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Can you accidentally hypnotize someone?

I get this question a lot. Someone recently asked me: if A hypnotizes B and C overhears, will C also be hypnotized? The short answer is yes’. The long answer explores the underlying principle and addresses what hypnosis really is.

But before we get into that, you can accidentally hypnotize someone. In fact, you probably have recently. Yes, even if you have never studied hypnosis. Yes, even if you are “too strong to be hypnotized”. (Which makes no sense, but that’s a topic for another article.) Yes, even if you think hypnosis is for fairies and unicorns.

If you lead a normal life, you are hypnotizing people, and being hypnotized, constantly. And most of it is unintentional. How can it be? It makes sense when you think about what hypnosis really is.

Hypnosis: what is it and why is it possible

Hypnosis is not stage magicians who do strange things or therapists who heal your mind. Those are examples of hypnosis, just as a toaster is an example of the laws of physics in action. The hypnotic trance is a characteristic of the brain. Human beings evolved to go in and out of trances, all the time.

This is how the mind solves problems.

The brain has different ways of thinking. You can describe them as System 1 and System 2. You can point to different lobes and describe how each works differently from the rest. Or maybe you like the terms ‘conscious thought’ and ‘unconscious thought’.

On the other hand, maybe you like to think about your own experiences. Have you ever gotten lost on a task? The flow state is a good example, where you get so immersed in an activity that you lose all sense of yourself and time. That is a state of thought.

Now imagine that, while you are in this state, there is a loud bang outside your window. You return to normal consciousness. Maybe you’re even hyper-alert. The point is that your way of thinking changed.

This will happen to you hundreds of times a day. You could be daydreaming, then someone asks you a question, then after they leave you start thinking about your plans.

Different tasks use different modes. Imagine fighting a tiger while your mind wanders. Your ancestors like this did not fare so well.

The state we call hypnotic trance is one such way of thinking. It’s great for imagining possibilities. It makes you more open to ideas and suggestions. It is a creative, non-linear state that your mind rewards you for entering.

This explains why hypnosis is:

  • great at solving problems,
  • associated with ‘dream’ experiences,
  • good for getting people to follow suggestions,
  • used to think new thoughts, and
  • so damn nice.

If you have a problem, you can think about it logically (which is a great way to think). If that doesn’t work, your brain wants to go into hypnotic mode. It’s a great tool in your mental toolbox.

Why are you an amazing hypnotist?

Everyone wants to go into a hypnotic state. Most people have hair triggers for it, though what those triggers are and what turns them off varies a lot. The point is that you spend most of your time on the verge of falling into a trance.

Like everyone else.

If you have a conversation with someone, it will be hypnotic or unpleasant. For example, if you are cornered by a desperate and aggressive salesman, his brain does not want to be open to new ideas. He wants to get away from this lunatic. But talk about anything and everything with a close companion? Your mind is prepared and eager for it.

That’s why good conversations can feel so satisfying. This is why talking things out can expand the mind so much, more than solitary contemplation. It’s also why so many people are disappointed in their first experience with a hypnotist: They expect something different from the trances they’ve been in all their lives.

Talking is rarely a pure exchange of information. There are always small talk, meaningless details, laughter for no reason, topics that go around in circles… If you were to read a transcript of your natural conversations, you would wonder what the point is. But, within the trance of conversation, everything good seems new and enlightening.

And even if you hate small talk, there are hundreds of ways to go into a trance (or put someone in one). Most are so mundane that you wouldn’t even suspect it.

Do you want to know the difference between a hypnotist and the average person? A hypnotist controls a process that the average person does without thinking. A hypnotist does it better, more often and more deliberately.

The verdict on accidental hypnosis

So can a person accidentally hypnotize someone? They can’t not. It is a natural part of how the human brain works. The ability comes from deliberately hypnotizing someone and then using the trance.

The original question: if C eavesdrops he will be hypnotized along with B, seems so simple against this principle. They probably will. They then accidentally hypnotize A, B, and a stranger on the bus. Accidental hypnosis is not only possible, it is also much more common than deliberate hypnosis.

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