Chapter 3 Entry

This is not my first time taking General Psychology. I took it fall semester of last year. One day in class my professor hypnotized the class. He was able to suggest to us students that certain perceptions and behaviors would spontaneously occur. However, this would not be the case for all the students including myself. Not every person can fall into the daze of hypnosis. The individual must be open to the suggestion of hypnosis meaning that they believe it actually works and are willing to allow themselves to hypnotized. I am a little skeptical about hypnosis and was not open to the suggestion of it, therefore, when my professor hypnotized the class I did not fall into the "trance" that other students fell into. I am actually glad I did not fall into the "trance" because I was able to watch those students who did and notice their experience with it. The hypnotist, being the professor, began with a hypnotic induction. This is when the hypnotist says things such as, "Your eyes are growing tired", "Your are becoming more deeply relaxed", ect. In class the professor told the students to raise their hands, place their heads on their desk, and other simple movements. I always believed that hypnosis was able to allow people to recall memories that they had forgotten. This however, is not true. Memories that are relived through hypnosis are a combination of fact and fiction. A hypnotist can create hints by asking questions that form into ideas in the subject's pseudomemory.