How one coulda, woulda, shoulda start a conflict with hypnosis

[inavalan]

Imagine a scene like this. I have a man and a girl in somnambulism. Near their chairs is a phonograph. I say to the girl, "The oddest thing is going to happen after I have you open your eyes. You're going to find that every time I pull my tie you're going to have an irresistible urge to turn that phonograph on."

Then I say to the man seated next to her, "And the oddest thing is going to happen with you. Every time anybody turns on that phonograph, you're going to have an irresistible urge to turn it off."

Now I have them open their eyes, but since I have a suggestion implanted, I still am maintaining the somnambulism. They're looking at me and I pull my tie, and very slowly, the girl turns and looks at the phonograph, but she does nothing about it. The man turns slowly and looks at her but that's all that happens. Then I pull my tie again, and this time, more quickly she looks at the phonograph, and more quickly the man looks at her. Now I pull my tie for the third time and she gets up slowly and deliberately and walks to the phonograph and turns it on, but just as deliberately the man follows her and turns it off.

Now, as they are halfway back to their seats I pull my tie and by this time, suggestion one is so strong that the girl races back to the phonograph and turns it on but the man races back to the phonograph to turn it off. And this is all happening as a result of the compounding of suggestion, a technique that can be applied in medicine and dentistry. I was using precisely this technique when I strengthened the anesthesia in the hand of the pregnant patient a short time ago.