Neuro-linguistic programming and street hypnosis: how to protect yourself
Imagine this scenario. You are out for a walk or enjoying a night out on the town with your friends. Suddenly, a complete stranger approaches you. Before he knows what has happened, the conversation turns to hypnosis. About 20 minutes later, you wonder what happened to the hour. Your friends are also standing there and they look surprised. Now imagine this second chain of events. You are at an event and someone walks up to you and tells you that he or she is a professional hypnotist. This person mentions that he or she was hired as entertainment and would like you to participate. Only 10 minutes later you wake up. An audience applauds you and this person you just met.
Of these two scenarios, I have no problem with the second. In this case, you can be sure that the hypnotist wants to protect his reputation and also the payment for the services rendered. In the same way, if you are somewhere and you hear someone talking about hypnosis and mentioning that he or she is a therapist, this is also a safe scenario. If you ask to be hypnotized and this person complies, you also have the certainty that it is a professional demonstration. You have instigated this situation in the first place. You can also rest assured that this is a customer building exercise. In the two circumstances I described above, you can tell that this isn’t just an exercise for someone to build her ego.
However, the bottom line is that it is often necessary to recognize when you are being affected by hypnosis. This is true when it occurs in places where you are not looking for it. So what should you look for to avoid NLP or street hypnosis? The approach, preparation, and induction procedure almost always occurs in a certain order. This is what to look for:
If someone reaches out and pulls back when you have to shake it, this is a sign that something is up. Another possibility is that they shake your hand and then don’t let go. You could put your free hand on your elbow or shoulder. During this process, you may be asked if you have been hypnotized before. If they’re looking to become more powerful, they might even ask you if you’ve “imagined yourself floating or daydreaming.”
For example, one of my favorite terms is very simple. I say, “Imagine.” This term takes people to a subconscious state instantly. Another thing someone can try is to make you stare at something. This can be anything, it doesn’t matter. People will also often ask you to look them in the eye or at your finger. Once you let someone past this point, they can get into your head. In this moment, they become your awareness and consciousness as well. They are making all the decisions for you. Also, your subconscious hasn’t even been given the idea that it won’t do anything against your morals.
At this point, you are hypnotized. You are no longer in control. So why would someone do this to you? Street hypnotists are often trying to satisfy their own egos. This is especially true with converted hypnosis. So is there a tinfoil hat they make for you to prevent hypnotic rays from reaching you? Can you go out and buy a hypnosis detector? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is no.
Here are two ideas:
First, you can visit a hypnotist and ask him to install the suggestion to not allow any inappropriate hypnotism. You cannot allow someone to put you in a hypnotic state if you are not willing.
You can also learn hypnosis. At that point you will be in a zone where your subconscious can take over and reverse direction. At this point you can hypnotize the hypnotist.
