I spent a decade working with a hypnosis show, and have seen thousands of people hypnotized. There’s a lot of misconceptions about how it works.
Firstly, you don’t just black out or anything, it’s basically the same state that you’re in when you hit the snooze bar on your alarm: You’re physically kinda sleeping, but you’re still aware of what’s going on.
You know what you’re doing, but you don’t really care quite as much- Like being a little drunk, except that you WILL sober up immediately if you have a reason to. Nobody does anything under hypnosis that’s actually against their will, but you definitely have fewer inhibitions. If it’s something you subconsciously want to do but don’t allow yourself… You know that quiet, reserved friend that gets four drinks in and starts dancing on the tables? Those folks were always the star of the show.
In one of my favorite examples, we had a bit where we told them they were all naked. Everyone else usually tries to cover themselves up, but this one woman just covers her eyes all embarassed. We ask her what’s going on, and she says “everybody’s naked!” We ask if she’s naked too, and she says, utterly shocked, “Oh, god no- I’m not naked!”
