Comments on: Mesmerized! http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/ books, essays, columns, reviews, and multimedia clips of famed skeptic Michael Shermer Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:36:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: matt g http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-2077 matt g Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:05:24 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-2077 i had an interesting experiance a while back. while at work my pantleg got splashed with a flamible liquid. i realized i had to act quickly to extinguish the flame yet still was burned rather badly. but while i was on fire , about 30 seconds, i felt no pain at all. i think that my mind was so focused on the urgency of the task at hand i just didnt have time to feel the pain. it hurt some the next 2 weeks but i remember it interesting that something that shouldve hurt like hell didnt hurt at all at the time. no need for hypnosis. interesting how the mind works sometimes. i had an interesting experiance a while back. while at work my pantleg got splashed with a flamible liquid. i realized i had to act quickly to extinguish the flame yet still was burned rather badly. but while i was on fire , about 30 seconds, i felt no pain at all. i think that my mind was so focused on the urgency of the task at hand i just didnt have time to feel the pain. it hurt some the next 2 weeks but i remember it interesting that something that shouldve hurt like hell didnt hurt at all at the time. no need for hypnosis. interesting how the mind works sometimes.

]]> By: David http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-2021 David Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:57:12 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-2021 Just don't believe it. Anytime requirements for a scientific fact includes our imagination, I think we have to take a pause. You are generally a voice of reason in this world, and this is your weakness. Is it possible. Sure. So are visits from intelligent beings from another planet. Unlikely, yes. Highly unlikely. Yes, also. Just don’t believe it. Anytime requirements for a scientific fact includes our imagination, I think we have to take a pause.

You are generally a voice of reason in this world, and this is your weakness. Is it possible. Sure. So are visits from intelligent beings from another planet. Unlikely, yes. Highly unlikely. Yes, also.

]]> By: Wild Flora http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-2005 Wild Flora Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:32:56 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-2005 I'm perplexed by Shermer's statement that he would not take mind-altering substances but evidently did consider it safe to try to induce altered states through sleep deprivation, etc. If you are a strict materialist, as he claims to be in this article, surely there is no practical difference between affecting the "mind" by injesting substances and attempting the same by depriving oneself of sleep. Nor is there any reason to assume that one approach would have long-lasting effects but the other would not. This strikes me as an example of an irrational prejudice, the sort of thing a high-profile Skeptic might want to try to avoid. I’m perplexed by Shermer’s statement that he would not take mind-altering substances but evidently did consider it safe to try to induce altered states through sleep deprivation, etc. If you are a strict materialist, as he claims to be in this article, surely there is no practical difference between affecting the “mind” by injesting substances and attempting the same by depriving oneself of sleep. Nor is there any reason to assume that one approach would have long-lasting effects but the other would not. This strikes me as an example of an irrational prejudice, the sort of thing a high-profile Skeptic might want to try to avoid.

]]> By: Roger MacDonald-Evoy http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1983 Roger MacDonald-Evoy Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:42:51 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1983 When recovering from a brain injury I recalled football games I saw on televison over thirty years ago as if I was watching instant replay. Or so I thought and truely believed and told anyone who asked my story. Now I know how wrong I was, memory and the brain just does not work that way. You could never tell me otherwise at the time. I had also forgot how to walk, sounds weird but true. I found out about and still can get amazing auditory hallucinations at night. I shared an office with another teacher who pushes hypnosis and repressed memory theory in his Psyc classes. This stuff really scares me. The mind and its ability to fool us, is a terrible thing to take for granted. When recovering from a brain injury I recalled football games I saw on televison over thirty years ago as if I was watching instant replay. Or so I thought and truely believed and told anyone who asked my story. Now I know how wrong I was, memory and the brain just does not work that way. You could never tell me otherwise at the time. I had also forgot how to walk, sounds weird but true. I found out about and still can get amazing auditory hallucinations at night.
I shared an office with another teacher who pushes hypnosis and repressed memory theory in his Psyc classes. This stuff really scares me.
The mind and its ability to fool us, is a terrible thing to take for granted.

]]> By: tps http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1982 tps Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:54:16 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1982 I was being prepped to be wheeled into the operating room for short-notice surgery when the anesthesiologist found out I had drunk half a soda two hours earlier. Lots of talk about whether to risk the anesthesia. Surgeon says, "I think we can do this quickly without too much problem." And they cut into my arm and dug out what they were looking for, then sewed up the hole -- while I just gritted my teeth through the worse pain of my life. Operation without anesthesia? Big deal -- no hypnosis necessary. I was being prepped to be wheeled into the operating room for short-notice surgery when the anesthesiologist found out I had drunk half a soda two hours earlier. Lots of talk about whether to risk the anesthesia. Surgeon says, “I think we can do this quickly without too much problem.” And they cut into my arm and dug out what they were looking for, then sewed up the hole — while I just gritted my teeth through the worse pain of my life. Operation without anesthesia? Big deal — no hypnosis necessary.

]]> By: stan h perkins http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1976 stan h perkins Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:32:07 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1976 Have you any skepticism on the case of(1)Alex Lenkei and/or(2)Jack Gibson? BBC reported re Lenkei (age 61, a professional hyp)who undersent an 80 minute hand op on Wed 16 Apr at Worthington Hosp in Sussex. David Llewellan-Clark (surg) and Richard Venn (anesth) testified to the intervention, that the patient with auto-hyp but no anesthesia went through the ordeal of having a large piece of bone from his hand sawed off. Then (2), quite another matter, Gibson in Eire, in the 50s and 60s, reportedly performed >4,000 ops using hypnosis. Have you any skepticism on the case of(1)Alex Lenkei and/or(2)Jack Gibson? BBC reported re Lenkei (age 61, a professional hyp)who undersent an 80 minute hand op on Wed 16 Apr at Worthington Hosp in Sussex. David Llewellan-Clark (surg) and Richard Venn (anesth) testified to the intervention, that the patient with auto-hyp but no anesthesia went through the ordeal of having a large piece of bone from his hand sawed off. Then (2), quite another matter, Gibson in Eire, in the 50s and 60s, reportedly performed >4,000 ops using hypnosis.

]]> By: Cory http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1974 Cory Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:57:43 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1974 I wouldn't take much of what Bill Perron has to say seriously. He and James Randi know of each other quite well. He's tried for Randis million dollar challenge a couple of times and has come up short. I wouldn’t take much of what Bill Perron has to say seriously. He and James Randi know of each other quite well. He’s tried for Randis million dollar challenge a couple of times and has come up short.

]]> By: Jerry Hesch http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1967 Jerry Hesch Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:03:35 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1967 Bring on the video "and Bob's your uncle"! How long is the cigarette applied to the skin while awake versus while under hypnosis? How long is the cigarette applied to the skin? Is it appled to the same area of the skin? I have a few area of my skin such as the heel of my foot that are well keratinized and would probably stand up to minor thermal abuse. How much ash was on said cigarette? what was time of day, ambient temperature and what did the barometer read? The hotter the ambient temperature the more moisture can be held...., ehst sm I missing? jerry hesch Bring on the video “and Bob’s your uncle”! How long is the cigarette applied to the skin while awake versus while under hypnosis? How long is the cigarette applied to the skin? Is it appled to the same area of the skin? I have a few area of my skin such as the heel of my foot that are well keratinized and would probably stand up to minor thermal abuse. How much ash was on said cigarette? what was time of day, ambient temperature and what did the barometer read? The hotter the ambient temperature the more moisture can be held…., ehst sm I missing?
jerry hesch

]]> By: Jerry Hesch http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1966 Jerry Hesch Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:57:08 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1966 Bring on the video!How much pressure is applied on the skin while awake and how much is applied while hypnotized? How long is contact made with the skin in both conditions? great topic, it has me mesmerized! Jerry Bring on the video!How much pressure is applied on the skin while awake and how much is applied while hypnotized? How long is contact made with the skin in both conditions? great topic, it has me mesmerized!
Jerry

]]> By: Cordt http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/comment-page-1/#comment-1965 Cordt Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:34:03 +0000 http://www.michaelshermer.com/2003/10/mesmerized/#comment-1965 I have familiarity with trance. It is a very common error to attribute the supernormal events to trance states for the obvious reason that in inducing trance, one often begins to dream while not fully unconscious. I have familiarity with trance. It is a very common error to attribute the supernormal events to trance states for the obvious reason that in inducing trance, one often begins to dream while not fully unconscious.

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