Thursday, February 9, 2012

I've Been Hypnotized! (For a Good Cause)

I've always wanted to try hypnosis. I finally got a chance recently when I was commissioned by the online magazine "Windsurfer International" to test the UK Olympic Windsurfing Coach's hypnotherapy method of preventing the forearm cramps caused by cold weather gloves. Did it work for me? You can check out the article at the following link:

Windsurfing Cramps Hypnosis Article

Enjoy.

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5 comments:

  1. Lady NotoriousFebruary 10, 2012 at 5:27 AM

    okay, that picture's messing with my mind...

    Nice article :) I like your combo of technical gear detail, conversational writing style and general gung-ho-ness about trying it out.

    I wonder if you tried the meditation/hypnosis in your quiet house before a sesh if it would be more effective (despite the fact that you don't *have* to have perfect quiet). I'd like to hear how trying that some time goes.

    Maybe this spring when things start warming up just enough to handle it and you can't resist the lure of the waves!

    Great stuff, looking forward to more windsurfing articles!

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  2. Kevin HardinFebruary 10, 2012 at 5:44 AM

    As an engineer I have the same skepticism towards alternative medicine (i.e. alternative medicine that has been tested is just called medicine).

    Although hypnosis does have some really good documentation for respected researchers.

    I was really interested to read your article since you seem to have a similar mindset and I don't see you 'bullshitting' the results.

    Unfortunately I was a little bummed when you just listened to a tape for 20 minutes instead of visiting a profession (if there is a such a thing that isn't a fake).

    And you control seemed pretty different from your experiment conditions.

    Ultimately I feel kind of the same way. I have a lot of doubt about it but wouldn't pass up an opportunity to see if I can be hypnotized (in a real setting, not the fair)

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  3. James DouglassFebruary 13, 2012 at 10:20 AM

    Lady Notorious- I think it doesn't hurt to listen to do the hypnosis thing multiple times, and a quieter background environment would definitely help. I'll try it. :)

    Kevin- Yeah, my "scientific study" would never make it into a peer-reviewed journal, given its pseudoreplication, lack of accounting for placebo effects, and sample size of N = 1. I don't know how well hypnosis from a recording works compared to hypnosis from a live person, but the former was what I had access to.

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  4. UnknownOctober 6, 2012 at 4:23 AM

    Is it possible to be hypnotized into the ability to learn another language faster and better?
    I can't seem to "absorb" spanish or french, etc. Can you be hypnotized to get rid whatever is blocking the ability to learn?

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  5. James DouglassOctober 6, 2012 at 9:07 AM

    Hi Micheal,

    I think learning a new language could definitely be aided by hypnosis, since so much of language learning is at a deep intuitive level. A few drinks might also help loosen up your foreign language skills. My Spanish flows a little better after a couple cervesas. :)

    -J

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