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all improvements welcome
The Article seems kind of slanted twords a skyptical veiw of stage hypnosis. I am not sure what to change so could some one else try to make the article more nutural.Applepi2342 (talk) 06:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
This article is more than kind of slanted towards a skeptical view. In fact the primary topic of every section is an argument against hypnotism, and most of it either expresses an opinion of the author or quotes the opinions of others who don't offer much in the way of quantifiable data. The authenticity of hypnosis (be it valid or not) should not be the focus of this article, either way, yet it is the only topic covered. Things such as the training involved, the place in entertainment, the typical parts of a show, what an audience member could expect (or someone booking a show can expect), common skits incorporated in stage hypnosis shows, and other informational aspects valuable to those (like me) who come to this article hoping to learn more about stage hypnosis.
I would suggest that this article be moved to a new article about skepticism of hypnosis and a new article specifically about stage hypnosis be written from the ground up. 65.128.202.129 (talk) 01:28, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
The stage hypnotism article is written from a completely skeptic point of view. The author uses one example from one source to say that all stage hypnotism is false, while there are plenty of manuals availible to stage performers about genuine group hypnotism. This article needs severe help. It is not entirely factual and certainly doesn't meet Wikipedia's standards. Sevey13 (talk) 05:39, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
IT has been a while since I have been here but it still seems to be slanted to a skeptical view. If there is anyone with knowledge on this could they make it more balanced.Applepi2342 (talk) 03:51, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
What's the alternative viewpoint? I think you'll find there's a consensus that the way stage hypnotists present their art is partly for dramatic effect. It's a bit like asking for a less skeptical account of stage magic. Magicians might claim on stage, for the audience, that they can actually saw a lady in half somehow by "magic", but in reality they all agree that it's really "illusion." There aren't many stage hypnotists who would sincerely argue that formal hypnotic inductions are necessary or that a certain amount of fakery and sleight of hand never occurs in stage hypnosis shows. Of course, that doesn't exclude the possibility that many shows make extensive use of genuine phenomena of hypnotic "waking" suggestion, etc. HypnoSynthesis (talk) 18:52, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
Yeah, this article is way too skeptical. I don't have any sources, but I just went to a hypnosis show. I knew all the people on stage. Some people were faking, but about half of those on stage were definitely hypnotized and did not realize what they were doing. Gms13 (talk) 03:32, 7 March 2009 (UTC)
I've been a participant of a stage hypnosis show. The only way to describe the feeling was, it was weird. I do think they article is being a little too skeptical, but I can understand why. Anyone who thinks stage hypnosis is a fraud would never allow themselves to be "hypnotized". You have to WANT the hypnosis to work, and you have to allow yourself to believe that the hypnotist is 100% correct in what their saying. If they tell you to put your hands together, and then they tell you “you’re going to try to pull your hands apart, but the more you pull, the tighter they become”. You have to WANT to believe this is true. When I wasn’t thinking, I honestly could not pull my hands apart, then I stopped for a second, and was like, ‘duh’, apart they come. Some of the more crazy suggestions, telling someone they’re a seatbelt for these other 5 people, and when they hear the word ‘crash’ they have to throw themselves along these people’s laps, I have more trouble believing these aren’t just people who crave being the center of attention. I walked off stage shortly after the clasped hand trick, the next thing was we were all on a island and had to ‘swim’ to the end of the stage. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.238.49.65 (talk) 20:38, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
I am a stage hypnotist and this article is aggressively over-skeptical and misinformed - more than half of it is devoted to skeptical response and alleged fraud. I will honestly say that I've heard stories of stooges and plants, but one of the first things I learned was that it is easier and cheaper to actually hypnotize the subjects than it is to pay them. While there may be stage hypnotists who use these techniques, this article makes it sound like we all do, which is patently untrue. If only ten percent of hypnotists use these methods, should well over half the article decry them? Also, Kreskin is a notoriously biased critic of stage hypnotism, perhaps because he sees it as a threat or competition to his own livelihood as a mentalist. He's not a hypnotist himself and I'd venture to say he's hardly an authority on the subject. Note, however, that some criticism of stage hypnotism being faked may stem from the practice of mentalism (an offshoot of stage magic that involves supposed mind-reading, but which actually relies on conventional illusion practices). Many professional stage hypnotists do incorporate mentalism in their acts, and this blurs the line between genuine hypnotism and deceptive artifice. Many aspect of recent stage hypnotism, such as culling the subjects precisely to remove fakers and those who are non-responsive, are totally missing from this article, which seems to have a strong bias against the subject. The omission of common hypnosis terms and concepts leads me to believe this article was written by someone only acquainted with hypnotism and not someone who has really studied the subject. It is a disservice to Wikipedia readers.
This article has a skeptical bias because reality has a skeptical bias. The burden of proof for supernatural phenomena such as the "hypnotic trance" is on those who profess it to be real. And proof requires substantially more than the simple belief, regardless of whether that belief is held by mere subjects or experienced practitioners. Psychics may truly believe that they can speak with dead people. It doesn't prove anything, though. If you wish to add scholarly evidence of the existence of hypnotic trances, please find it. 205.127.162.136 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:45, 29 April 2011 (UTC).
Many of the "tricks" and illusions mentioned are actually part of the real hypnotism. If a stooge is among the hypnotized his job would be to "pace and lead" the others. Saying "you are glued to your chair" while the person is already sitting is also a common hypnotic tactic in other branches of hypnotism. Tactics are used because stage hypnosis is tough cookies. Hypnosis is a real phenomenon, arguments over the existence of trance or sleep like states, and arguments about separation of conscious / subconscious mind are legitimate unanswered questions but do not disprove the phenomenon of hypnotic suggestion causing an intended reaction. --Jargoman (talk) 16:55, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
As of current the last line of the article reads "In Belgium, stage hypnosis has been forbidden since 1892; the law was mentioned in 2017 to force the cancellation of a spectacle by Messmer." And while the source (which is typed in a language I do not understand) appears to be from 2017, it would seem to me that even trying to put on a spectacle over 200 years after his purported death, should prove that Franz Mesmer has abilities beyond mere suggestion. As such I highly doubt that anyone mentioned anything to stop a performance of his in 2017. While I thought that the extra s in his name might mean that they were using Messmer as a verb, as an English speaker, I do not see why the word would be capitalized. Furthermore, stage hypnosis hasn't been referred to as mesmerizing in the Americas for like a hundred years anyway. As it currently stands I have no idea what the last line is trying to say. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.53.119.205 (talk) 03:47, 24 September 2019 (UTC)
This article seems to be written from a skeptic's POV, and also exposes some contradictions.
If suggestion of this sort is largely due to conscious playing along and social compliance, how does this fit with skeptics' use of suggestion to explain away paranormal phenomena? It seems overly convenient to claim that these effects are the result of conscious compliance in one context, and then to tell people in other circumstances that the psychic phenomena they experienced - which they are convinced was real - was in fact the result of suggestion or hypnotic effects.
So which is which? You can't have your cake and eat it too. 121.73.7.84 (talk) 13:59, 1 May 2009 (UTC)
--HypnoSynthesis (talk) 19:37, 4 May 2009 (UTC)
As mentioned in edit summaries, Alex Tsander's books are all self-published, and therefore not needed for this article when more independent sources exist. His web presence is very light outside of Wikipedia, so he seems not to be a particularly notable hypnotist. At least one source given in support of his importance (Dipple) does not appear to exist. His former heavy presence in this article therefore seems unjustified. 87.228.210.13 (talk) 12:55, 19 September 2020 (UTC)