are allowing your subconscious to be written into. Yes, there are safeguards against malicious or harmful or undesired suggestions. But they aren't 100% effective, or anything like. Selection pressure doesn't permit that: any population that developed such a defense would rapidly be extirpated by a population that didn't have it.

[MN_FriendlyGuy]

Glasnerven, I apologize.

You've pointed out a meaning in my words that I did NOT intend to give. I should have been more careful.

MN_FriendlyGuy, thanks for your response. I do have a few followup questions.

What if I'm not so much questioning its motivations as I am its *competence*? How do I know it's not going to make things worse in a misguided attempt to help?

I believe you might be extending attributes of the conscious mind (decisions & logic) to the subconscious. The healthy, rested mind works differently than that. Consider doing some reading... maybe starting with this Wikipedia article about Freud's theory about the id, the ego and the super-ego.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that you disapprove of me and feel that I deserve to have bad things happen to me?

I apologize again for choosing my words poorly.

Firstly (most importantly) - if you're feeling apprehension, pay attention to it. That's one of the ways our subconscious communicates... feelings & hunches.

I should have told you that the research allowed me to learn that you understand the elements of preconditioning and conditioning. You use those elements, even if you're unaware of them. For example, telling prospective clients up-front about expectations of tribute before incorporating it as an element of their trance.

That's good. It's good because it's ethical disclosure in the funland we call 'recreational hypnosis'.

But it comes with a caution that applies to hypnotists.

There's a theory that the trances we guide for others... they touch our own minds.

If you're feeling apprehension, pay attention to it. It could be correct.

How does the subconscious of somebody who commits suicide love them?

Recreational hypnosis is inappropriate for the distressed/unhealthy mind. And your question brought two things to mind.

The first comes from Psych101: a study that proved the instinctive sense of self-preservation present in infants.

The study involved the use of a specialized bench. The entirety of the bench was level and secure. But one side was solid (opaque) and the other side was glass. The infants were placed on the solid section and their mothers would sit at the far end of the glass section and call to their child, inviting them to crawl safely over the glass section. Uniformly, the infants distrusted crawling over a perceived cliff. They might pat the glass surface - but something kept them from crawling across the glass.

The second thing that comes to mind is a short poem by the artist Edward Gorey - who often used the alphabet as a theme for his macabre drawings.

The Suicide, as she is falling,
silhouetted by the moon,
regrets her act and finds appalling
the thought that she’ll be dead so soon.

[vaerlina]

From my experience, If you really don't want a file to work, it won't. simple as that! so unless your specifically choosing files that you know will be dangerous to you (Can't possible imagine what would be on this site...) I don't really see how hypnotism could be dangerous. Other then getting addicted to it ofcoarse :)

A good example would be that episode of Mythbusters when they tried to hypnotize Grant.

[CycoMelody]

I really have to wonder about that episode. Did the hypnotist use the same induction with all 3 or did they actually take their time and do a Taylor-made induction for each of them?

Melody

[DKaiser]

It's important to keep in mind the difference between what can hurt you and what you don't want. If you want something to happen, even if it's really stupid, then there won't be much resistance.
The main thing with dangers of hypnosis is that there will be resistance versus things you don't want... but if you keep listening to it anyway, then eventually that resistance will break down. If something is going on that you don't like, then don't let it continue, and you'll be much safer with hypnosis.

[Alien4420]

LOL. Of such contradictions are conflict born.

As far as I know, both suicide and fear of falling serve evolutionary purposes.

That being said, why do you think that recreational hypnosis would be inappropriate for the distressed mind? For the unhealthy mind, I can see, as in psychotic. But it seems to me that a suggestion that makes you eat so much you get fat is gonna do you harm whether you're distressed or not. So while I can see some files being more harmful for certain people than others, it seems to me that the essential question is whether the file is malicious or not -- or, perhaps, whether it's *too* malicious.

[sarnoga]

it seems to me that the essential question is whether the file is malicious or not -- or, perhaps, whether it's *too* malicious.

Ahh and here we have the age old problem of people trying to make decisions for others. What may be too malicious for one might just be deliciously tantalizing for another.

Sarnoga

[Glasnerven]

The thing is, what if *I* don't want something, but my subconscious is okay with it? What if I do want something but my subconscious is convinced that it's dangerous?

There's a theory that the trances we guide for others... they touch our own minds.

If you're feeling apprehension, pay attention to it. It could be correct.

I'm not really sure what all of your post means in practical terms, MN_FriendlyGuy. Maybe we should talk more in PM?

[Alien4420]

it seems to me that the essential question is whether the file is malicious or not -- or, perhaps, whether it's *too* malicious.

Ahh and here we have the age old problem of people trying to make decisions for others. What may be too malicious for one might just be deliciously tantalizing for another.

Sarnoga

My own instincts are fairly libertarian, but I do believe that there's a line one shouldn't cross. Hypnotizing someone to harm another, for example. Or to step off a cliff. Or misrepresenting or hiding what's in a file unless the subject consents to it.

[Alien4420]

The thing is, what if *I* don't want something, but my subconscious is okay with it?

Your subconscious will attempt to alter your conscious mind so that you do it. It will distort your thoughts and create rationalizations that lead you to do it.

What if I do want something but my subconscious is convinced that it's dangerous?

That depends on how dangerous the subconscious thinks it is. At one extreme, you'll reject the suggestion and pop out of trance. Repeated listening will tend to change the way the subconscious thinks about it, though.

[Glasnerven]

Your subconscious will attempt to alter your conscious mind so that you do it. It will distort your thoughts and create rationalizations that lead you to do it.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. How do I get around/avoid/prevent this?

[sarnoga]

Hey Glasnerven,

Could you be more precice? What is it that you are trying to get around, avoid or prevent.

All together it sounds like a very complex and convoluted way to approach things. Why not just decide what it is you want and figure out how to get there. Shrug.

I believe that Furryfox originally raised the question "Is Hypnosis dangerous?" Your questions seemed to arise out of answers to his questions. As I read the posts it seems the majority of posts were attempting to answer the question in the negative .... that is they were trying to demonstrate that yes, hypnosis is not dangerous.

You, wisely enough showed some skepticism about their answers. I don't blame you, good job. Now, unless I am misreading, it seems that you are tentatively trying to accept the answer that hypnosis is not dangerous and are looking for some reassurance that it is true.

I think you are looking for something that does not exist. Actually the choice of words used to pose the question I found to be interesting. Is hypnosis dangerous? It would have been just as easy to ask if hypnosis is safe? Some might see that as a difference without a distinction or two sides of the same coin, and perhaps it is.

However, I seem to detect a subtle difference between the two that does have a distiction. If only I could put my finger on it exactly I am sure it would be illuminating.

Oh well, enough of my digression. Maybe I will attempt to answer it both ways and see if there is indeed a difference or a distinction. Let's start with the original, is hypnosis dangerous. Mind you that any answer I give is simply my own personal opinion and in no way reflects the views of others or of management, etc etc...

Is hypnosis dangerous. HELL YES or in case you dislike profanity and prefer more polite discourse. Yes, thank goodness hypnosis is dangerous. It is one of the reasons it is so much fun. It can be most exciting and erotic to flirt with danger. Or perhaps I should say that hypnosis is dangerous if properly practiced. It can be as safe as being home in bed if practiced incompetently.

The real question is, or perhaps should be, is hypnosis too dangerous to play with?

The answer to that question is sure to be a very personal answer. My personal answer to that would be a resounding NO. Other people may not be quite so sure. But I would say that yes it is dangerous, I like it that way and that's what makes it fun. It is also the reason I feel a great deal of caution should be used. If you use it carelessly and get burnt... well you took the risk.

The real risk is not necessarily the hypnosis it's self but the choises we make and what we allow ourselves to be exposed to. There is always the danger that one will believe they want something and then when they have it its not really all they had hoped for.

But lets all be thankful for danger. Without it the world would be a very dull place. Driving or riding in a car is dangerous, some might say more dangerous than hypnosis so long as you don't do the hypnosis as you drive. But most of us do it, drive or ride in a car that is. It is a risky business but most people consider the benefit to be well worth the risk.

When you get right down to it life is dangerous. But I don't think I will end mine just to be on the safe side. You could spend a very long time trying to list everything that is dangerous and that people know up front is dangerous but that many do anyway because they consider the danger, the risk, to be worth taking to do what it is they want to do.

(I would also agree with Alien4420, that those who hypnotize others have an obligation not to intentionally misrepresent or decieve, etc. But they are also not your babysitter in most cases at least, hehehe.)

The flip side of the question is, is hypnosis safe? HELL NO, and thank goodness it's not. For all the same reasons as above. Well, I guess maybe it was a difference without a distinction. Naaa, I bet someone else will find the distinction. I'm just too dull witted this evening.

Anyway, I think you do well to be cautious when playing or allowing others to play with your mind, subconscious or otherwise, through hypnosis or any other means.

That doesn't necessarily mean don't do it. To me that means be prudent. Use the measure of caution that is appropriate for you and your situation. Play safe, have fun and enjoy the danger. Just because hypnosis is not safe does not mean you shouldn't use enough caution to play with it safely. Driving a car is dangerous, but most think its worth the danger, but that doesn't mean they go around routinely blasting through red lights at a high rate of speed, etc.

But then I have always been completely committed to the ideal that people should be allowed to make their own decisions and do as they please so long as they are not infringing on the liberty of another without their knowing consent.

While I would not encourage anyone to do so, if an individual were to decide that to them the thrill of jumping off a 50 story building and the subsequent fall is great enough to be worth the rough landing, that is their own business and who am I to object, so long as they don't splatter an unwilling participant.


yeah... just as I thought... I should have kept my thoughts to myself.

Cheers,

Sarnoga.

[Madeira]

For me, I find it's generally best to listen through a file without trancing (for me I find it's pretty easy not to go under even though I'm pretty suggestible) I just make sure I skip at least part of the induction and stay analytical of the hypnotists words.

[Alien4420]

Your subconscious will attempt to alter your conscious mind so that you do it. It will distort your thoughts and create rationalizations that lead you to do it.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. How do I get around/avoid/prevent this?

Honestly, you can't, not easily.

Your subconscious has the ability to make your conscious mind forget things and believe in things that aren't true. It can make you behave irrationally. And for the most part, it's in charge. The conscious mind, the rational part of us, works for the subconscious mind, not the other way around, because the subconscious mind is the part that handles our basic drives -- things like eating, fighting, sex -- and our decisions about what we do.

Think of the subconscious mind as the government and the conscious mind as the research establishment it calls upon to figure out how to run the economy or fight wars and you'll have the general idea. Another way of looking at it is that the subconscious mind is the part of you that gets hungry and decides you're going to eat a banana. The conscious mind is the part of you that figures out how to get the banana. So the subconscious mind is the part that decides what we're going to do, the conscious mind the smart part that figures out how to do things. And since the subconscious mind is the part that decides what we *want to do,* it's pretty much in charge.

100 years ago, Freud discovered that there were ways to gain access to the truths hidden by the subconscious from the conscious mind. He found that hypnosis allows the hypnotist to talk to, ask questions of, and influence the subconscious mind, which will then yield its secrets to the hypnotist. You can even do this to yourself on a limited basis, for example, I wanted an honest answer about something the other day so I wrote a suggestion that I'd know whether I had to do something when I came out of trance and it worked. Later, Freud discovered that free association, in which you just say whatever comes to mind, tapped the subconscious without the need for hypnosis, and that one could also gain access to the subconscious mind through the analysis of dreams.

Anyway, the good news is that you usually don't *want* to do this. While I wouldn't go as far as Friendly Guy and say the subconscious loves you, it does -- usually -- serve your interests and those of the people you love. And it seems that a certain amount of self-delusion is necessary to our normal, healthy functioning.

When you do want to do this is when the subconscious, which is pretty dumb and holds onto strategies developed years ago in circumstances that no longer apply, gets in the way of happiness and success. So forex you might be shy because you were teased for being fat as a kid, even though it's been years since you were overweight.

And, really, when you're doing recreational hypnosis, you usually don't want to do it, because the ability of the subconscious to distort your perceptions is one of the things you're after. So if you want to be hypnotized into being a chicken, you're basically going to write something into the subconscious that makes it decide it wants you to believe you're a chicken, and then let the subconscious command the conscious mind to discard the evidence that you aren't a chicken and accept made-up evidence that you are. Which, amazingly enough, it will do.

[Thrideye]

I love the human mind.

[Alien4420]

But I would say that yes it is dangerous, I like it that way and that's what makes it fun. It is also the reason I feel a great deal of caution should be used. If you use it carelessly and get burnt... well you took the risk.

Great post, it's exactly how I feel.

I'd just add that for those who don't like to court danger, there are plenty of warm, fuzzy hypnosis files that are good safe fun or even (heaven forbid) good for you. But as with anything, it's up to you to make sure a file is safe.

If you're really lucky, you won't know enough to, and get sucked into something great and weird. :-)

[Glasnerven]

I've got to say, all of this is not very encouraging.

The flip side of the question is, is hypnosis safe? HELL NO, and thank goodness it's not.

If that's so, then it's definitely not for me!

[Alien4420]

I've got to say, all of this is not very encouraging.

The flip side of the question is, is hypnosis safe? HELL NO, and thank goodness it's not.

If that's so, then it's definitely not for me!

Well, keep in mind that you are on a site that's dedicated to twisted hypnosis. There are only a few sites that are. The great majority of hypnosis is done for benign purposes like helping people stop smoking.

Also, as far as I know, even this site doesn't contain files that are truly dangerous, e.g., they aren't going to make you jump off a bridge or rob a bank. And they're clearly labeled so you can avoid the files with effects you don't want.

As long as you know what a file does and are OK with the goals of the file you're listening to, hypnosis is safe.