Hypnosis doubles as medical treatment and XXX

By: Kristen De Palma

Posted: 11/8/05

What was once considered to be merely a sideshow gimmick is now used as a treatment for everything from chronic pain to poor study habits, and now and then, some harmless X-rated fun.
While hypnosis is scientifically unexplainable and its effects remain an issue of research to date, XXX hypnotist Tony Lee, a regular performer at Brock University, explains that the act is not quite as mysterious or extraordinary as most people think.
"What hypnotists don't tell people is that they actually induce themselves," said Lee. "It's not a magical thing in any way. But over the years, your typical hypnotist wants to make people believe that they have some kind of special power. That's a real crock of shit."
Hypnosis is often vastly misunderstood, and contrary to popular belief, those who become hypnotized are actually very alert throughout the process. In fact, activities like watching movies, reading or driving can all be considered forms of everyday hypnosis since they are characterized by a somewhat trance-like state.
It does not take a specific type of person to be hypnotized; in most cases, anyone without an attention deficit disorder can fall under. However, those being hypnotized do possess a certain amount of control in the situation.
"You can't be hypnotized unless you want to be, in most cases," said Lee. "Basically anyone can be hypnotized. [To tell if someone has been hypnotized] I'll take a look at their eyes, which will usually flutter, or their pupils which will move back and forth. Their eyes will close, their breathing patterns will change, and there's often a twitching in their hands - there's a few things that we look out for."
While under hypnosis, one becomes highly suggestible, and therefore willing to do almost anything that the hypnotist demands. In Lee's XXX show, volunteers will find themselves performing often embarrassing and ridiculous stunts.
"We didn't have anybody to follow, so we just did the kinds of things that made me laugh. I don't think it's the hypnotist part that makes people come and see the shows, I think it's the demented stuff that comes out of my twisted mind that I make people do," said Lee.
Hypnosis serves a number of functions in today's society, whether for memory retrieval, to increase concentration, or to assist with surgery, phobias, criminology, illness, weight loss, and the list goes on.
Self-hypnosis is also possible, using one's own induction process and concentrating on a specific goal in mind. This type of hypnosis is most often used to increase self-confidence, focus on weight loss, quitting smoking, or overcoming shyness.
Although the act of hypnosis is very common and professionally used, there are still skeptics.
"I love [when people call hypnosis a hoax]," said Lee. "They're our best form of advertising. Because in Canada, we've got about five million people who have seen or heard of the show, so one out of every 10 Canadians over the last 10 years knows who we are, so the credibility's there."
While hypnosis can have many positive impacts, there is also the danger in placing someone in a state in which they are quite vulnerable. Hypnosis can force people to recall painful events from their past, or become manipulated and do things that they would not normally do in their right frame of mind and may later regret.
With Lee's XXX shows, the participants are volunteers, who are made to sign a waiver before being asked to do anything for the demonstration. Once hypnotized, there's no telling what the audience members will do with each performance.
"The volunteers are always different. I mean, we have no idea what these people are going to do at each show. It sounds really obscure, but it's all done in fun and in the parameters of good taste, so you don't cross that barrier, wherever you draw that line."
As hypnosis continues to be developed and researched in its field, it is no surprise that it has fascinated society for so many years - after all; the art has hypnotized Lee for the majority of his life.
"When I first started, I said you know what, I'll do some shows at the bar and have some fun. Over the years, we developed new hypnosis methods and figured that we'd go on the road for a couple years and see the world before we get a real job. Twenty years later, we're still doing it."