Have you ever watched one of those classic horror movies where an evil hypnotist uses a hypnotism spiral to hypnotize their victim? Imagine the scene: as the victim is tied to a chair, the hypnotist holds the hypnotism spiral or pendulum in front of their face and chants “You are getting very sleepy…..” Perhaps you have never seen such a movie, but are aware of this classic stereotype.
Whatever the case, it is important to know that hypnotism is not like this at all. Hypnotism is rarely used as a part of an evil plot—in fact, it is normally done for self-improvement or relaxation reasons. Also, the hypnotism spiral is not an essential part of the process, believe it or not. In fact, many professional hypnotists don’t even use a hypnotism spiral or a pendulum. Let’s proceed to debunk some of the classic hypnotism stereotypes.
Motives for Hypnotism
Despite what you see in the movies, it is rare that hypnotism is used for evil or to harm someone. In fact, most of the time the intent behind hypnotism is to improve destructive behaviors or to be used as a part of a healing process. For example, hypnotism is commonly used to prevent someone from feeling pain, like after a surgery. Many people use hypnotism to help them to drop a bad habit, such as smoking, drinking, or overeating. Why else would somebody use hypnotism? Well, many people use hypnotism simply as a way to relax!
The Hypnotism Spiral and the Pendulum
When somebody mentions hypnotism, most people automatically picture the hypnotism spiral. Oftentimes it is a constantly moving red and white spiral that appears in most classic horror films involving hypnotism. This is not off base—many hypnotists do use a hypnotism spiral to hypnotize their clients. Also, many hypnotism spirals can be found online for self-hypnotism purposes.
However, what most people don’t know is that the hypnotism spiral is not an essential part of hypnotism—in fact, it is not even necessary! Why use devices such as a hypnotism spiral or a pendulum then? Well, an important part of hypnotism is the focus on one object that will allow one’s brain to enter the alpha or beta state of mind. The hypnotism spiral and the pendulum are two objects commonly used for these purposes; however, many hypnotists use other items as well.