ahimsa42 wrote:actually, there is much controversy even among the experts as to if such as thing as hypnosis even exists or if there is such thing as a trance state. since it is a subjective experience,
We can play the “does it exist” game with happiness, good/evil, free will, money, nations, corporations, the mind, truth, psychopathology, etc. All of these are intersubjective. If we want to take an extreme view then we can even play the game of asking if something such as a car exists.
My suggestion, have as much fun as you like with the “does it exist” game, but don’t buy into the philosophical hogwash.
I studied under Gregg Schraw. He was a leader in the field of metacognition and he taught a course where we discussed the intersection between Ontology and Epistemology. The main questions were, (1) to what extent is anything true and (2) regardless of truth, to what extent are we capable of knowing the truth?
https://www.improvewithmetacognition.co ... arty-carr/You have admitted as much, that you do not like feeling as if you are not in control. You see not being in control as a weakness. Well, what if I told you that the truth is that free will doesn’t exist? What if I told you that all of your actions are predetermined.
Dependent upon your belief, you will search the Internet and find information that proves your belief correct. You will reinforce your belief, because it makes you feel better to believe that is the way the world operates. That is what you have done with reading and then posting in here information that hypnosis or trance doesn’t exist.
The real question is why is it such a fear for you? I think that is the more interesting thing to explore.
i would also dispute that being able to put yourself in a state of disfunction can be considered an ability.
Reread what you wrote. You are going to dispute that “being able to” is not to be considered an “ability”? You are having to try and twist language. If a person is “able to” then by definition they have the ability. Whether or not that ability is harmful is a different question.
An ability can be used in positive or negative ways. You are strictly seeing any ability as harmful, which is counter to tons of research out there. I realize hypnosis has limited application, but it does have positive application.
and in the final conclusion of the paper, the author wrote this:
"The evidence reviewed suggests to this writer that the relation between a vulnerability
to psychopathology and hypnotizability may well be a real one."
Using your logic in the first part of your latest response, some would argue, including experts, that psychopathology doesn’t even exist. It isn’t a real thing. There is no real consensus on what a psychopathology even is. Every few years a bunch of people gather at a meeting and discuss and create lists of symptoms that may or may not exist, etc.
I’m not saying that you are necessarily off the mark. What I do find interesting is that you felt motivated after “much research” to create this thread as to share that you have found research that reinforces what you have wished to believe true all along.
Research is about trying to disprove your hypothesis. It isn’t about confirming what you already wish to believe. So, if your hypothesis is that hypnosis doesn’t exist, prove that it does exist. If your hypothesis is that there is no benefit to being hypnotized, prove that there are benefits. That is how good research moves forward.
Here is a study about hypnosis and the benefits in reducing ‘dental anxiety’.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ra ... tients.pdfYou would agree that dental anxiety is a common issue. Many people avoid going to the dentist, so if hypnosis can help, then it is a positive ability, correct?
If you can allow yourself to acknowledge that for something as simple as dental anxiety hypnosis can be positive, then might there also be positive application in other ways?