Why Does Stage Hypnosis Look Deeper Than One-to-One Hypnosis?

Question:

I’ve noticed that volunteers in stage hypnosis shows often appear to go into much deeper hypnotic states than people in impromptu one-to-one hypnosis sessions (not hypnotherapy). On stage, subjects seem more relaxed, show stronger eye fluttering or rolling, experience more hypnotic amnesia, and generally appear far more responsive.

I understand the usual explanations: stage hypnotists can select the most responsive subjects, there’s a strong social element where people don’t want to disappoint the hypnotist or the audience, and indicators like REM or amnesia aren’t reliable measures of depth. However, having practised hypnosis myself for several years and watched many street and stage hypnotists, I still find that stage hypnosis consistently produces deeper-looking trances than one-to-one work.

So what, if anything, are stage hypnotists actually doing differently that leads to these stronger results?

Answer:

Prestige, expectation, and social compliance. If somebody goes to (and pays for) a hypnosis show or hypnotherapy from a professional, they know the hypnotist is an expert and able to do all they claim. If however it just comes up socially one on one, the vibe is much more likely to be “Let’s give it a go and see what happens” rather than “This will 100% work!”

I find few hypnotists invest enough time and effort in their pre-talk and the completely miss that the pre-talk isn’t just the talk they give right before hypnosis, it’s seeing the hypnotist’s website, or hear about them. It’s about deciding to go. It’s booking tickets or a session. It’s walking into the venue and seeing posters/training certificates. All of that is part of the hypnosis process and that’s generally all skipped for a one on one impromptu social session.

Then on top of that you have social compliance, they are on stage surrounded by people going very deep, very quickly, this tells their subconcious it’s totally fine for them to do the same and resistance is dropped (or at least lowered).

If you’re new here, find out more about this section on the About Ask Dr. Mex page.