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The Why Factor: Hypnotism

Hypnotism

05/02/2018 GMT

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Hypnotism

Why would anyone allow a stranger to access their mind?

Hypnotism has tangible benefits but it also carries significant risks. So why would anyone allow a stranger to access their mind?

Curing phobias, managing pain, entertainment: hypnotism has a number of tangible benefits. But it can also carry significant risks for the most suggestible people. So why would anyone allow a stranger to access their mind?
 
Nicola Kelly speaks to performers, dentists and therapists who use hypnotism in their work and discovers how the brain functions when in a trance. Through hypnosis, she faces her own fear of rats, hears from a patient who had his front tooth extracted without anesthetic and witnesses colleagues convinced they are Donald Trump.
 
But does the hypnotic trance really exist? Sceptics explain why they no longer believe it works and set out the hidden dangers.
 
Presenter: Nicola Kelly
Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou

(Image and Credit: Ben Dali)

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