Impact of Stage Hypnosis

Contrasting Stage and Clinical Hypnosis

“…While none suffered the traumatic reactions of the clinically inexperienced subjects to the performance (Echterling & Emmerling, 1987), three of the eight experienced subjects described the consequences of stage hypnosis in negative terms. Two of the experienced subjects noted that they later felt ashamed and embarrassed by their antics on stage.…”

“…More recently, a number of articles have described more detailed case studies of complications and serious harm resulting from participation in stage hypnosis (Kleinhauz, Dreyfuss, Beran, Goldberg, & Azikri, 1979;Kleinhauz& Beran, 1981, 1984Kline, 1976;MaclIovec, 1987;Milne, 1986). In an impact study of one stage hypnosis performance (Echterling & Emmerling, 1987), half of the individuals who had a trance experience reported that they generallyenjoyed it and had some positive aftereffects. lIowever, about onefifth of the trance subjects had both a negativeexperience during the trance and some negative aftereffects.…”

Can hypnosis cause madness?

“…Particular problems are also involved with the interpretation of some subjects' more specific claims that they felt 'controlled by the hypnotist' (see, for example, Echterling and Emmerling, 1987;Crawford, Kitner-Triolo, Clarke and Olesko, 1992). For example, a major problem with the interpretation of negative comments made by some subjects following demonstrations of stage hypnosis is a failure to recognize the influence of the common phenomenon of 'performance anxiety'.…”

The alleged dangers of stage hypnosis

“…Since then, there have been a number of published accounts by writers in the UK and abroad, in which it is claimed that psychological distress, and sometimes physical injury, were caused to a participant or even a member of the audience by the actions of a stage hypnotist (Erickson, 1962;Waxman, 1978Waxman, , 1981Waxman, , 1988Waxman, , 1989Kleinhauz, Drefuss, Beran, Goldberg and Axikri, 1979;Beran, 1981, 1984;Misra, 1985;MacHovec, 1986MacHovec, , 1988Echterling and Emmerling, 1987;Crawford, Kitner-Triolo, Clarke and Olesko, 1992).…”