Can I be hypnotized?
March 1, 2017 7:19 PM Subscribe
I lost/hid/misplaced an expensive and sentimental piece of jewelry several months ago. I really think I hid it somewhere in my house but I've searched and searched with no luck. Is hypnosis to remember what I did with it a real thing? Maybe I just lost it outside the house. I know it was in my purse at one point.
I've always thought hypnosis was a sort of faux science hocus-pocus thing but I'm willing to go for a try if there's a possibility it might help me find this item. Will this bias affect my ability to be hypnotized in the first place? I guess I'm desperate. Have any of you had a good experience you'd care to share?
I've always thought hypnosis was a sort of faux science hocus-pocus thing but I'm willing to go for a try if there's a possibility it might help me find this item. Will this bias affect my ability to be hypnotized in the first place? I guess I'm desperate. Have any of you had a good experience you'd care to share?
This finding method has worked every time for me. A lot of it is sitting and calmly/quietly reflecting on where the object might be, so not quite hypnosis, but something akin to meditation.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:12 PM on March 1, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:12 PM on March 1, 2017 [23 favorites]
I've had a session of hypnosis, but it was as a therapeutic technique (not used to recover memories or anything like that). I personally found it similar to meditation and mindfulness exercises. I don't think it would be worth paying anyone for it to try to find a missing object. Meditation may be quite helpful if you have worked yourself into a state of frustration about finding the object. It can be helpful to stop and walk away.
My personal suggestion would be that you stop looking for the object. The universe will return it to you if/when you need it. That sounds a bit woo but, then again, so does hypnosis.
on preview - the finding method above sounds great.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 9:18 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
My personal suggestion would be that you stop looking for the object. The universe will return it to you if/when you need it. That sounds a bit woo but, then again, so does hypnosis.
on preview - the finding method above sounds great.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 9:18 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Invite some friends over to help you look. They're able to notice things your own eyes are just passing over out of habit.
posted by furtive_jackanapes at 9:24 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by furtive_jackanapes at 9:24 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sometimes at my work I have to search rooms for purposely hidden objects. if it is in your house, and you search well enough, you will find it. Pick a room and start pulling furniture away from the walls, unzipping pillowcases, etc. probably you will find yourself thinking "this is stupid, I wouldn't have done this" but going through the motions may jog your memory and you might get hit with a lightning bolt.
posted by pintapicasso at 9:25 PM on March 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by pintapicasso at 9:25 PM on March 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
30 years ago I used self hypnosis to quit smoking and I haven't smoked since. My uncle gave me a book called, I think, Self Mastery Through Self Hypnosis. What I remember from it is that you were supposed to take a deep breath while rolling your eyes back in your head and then let the breath out and let your eyes return to normal as you closed your eye lids. So I still do that whenever I want to try self hypnosis. I think there is some physiological reason it is supposed to help.
As I was looking around the internet for something to give you that might help immediately I came across some YouTube videos and I just found a jewelry box I have been looking for for months after listening to this one. Takes like 5 minutes so may be worth a try.
Unfortunately, what I was looking for in the jewelry box wasn't there so I will have to try again later. I did have to listen to parts of several videos before I could find one that I could stand to listen to all the way through so if this guy sets you teeth on edge try another. Good Luck and thanks for asking the question!
posted by BoscosMom at 11:47 PM on March 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
As I was looking around the internet for something to give you that might help immediately I came across some YouTube videos and I just found a jewelry box I have been looking for for months after listening to this one. Takes like 5 minutes so may be worth a try.
Unfortunately, what I was looking for in the jewelry box wasn't there so I will have to try again later. I did have to listen to parts of several videos before I could find one that I could stand to listen to all the way through so if this guy sets you teeth on edge try another. Good Luck and thanks for asking the question!
posted by BoscosMom at 11:47 PM on March 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
It may help if you already know how to put yourself into a relaxed state, like through relaxation exercises.
posted by BoscosMom at 11:53 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by BoscosMom at 11:53 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Wow, it wasn't 5 minutes, it was 15. I guess I really was relaxed.
posted by BoscosMom at 11:54 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by BoscosMom at 11:54 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
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Hypnosis is pretty commonly used for chronic pain management and there's reasonable research into its efficacy. I learned it to help me fall asleep when I'm stressed, and it works well for that purpose. Other forms of guided relaxation or meditation would probably work as well, but self-hypnosis is the one I use.
If your question is can you be hypnotized, then the answer is you can most likely learn self hypnosis techniques if you practice. I think your real question is will hypnosis help you find your lost item. That's up for debate.
posted by 26.2 at 8:57 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]