|
Stage hypnosis is performed for entertainment purposes. Stage hypnosis shows are performed at comedy clubs, theaters, high schools, colleges, universities, festivals, and fairs. Cruise lines such as Carnival Cruises also feature stage hypnosis performances. The causes of phenomena experienced by volunteers in stage hypnosis shows can be explained by altered states of consciousness (i.e., "hypnotic trance") or a combination of psychological factors observed in group settings such as disorientation, compliance, peer pressure, and ordinary suggestion. A modern stage hypnosis performance regularly delivers a comedic performance rather than a demonstration to impress an audience with powers of persuasion - effects of amnesia, mood altering and hallucination are demonstrated in a normal performance. Stage hypnosis performances often encourage audience members to look further into the benefits of hypnotism (Echterling and Whalen, 1995). ==History== Stage hypnosis evolved out of much older shows conducted by Mesmerists and other performers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Scottish surgeon James Braid developed his technique of hypnotism after witnessing a stage performance by the travelling Swiss magnetic demonstrator Charles Lafontaine (1803–1892) in November 1841.〔"Magnetic demonstrator" — Gauld's term (Gauld, 1992,p.204) — accurately describes Lafontaine; because whilst he was in the U.K., he only demonstrated "magnetic" phenomena; he never used it to treat anyone at any time (in public or private).〕〔Braid always maintained that he had gone to Lafontaine's demonstration as an open-minded sceptic, eager to examine the evidence and, then, form a considered opinion of Lafontaine's work. He was neither a closed-minded cynic intent on destroying Lafontaine, nor a deluded and naïvely credulous believer seeking authorization of his already formed belief (''Neurypnology'' (1843), p.2.〕〔For an extended account of the interactions between Braid and Lafontaine, see Yeates (2013), pp.103–308 passim.〕 Braid was well aware of similar performances by "electro-biologists" in his day;〔"Electrobiology: A mode of inducing hypnotism by having the subject look steadily at metallic disks. The process originated about the middle of the nineteenth century, and its fame was spread by numerous lecturers in England and the United States.", Melton, J.G. () (ed), ''Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (Fifth Edition), in Two Volumes, Volume 1 (A-L)'', Thomson Gale, (Farmington Hills), 2001, p.489.〕 e.g., Braid published the contents of an advertising hand-bill for an "electro-biology" performance by a visiting American, George W. Stone,〔Stone was the compiler and editor of (''The Philosophy of Electro-Biology, or Electrical Psychology, in a Course of Nine Lectures, Delivered by J. B. Dods, before the United States Senate, at Washington, in 1850, etc'' ). Stone was also involved, for a time, in the active promotion the medium, Maria Basheba Hayden (1826–1883), the wife of his close friend, William Richardson Hayden, M.D. (1820–1903), journalist, and editor of ''The Boston Atlas'', and a monthly newsletter called ''The Star Spangled Banner''. Maria Hayden, who graduated M.D. in 1865, also assisted Augustus De Morgan in his paranormal investigations.〕 on 12 March 1851, which, as well as clearly emphasizing that Stone was claiming to use volunteers from the audience, rather than his own stooges/assistants, details some of the phenomena that Stone's audience might have expected to have displayed to them.
These are identical to many of the demonstrations which became central to subsequent "stage hypnosis", in fact it seems that little changes except the name and the introduction of the hypnotic induction, etc. Likewise, the novelist Mark Twain similarly recounts a Mesmeric performance which clearly resembles 20th century stage hypnosis, in his autobiography. The absence of any reference to "hypnotism" in these early performances, indeed before the term was coined, and the fact that they often lacked anything resembling a modern hypnotic induction is consistent with the skeptical view, that stage hypnosis is primarily the result of ordinary suggestion rather than hypnotic trance. Indeed, early performers often claimed that they were influencing their subjects by means of telepathy and other supernatural powers. Others, however, were delivering performances that displayed the wide range of hypnotic manifestations to their audiences. In the United States, for example, in the 1890s, there was a small group of highly skilled stage hypnotists, all whom were managed by Thomas F. Adkin, who toured country-wide, playing to packed houses. Adkin's group included Sylvain A. Lee,〔Author of ''The Practice of Hypnotic Suggestion'' (1901). One of his specialties was hypnotizing per medium of the telephone; poster at () ()〕 Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Flint,〔Herbert L. Flint was the author of ''Flint's lessons in hypnotism; a comprehensive work on scientific suggestion as applied in hypnotism, mesmerism, personal magnetism, magnetic healing, psycho-therapeutics, suggestive therapeutics and similar manefestations of mental development and control'' (1915); poster at ()〕 and Professor Xenophon LaMotte Sage.〔Author of ''Hypnotism as It Is: a Book for Everybody'' (1897). Xenophon LaMotte Sage was the stage name of E. Virgil Neal; see Conroy, (2009), passim, especially pp. 27–40.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Stage hypnosis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|