Interesting points and questions b2.  However, I think we have to understand the workings of our minds to get a better look at what hypnosis does and doesn't do.  Don's remarks about hypnosis causing us to exercise the imagination are only partially true.  He fails to take into account the mechanisms of the conscious and subconscious mind, and thus oversimplifies the interactions and the applications of hypnosis.

The conscious or waking mind is that which we are all familiar; our daily thoughts, often interacting with our environment in real time.  But underneath it all, we have a subconscious mind.  I prefer to think of the subconscious as a shared membrane or template that all human beings have access to.  This template or membrane connects directly to the universe ....it is intent manifest.  What ever is impressed upon this membrane changes probabilities in the physical world and is bound to manifest in one way or the other.

Now we need to understand a few things about the subconsious mind.  It is not active.  It does not think.  It does not make decisions.  It is merely a nearly omnipotent reactive membrane.  This means that it does what it is told.  And who exactly tells our subconscious mind what to do?  Why we do, of course.  Whenever a thought or expectation is accepted deep within our consciousness as a belief or truth, the subconscious then is impressed with this thought, and begins to manifest it in our lives.  Fleeting thoughts, wishes, temporary rages, none of these things sink down to the level of our subconscious to impress themselves on this membrane or template.  That is why on earth we do not appear to be omnipotent beings, creating things at will.

Yet it is our deepest thoughts, loves, and unfortunately our deepest fears, which, if they become seen by us as "true beliefs," begin to sink down onto the subconscious and then manifest into our lives.  It is important to undestand that what is drawn into our lives is a change in probabilities, leading to that which we need.  This may initially appear subtle but it is real.  Any man or woman who examines his or her life closely enough will see how the synchronicity of life events reflected in some way previous thoughts and beliefs which were drawn into their reality.  When one understands this interaction between conscious and subconscious mind, it provides both amazing insight into our past, and wonderful potential for our future evolution.  (I have some interesting texts and references for this "theory of mind" for anyone interested in them).

So back to hypnosis.  The hypnotist merely relaxes his/her subject until he has access to the template of the subconscious.  Now remember, this powerful subconscious membrane has no independent thought of its own; it merely does what it is told.  So yes, a person under hypnosis may quack like a duck or act like he were five; the subconscious is merely reacting to these commands. 

Although the subconscious is extremely powerful at slowly changing probabilities to bring about change in our lives, it is not instantaneous as it is in Focus 27.    So under hypnosis, if the hypnotist says to the subject, "you are covered in a rash", the person may itch uncontrollably.  Yet the rash does not have to manifest immediately or at all (although there have been cases of dermatographia or writing on the skin that have been "programmed" by hypnotic suggestion). 

So most of these parlor tricks seen by hypnotists, cause only amusing sideshows without appearing miraculous.  Sometimes, however, hypnosis has been used to get people to stop smoking or resolve other illnesses quite effectively.  Often this takes repetetive contact,sometimes employing the use of self hypnosis with affirmations.  Essentially, the subject is taking useful thoughts and embedding themselves onto the subconscious template as "true beliefs."  Once done, they are bound to manifest in the person's life in one way or another. 

Subliminal messages on TV can not really hypnotize people.  As you can see from my description, in order for hypnosis to work, you must be very relaxed, and the subconscious must mistake the hypnotist's suggestion for the person's own thoughts/beliefs.  Thus, subliminal images or commercials only could "hypnotize" us if we willingly accepted their thought/message as a true belief and let it sink deep down into our subconscious. 

I plan to more fully respond to Don in his own thread, but I put this out there as my own understanding of the theory of mind, and the workings of hypnosis.


Matthew

You are right b2, but we have a fair amount of say over the matter.  Thoughts are like seeds in a garden, and the subconscious template or membrane I speak of is like the soil.  The thing is that fleeting thoughts do not take root in this garden.   Meanderings and wonderings,  and "what if"seeds don't usually germinate either. 

According to the theory of mind, the only thoughts that take root and impress themselves on the subconscious are those bound to belief which we accept as true.  Now if there are subliminal messages, and we allow the message to become part of our thought process as a "true belief," then you are right, we may be influenced by commercials and TV ads, etc. 

However the bombardment does not make us believe in the truth behind the thought or advertisement.  Our conscious minds are still the master of our ship of consciousness.  As I said, the subconscious is reactive but does not think by itself. 

So while we may, as you say be influenced by TV and the ads, we have the choice to direct things.  Much like a gardener can weed and prune her/his garden, we can weed and prune and direct things.  We can exert our will and intent, and then, like any well tended garden, we can enjoy the blossoms and bounty that are bound to follow. 

Although I haven't cited references from either texts on the mind or scripture, I certainly can, if anyone is interested.  Scripture, I will leave to Don, but christians and non-christians alike are familiar the axioms "ask and ye shall receive," "seek and ye shall find" and "if you have even the faith the size of a mustard seed and say to this mountain 'move,' it will!"  This and other scripture all refer in some ways to the theory of mind and the power of thought/intent translating into belief and then impressing itself onto the membrane of the subconscious.


Matthew

Such good points.

Spooky, how about the children? How trusting are children, who are a 'blank slate' for the powers that be? How much information are they 'bombarded' with before they are 10 years old, no matter where they live? Even culturally imposed ideas are, in my mind, a form of hypnotism, when I look at it in this way.

Yes Matthew, I guess though that some hypnotists have the gift/training to avoid everything what could cause a defend-reaction, and one factor in this might be to throw someone off guard, being very quick and providing no time to think about the suggestion. This is as well a rhetoric technique.

Yes B2, I, too, thought about children. It's not really clear to me in which way hypnosis in a narrower sense works with children. But of course one's for certain, they are much more suggestible than adults, so the media have an enormous influence on children.

Spooky