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From Theory to Stage Shows to Military Practice: A Synopsis of Hypnosis
By Timothy Morris
Typically, when the word hypnosis is heard, thoughts of magicians, silver watches or medallions, and people being forced to act like chickens comes to mind. While movies, cartoons, magicians, and comedians embrace this stereotype of hypnotists it has evolved from being a laughable sideshow attraction to being taken seriously in both the scientific and medical communities.
The term "hypnosis" was originally coined by James Braid in the 1840s. Similar ideas to hypnotism include Franz Anton Mesmer's "animal magnetism" theory. In fact, Braid coined his term specifically to distinguish his research from that of Mesmer. While it used to be commonly thought that a hypnotic state rendered one unconscious, new research suggests that hypnosis causes impaired awareness and heightens susceptibility to suggestion. Newer research also implies that hypnotic states are conscious states of where one's attention is intently focused. While many psychologists and scientists have studied hypnotism in the past; some finding it to be a profound new science and others thinking it a complete farce, its growing acceptance and medical uses are undeniable.
The medical use of hypnosis is known as hypnotherapy. Hypnosis has been seen in both psychological practices as well as forms of alternative treatment for other illnesses. It has been used with success to treat irritable bowel syndrome and to reduce the pain caused by cancer. It was recognized by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK as an alternative to chemical anesthesia.
Hypnodermatology, a form of hypnotherapy, specializes in treating skin conditions. Doctors have used hypnosis to treat, and in some cases cure, warts, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. On top of its hypnodermatology uses, hypnotism has found its way into the weight-loss market as well. A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology by Irving Kirsch, Hypnotic Enhancement of Cognitive-Behavioral, Weight Loss Treatments: Another Meta-Reanalysis, showed that subjects who underwent hypnosis lost more weight than those just on the weight loss treatment.
Perhaps one of the most popular forms of hypnotherapy, or at least one of the most widely known, is referred to as psychotherapy. This is the practice where licensed professionals use hypnosis to help patients overcome issues like sleeping disorders, eating disorders, addictions like gambling and smoking, anxiety and even depression. While the practice has a surplus of critics and skeptics, hypnotherapists have also made claims to be able to unearth buried memories.
So, are there uses for hypnotism that go beyond medicine and entertainment? There are an unlimited amount of people who believe there are and for those who wonder how hypnotism could be useful to governments and militaries, take a look at what practiced Las Vegas professionals do every night on stage.
Because of the acts of many stage magicians, hypnosis was long thought to be a form of mind control. Knowing a little more about what hypnosis actually does (significantly decrease resistance to suggestion) it's easy to figure out how the shows work. During the standard lounge act one might see a performer make his victims to imitate animals, reveal dark secrets, or even kiss another on stage in front of the crowd. Seeing how easy it seems for one man to control others creates begs the question: Could the military do the same?
The short answer is yes. Regardless of whether stage shows are the real thing or hoaxes, the scientific studies of hypnosis have shown that there truly are real, practical uses for hypnosis. It has been used in almost every field from education to sports which makes it being used in military activity not seem so farfetched.
Science Digest published a work in 1971 by G.H. Estabrooks, PH.D. entitled Hypnosis Comes of Age. In his writing, Estabrooks described his time assisting the military with hypnosis during and after World War II. As far as the benefits of using hypnotism for military actions, Estabrooks wrote "....One of the most fascinating but dangerous applications of hypnosis is its use in military intelligence. This is a field with which I am familiar though formulating guide lines for the techniques used by the United States in two world wars. Communication in war is always a headache. Codes can be broken. A professional spy may or may not stay bought. Your own man may have unquestionable loyalty, but his judgment is always open to question."
Estabrooks makes claims to have successfully figured out how to "lock" messages in a soldier's unconscious so they would have information without knowing they had it, thus making it impossible for them to give away national secrets. "The 'hypnotic courier,' on the other hand, provides a unique solution. I was involved in preparing many subjects for this work during World War II. One successful case involved an Army Service Corps Captain whom we'll call George Smith. Captain Smith had undergone months of training. He was an excellent subject but did not realize it. I had removed from him, by post-hypnotic suggestion, all recollection of ever having been hypnotized… The system is virtually foolproof. As exemplified by this case, the information was 'locked' in Smith's unconscious for retrieval by the only two people who knew the combination. The subject had no conscious memory of what happened, so could not spill the beans. No one else could hypnotize him even if they might know the signal phrase."
The claim is also made that, apart from creating hypnotic couriers, Estabrooks was also able to separate personalities within individuals to create spies. These spies would have one personality that wholly believed to be a part of an organization, making it easy for them to penetrate it while their subconscious would retain loyalty. Once hypnotized again, the loyal personality would share everything known by the disloyal personality. In his work, Estabrooks wrote, "During World War II, I worked this technique with a vulnerable Marine lieutenant I'll call Jones. Under the watchful eye of Marine Intelligence I spilt his person ality into Jones A and Jones B. Jones A, once a "normal" working Marine, became entirely different. He talked communist doctrine and meant it. He was welcomed enthusiastically by communist cells, was deliberately given a dishonorable discharge by the Corps (which was in on the plot) and became a card carrying party member...All I had to do was hypnotize the whole man, get in touch with Jones B, the loyal American, and I had a pipeline straight into the Communist camp. It worked beautifully for months with this subject, but the technique backfired. While there was no way for an enemy to expose Jones' dual personality, they suspected it and played the same trick on us later."
Another claim made is that Estabrooks was able to create hypnotism-resistant soldiers. Estabrooks wrote, "In the case of an officer we'll call Cox, this carefully prepared counterspy was given a title to indicate he had access to top priority information. He was planted in an international cafe in a border country where it was certain there would be enemy agents. He talked too much, drank a lot, made friends with local girls, and pretended a childish interest in hypnotism. The hope was that he would blunder into a situation where enemy agents would kidnap him and try to hypnotize him, in order to extract information from him. Cox worked so well that they fell for the trick. He never allowed himself to be hypnotized during séances. While pretending to be a hypnotized subject of the foe, he was gathering and feeding back information."
What are the chances that Estabrooks accounts are fact and not well-practiced instances of science fiction? A July 2001 article in Scientific American by Michael Nash titled The Truth and Hype of Hypnosis states that scientists have "temporarily created hallucinations, compulsions, certain types of memory loss, false memories and delusions so that these phenomena can be studied in a controlled environment."
While there are as many believers in hypnotism as a possible military strategy as there are those who say the notion is laughable; the fact remains that both Nash and Estabrooks are respected in the scientific field. One could argue, however, that since their works not a lot has been heard about military use of hypnotism. After all, if any government was truly using hypnosis as a means to gather intelligence, wouldn't it make sense to hide such information for the sake of national security (as well as the agents' lives)? Also, while the accounts of both Estabrooks and Nash may cause conspiracy theorists to lick their lips and habitually watch Manchurian Candidate, the fact is that there are many positive things that this brings into the military.
In times of war, humanity often takes a backseat for the sake of security. Captives are tortured for information in the hope of being able to better protect the citizens of the country. If hypnotism were perfected, it would then be feasible as an interrogation tool, thus eliminating the need for torture tactics all together. It has been recorded as an effective way to help soldiers deal with battle stress and the loss of comrades as well, which makes its military uses seem a little less aligned with conspiracy.
Is the human mind really so susceptible to suggestion? In the early days of the movie industry, Coca-Cola had an ad inside of movie theatres. The ad was very simple but what was unique about it was that there was a hidden message that encouraged those watching to drink a coke. The ad campaign was so effective that the company saw its sales more than double in just a short time. When the US government reviewed the ad and found what is called "subliminal messages" within it; the use of such messages in advertising was banned. The financial records show that everyone is capable of being hypnotized to some extent as subliminal messaging is just one form of hypnotic suggestion. So, should the citizens of the world cower in fear before trained hypnotists and their shiny, dangling medallions?
The fear of hypnotism comes from the possibilities it possesses as well as the small amount of people who actually understand how to use it. With the majority of the population regarding it as used for entertainment only, very few actually know how to do it. Of those few, even fewer probably know how to hypnotize someone at the level Estabrooks proclaimed himself capable. In fact, a large majority of stage hypnotism involves off-microphone whispers that encourage the group to simply "play along" for the fun of the show.
With all the hoaxes making hypnotism laughable paired with all the scientific research and medical practice that shows its practical uses. It's easy to understand the growing fascination. Those interested in learning more about hypnotism, whether seeking to be the next big Las Vegas lounge act, a job doing secret military work, or a licensed professional therapist that tries to use hypnosis to do some good in the world will be pleased to know that there are several places where hypnosis can be studied. A simple search in any search engine will yield countless websites claiming to be able to teach one the secrets of being a powerful hypnotist. In fact, there is even a degree-granting college in the art of hypnotism that can be found.
Paired with all the information websites that one can pull from the dredges of the World Wide Web are the near limitless "self-hypnosis" videos. The majority of these videos are designed for the purpose of relaxation, stress relief, and general self-help. With enough searching, more targeted self-hypnosis videos, for example, ones that help a person quit smoking, drinking, or gambling, can be found. One thing that all of the videos will have in common is recommending a set of stereo headphones which block out the sound of whatever is going on around you. Hypnotism does, after all, require focus.
Remember the next time hypnotism comes up while watching a movie, a magic show on stage, or even researching across the web that even though it does have its humorous and entertaining aspects, hypnotism is something that is very real and commonly used in the world today. It only takes a subject giving something their undivided attention to slip into a hypnotic trance and once the state of heightened focus is reached, hypnotic suggestions can be spoken or even read. You are getting sleepy; very, very sleepy. Now bring me a taco.