You may have heard about conversational or covert hypnosis, maybe even seen videos where people were convinced to smile continuously, lift their hands, or even act drunk with just a few words of conversation. While it may look funny or even a bit astonishing, you can’t help that little thought that sneaks into your head – can this happen to me? Could I be that susceptible?
It’s rather disturbing, since it’s well known that we can even hypnotize ourselves with the right suggestions; that’s what all those motivational tapes and videos are for, in fact. These are merely suggestions that we accept in our brains that help us change the way we think about ourselves, the way we act, or the way we project ourselves towards other people.
So if we can do this to ourselves, can others do this to us, too? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Although there are just about ten percent of the given population that is susceptible to this at any given time, you can be too, if that person catches you at exactly the right time.
It’s happened before, especially on the TV shopping networks where some seemingly unneeded piece of something has you picking up the phone and calling up to order. Why? You don’t really need it, but all of a sudden, you must have it. That’s one form of covert hypnosis – a brilliant salesman.
Or, what about meeting this person who you hit it off with immediately? You both sit and time flits by, you are completely enthralled by this person and feel that you can talk to them about anything, even secrets that you’ve kept from everyone. You feel extremely connected to them, and whatever they tell you can convince you that they are sincere in what they believe and you can trust them.
That’s perfect covert hypnosis. This person has been able to change how you feel and think without you knowing it.