Conference hydra::dejavu

I was lucky to catch his show at the Daniel Webster College about three or
four years ago. It cost two dollars to get in and it was well worth it.
I bought his tape and still try to use it as often as I can.
						Russ

    I saw Mapes in high school in '77.  His most interesting activities
    included:
    
    getting a woman (girl) to give him a long deep kiss right after
    he said he wouldn't (or couldn't) make anyone do anything that wouldn't
    ordinarily do that would embarrass them... this girl was embarrassed!
    and not entirely sure what had transpired
    
    also, gave post-hypnotic suggestions to a couple people (one a friend
    of mine) that they would do a certain thing at a certain time during
    the evening show at another location.  so these people went to the
    evening show and at one point Mapes bit into a lemon on stage and
    suddely about 6 people throughout the audience (i.e. these
    post-hypnotic 'victims') bolted up out of there chairs and went
    up on stage reciting curious things that Mapes had planted in their
    heads.  My friend said that he just felt compelled to do it and
    was not concerned with its embarrassing potential.  I think that
    being utterly relaxed in this state has a lot to do with what you'll
    let your "self" do.  Also, I think there is some "witness
    consciousness" which sort of observes your hypnotized self just
    to make sure things aren't getting *too* way-out.  Of course your
    witness consciousness may have a much more liberal definition of
    way-out than you do!
    
    he also would intoxicate people, as so:
    Mapes (to guy in audience, after about 10 seconds of "zapping" the
    whole audience with his mesmerizing mantra): "What's your favorite
    drink/drug?"
    Guy: "Beers!"
    Mapes (pointing suddenly to the guy): "You've just had 12 of them!
    You'll remain this way till you start your car to go home!"
    
    Guy would be literally plastered.  Mapes similarly got people high
    on various "substances" assuring them they'd be straight enough
    to get home.
    
    Obviously this guy impressed me as I don't recall a lot else of
    1977.
    
    Please reply if you read this reply.  I don't know if folks read
    old topics/replies much.  I'd hate to think I typed this all in
    in vain.  And I've discovered that DIR *.*/SIN takes too long for
    most folks to use it practically.
    
    ROB
    
    

    Be reassured; I read your contribution.  But it doesn't give me
    a very high opinion of Mapes.  A friend warned me off hypnotists
    in general, giving his opinion that they are mostly irresponsible
    power-trippers.  At first glance, Mapes seems to fit the mold.
    
    (N.B.: My friend also knew an extreemly responsible and reliable
     hypnotists, but she has unfortunately retired from the trade.)
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    I also read and reply to old notes.  However, it took me several tries
    to get this one in.

    Mike

	    Apparently Mapes had dropped the part where the woman gives
	him a long and deep kiss when I caught his act.  Good thing, or
	my opinion of him would have gone way down.
			<_Jym_>

    	Thanks for the replies.  May I digress to ask how you find the
    latest notes most efficiently?  Whenever I do a DIR *.*/SINCE, (which
    is the only means I know), it always takes just a shade longer than
    it takes for the network node to go down...
    
    While we're on hypnotism:
    
    Anyone ever get into self-hypnotism?
    I read the book Guide to Self-Hypnosis.  Don't know the author but
    by using his guidelines and a tape recorder I was able to produce
    some unusual states in myself.  Didn't really stay with it for some
    reason but it is certainly an interesting field.
    
    rob
    
    

    Re .6:
    
    The easiest way to find the latest notes quickly is typing "n u"
    at the notes prompt and what comes up on the screen is the latest.
    Use the "enter" key on the keypad for the next note/response.
    
    To get the latest base notes, at the prompt, type in an impossibly
    large number (say, 800); it'll bring you to the highest base note
    in the conference.
    
    On hypnotism: there are some places that sell hypnosis (and subliminal)
    tapes.  I've had some luck with Dick Sutphin's "Valley of the Sun."
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

Stage-hypnosis is not the same phenomena as "ordinary" hypnosis.  Obviously
they are related, but they *are* distinct. 

I will give somewhat the same advice as Earl's friend: stay away from
*stage*-hypnotists.  Personally, I will not even attend a stage hypnosis
show since doing so supports what I consider unethical behavior. 

What are the differences?  There are many, but there are two important
ones: 

	1) The rapport between the hypnotist and the hypnotized person is
	   one-sided.  This is generally not true in "ordinary" hypnosis.
	   Usually hypnotizing someone (which is something you do *with*
	   them not *to* them) involves a certain amount of alteration of
	   consciousness on your own part (admittedly, usually not as
	   profound as the alteration in the hypnotized person).  Properly
	   done, a heightened sense of "empathy" is established.  There
	   doesn't seem to be any real danger to hypnosis (despite scare
	   stories to the contrary), but without that empathy some
	   unwitting pain may be caused the hypnotized person. 

	   Group hypnosis is a form of "ordinary" hypnosis in which the
	   hypnotist's empathy is necessarily spread rather thin.  It is
	   for this reason (not always stated in these terms) that group
	   hypnosis is generally only used in simple, straight-forward
	   situations. 

	2) The stage-hypnotist makes heavy use of social pressures to get
	   quick, spectacular results.  He/she uses various techniques to
	   find "subjects" who are especially sensitive to such pressures
	   (e.g., if you ask for volunteers in the right way, most of the
	   people who respond will be of this type).  By making use of
	   pressures a stage-hypnotist can get people sensitive to them to
	   do things which they do not really want to do -- to work against
	   their own personal goals. 

A hypnotist cannot "make" you do anything that you would find really
repugnant (except by the same threats and/or bribes which might work if you
were awake).  There is some argument about whether or not a hypnotist can
use hypnosis to help in "tricking" you into doing something that you would
find repugnant when awake (e.g., convincing you that a real gun is a cap
pistol).  If so (and I tend to think not) then it would take a great deal
of skill to accomplish. 

Rob is seems to be right about the "witness consciousness" (frequently
called the silent monitor or observer).  It has been discovered that the
silent observer doesn't have to be silent.  With a relatively simple
technique the silent observer may frequently (with about one person in
five) be conversed with. 

Embarrassment is, however, a different matter from repugnance.  A feeling
of embarrassment seems to come about from conflicts between subconscious
and conscious desires (occasionally, between two subconscious desires).
This is why embarrassment is often accompanied by feelings of confusion.
Frequently the subconscious desire is for attention.  (I've found this
insight about embarrassment to be a useful tool for self-discovery, by the
way.  Whenever I'm embarrassed by/at something I start looking for the
nature of the internal conflict. Note, by the way, that feeling humiliated
is *not* the same thing as feeling embarrassed, in this case there is no
confusion only a profound loss of self-esteem). 

The stage hypnotist makes use of two factors to overcome this conflict in
favor of the normally weaker desire (i.e., the embarrassing desire -- if it
weren't weaker the person would be behaving that way most of the time). 

First, the hypnotized person can displace responsibility for the otherwise
embarrassing action.  "I'm not responsible.  I couldn't help it -- I was
hypnotized."  This is also the excuse for a lot of anti-social behavior
with drugs and alcohol. 

Secondly, the hypnotist uses the before-mentioned social pressures.  He/she
selects people who would be even *more* embarrassed to publicly fail to
perform as requested. 

About one person in five is extremely suggestible.  These are frequently
(though not always) the same people who are sensitive to social pressures.
The main function of the "mantra" that Mapes "zapped" the audience with in
the incident of making the man in the audience "drunk" was not "hypnotic
induction", but to pick out some people in the audience who reacted
strongly to it.  One of those people was the person selected to become
drunk, but Mapes probably spotted and remembered others for use later in
the show.  Once one of these people have been identified, anyone with a
modicum of self-confidence and who the "subject" expects to have "power"
would be able to effect similar results.  (Secondary purposes of the mantra
are to make a good show, and to help impress the potential subjects with the
stage-hypnotist's power). 

As far as Earl's friend's opinion that hypnotists' are "mostly
irresponsible power-trippers" I have to disagree.  Certainly, as I have
tried to make clear, stage-hypnotists are likely to be power-trippers.  It
would also be silly to deny that a certain sense of personal power isn't a
common factor in many hypnotist's interest.  But a hypnotist who is going
to successfully work without heavy-duty social pressure, without
pre-selecting "subjects", and who wishes to accomplish something
long-lasting has to quickly come to terms with such feelings. 

It's important to distinguish between a "power-trip" (i.e., a desire to
dominate others, and *make* them do things) and a sense of personal power
(i.e., a sense of accomplishment in being able to make things happen).  It
is easy in hypnosis to slip from the latter to the former.  It is,
fortunately, easy to spot when this has happened: the empathy mentioned at
the beginning of this note is lost.  Without that rapport the more
difficult and rewarding (not to be confused with the flashier) aspects
of hypnosis are lost. 

				Topher

    I've just read it.
    

    
    anyone know where James Mapes hails from, or can be found?   A friend
    of mine is interested in hypnosis, and I know he does seminars and
    stuff.
    
    10-Q
    
    -Jody
    

    Jody,
    	It might also be of value to pass on the information in Topher's
    	reply 64.8.  Your friend may not be aware that stage
    	hypnosis is a different speciality from 'therapeutic hypnosis'
    	or self-development hypnosis, and that there are a lot of
    	other resources available if they aren't specifically interested
    	in Mapes or in stage hypnosis.   There are lots of self-help
    	books, tapes and courses around for learning hypnosis, and
    	a few reputable therapists who use it and can also teach
    	it.
    
    						kind regards,
    
    						todd

    
    I thought Mapes also had a private practice.  I seem to have found one
    in the Central Mass. area - Raymond Jette.  He seems very committed to
    what he does, and doing it well.
    
    If anyone has had any experience with him, I invite you to send me
    electronic mail and tell me how it was for you, or what you've heard.
    
    thankqueue,
    
    -Jody