One of the things I have to explain to my clients is that I cannot make anyone do anything that they don't want to do. I can't "make" someone stop smoking, if they have the desire, commitment and motivation to do so, I can make it much easier for them to stop.

If I could make people do anything that I wanted them to do, I would be working for MI5 & MI6, the government (not this current one, I do have standards!), indeed I would be the richest most powerful man on the planet. But I'm not, because I can't, no-one can.

Aahh, why then do people cluck like chickens at a stage hypnosis show? The answer is because they want to. All stage hypnotists know that people will only do something because they want to do it. The short explanation of this is that while the stage hypnotist builds the expectation that any volunteer is "under his power", of course, they are not.

A stage hypnotist will "test" to find people that are highly susceptible to suggestion, they will do as they are asked very quickly, and ultimately they will ask for volunteers from this group of highly suggestible people, volunteers being the key word.

This clip shows a stage hypnotist at work and notice that the people with their arms being lifted the highest are the people "selected" for the show. It proves my point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfQvsHMjtik

Be happy and have a great weekend,

Dave.