Hypnosis No Joke: Secrets of the Mind Part 1

What if I said that the most potent and sophisticated entity in all the universe is known to exist right here on Earth? In fact it can be found in the very room you’re reading this in! It’s something so amazing it’s considered to be the crowning glory of all creation. This thing, this fantastical arrangement of atoms, is in your possession right now. Heck, I have one too. No, it’s not the new iPhone! Rather it’s the human mind, and when it comes to an understanding of how it accomplishes what it does, scientists are pretty much baffled.

What makes this such a delightful irony is that it shouldn’t be so difficult should it? It’s not like you need an expensive lab, or a Large Hadron Particle Collider in your backyard to do experiments. Everyone, scientists and laypersons included, comes with a mind that they know inside and out, and they are able to study it any time they like! So what is it about how the mind works that is such a mystery?

Now when I say that science can’t explain how people’s minds works, I don’t mean in the pseudo-psychology sense, as in “What’s wrong with Cindy’s brain! She won’t break up with her boyfriend even though it’s obvious that he’s all wrong for her!” One example of what I’m referring to is the phenomena of consciousness.

Consciousness is that aspect of mind that I don’t have to explain, because unless you’re a zombie you know what I’m talking about. It’s our awareness, not just of the outside world as it is filtered through our senses, but also of what’s going on between our ears. It’s that sense of self, and our free will: our ability to control what our bodies do, but also to seemingly direct our thoughts too. I can even point to the place where it seems to be, the so-called “seat of consciousness”: inside my skull and just behind my eyeballs! It’s weird if you consider how absurd it would be if instead it was someplace else, like in my big toe!

What is much harder to explain is why we are conscious at all. Is it something you must possess to be intelligent, (because we are Earth’s super-geniuses don’t you know)? Or is it merely a byproduct of our brain activity, like the creme foam that sits on top of my latte (pleasant but unnecessary)? Does consciousness come in degrees, like a consciousness scale, where presumably I score higher than my dog, and he’s comes ahead of say, a mosquito? Or is is consciousness something that either you have it or you don’t (like a butterfly tattoo on your left cheek)?

Most of us would probably concede that consciousness is crucial to our survival as human beings. So it would be insightful to gain a better understand of how it works. One way is through hypnosis, a very special, altered form of consciousness. When you see first-hand how hypnosis changes the rules that govern how our minds normally work, it’s like lifting the curtain and peeking at what’s going on backstage.

I’ll explain how in Secrets of the Mind Part 2, and until then a reminder to get your tickets for Cyrus Master Hypnotist. He performs at Harrison Trimble High on Saturday, January 18th. Hypnosis is no joke, but it will definitely be a lot of laughs!