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Shock Induction Demonstration
This is an actual demonstration with instructor Ron Hodges of a hypnotic “shock induction”. The subject in the video drops like a ragdoll! This video is from HMI’s Vintage Video Library and is a very good example of shock induction and the response of a sumnambulistic subject to a shock induction. This state of shock hypnosis means we become much more suggestible and therefore able to learn a new instinctive pattern.
During REM dreaming at night, our body experiences a kind of paralysis called catalepsy because acting out your dreams is bad for survival – and nature doesn’t want that. This demonstration also shows catalepsy. Shock is a fast track into the REM state. We can become frozen by shock. We enter the REM state and we experience catalepsy. The freezing during shock may last a second or minutes for some people. Flip a bird on its back suddenly and it will freeze. (That’s how you do animal hypnosis).
When we enter shock hypnosis, which of course is much quicker than progressive relaxation hypnosis, we are wide open to suggestion and new instinctive programming. When we think of hypnosis we usually think of “relaxation”, of a calm voice lulling us into serenity and peace. It’s true that progressive relaxation is a wonderful way to enter hypnosis or REM. Progressive relaxation mirrors what your mind and body do naturally as you drift off to sleep and enter the REM state naturally at night. Relaxation has many health and mind benefits but it is not an essential aspect of the REM state – we can be hypnotized – like the startled bunny caught in the headlights – without being relaxed. Both types of hypnosis can update the way we instinctively respond to life. We prefer to use relaxation hypnosis with our clients because of the added benefits of relaxation.
