Hypnotized Into Believing Hypnotism? I'm Not Sold Yet

Something that peaked my interest during the typical 1 A.M. scrolling through the list of suggested YouTube videos was a TEDX talk about hypnosis. The presentation, given by Albert Nurenberg, was full of what seemed to be thorough studying about the topic that Nurenberg claimed didn't get the rightful attention or coverage that it deserved. He insisted that it was more than voodoo magic and was wrongfully stereotyped as nothing more than a mind trick, which he stated was studied by many educated scholars with nothing to show for in the academic world. Attempting to amaze the audience and those watching online by selecting random members of the audience, he uses what he calls a "street science approach" to prove the real nature of hypnotism. While these people seem to be in a hypnotic state, I was not sold that this is something that has a legitimate place in science.

The context of this presentation comes with Nurenberg attempting to clear the name of hypnotism and the bad rap that it has acquired from the past. Science, especially in the United States, is becoming more and more open to new ideas and practices of being able to help with health in whatever way they can. This is easily seen with the rapidly moving movement medicinal marijuana campaign. A topic that was once taboo from any type of scholarly scientific conversation, there can be many parallels made to the validity of hypnosis. There was obviously something happening to those who chose to participate on stage with Nurenberg but it's hard to tell at times whether the participants on stage were truly hypnotized or simply helping to put on a show.

The intended audience for this presentation is hard to name because there are times where the viewer experiences over-the-top scientific jargon while there are other times, like towards the end of the presentation where he "causes" two individuals to act like cats and become scared of cucumbers. This, of course, comes from the viral sensation of putting a cucumber behind a cat busy eating and watching them react in pure terror when they look behind them. I feel like if this TEDX talk was intended to have a positive influence in the scientific world and not purely for entertainment, there would have been more of a focus placed on the academic side of it. There were a few times where this conversation was had during the presentation, however, I do not feel as if it was meant to be watched by those who come from scientific backgrounds and can help overcome the stereotype of hypnosis not being legitimate. I believe the true target audience were those who wanted to watch something entertaining, are easily convinced, and had minimal interest in the topic and, based on the YouTube ratings, it was certainly watched but not well received. 😰

The purpose of having this conversation about hypnosis was an attempt, as previously mentioned, to dismiss the claims that hypnosis is a fake practice used to lure people into deceit. While this presentation was something that was entertaining to watch at times, I feel as if it dug the conversation into a bigger hole. The point of view of this presentation was told from Mr. Nurenberg as someone who knew a good amount of knowledge about the topic and presented an entertaining way of showing it to a younger generation of scholars. I believe some of the people attending the event were definitely convinced that hypnosis is a real state of consciousness, exactly what was trying to be conveyed throughout the presentation. As for myself, however, some of the engagement between the random members of the audience and Nurenberg seemed too played out and was not what I expected to see in something that has the academic setting I expected to see in a TEDX talk.

Even though I wasn't convinced about the validity of hypnosis in a scientific setting, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a true home in science and medicine. Maybe all you really need to do is stare deeper into the image.😵