Would Hypnosis Used on "The Mentalist" Really Work?

"The Mentalist" is a television crime show featuring a main character, Patrick Jane, who is a mentalist.  Jane uses his powers of mental acuity to help law enforcement solve crimes.  In the episode "Red Hair and Silver Tape" Jane uses a covert hypnotism technique to gain information from a woman related to the crime.  Is this technique real?  Would it really work?

This technique, in the exact way that it is used in the show, is the equivalent of hitting a hole in one in golf.  Yes, it's possible, but it very rarely works.  Let's break it down.

First, the target of the hypnotism would have to have certain factors that predispose him/her to this technique.  The person would have to be highly suggestible, easily influenced by others, and have a need which the hypnotist offers a much-desired solution for.  The female character in the show fits these characteristics.  She is obese, which suggests that she has a weak ego and struggles with self-acceptance.  She knows something about the woman who was murdered, which suggests she carries a certain level of guilt as a secret-keeper that she may wish to be relieved from.

Jane gives her a quick verbal patter that is out of context with the interview she was having with the police.  This causes confusion, which opens up the woman's mind to accepting a suggestion that will bring her back to familiarity or order.  Jane provides this in the form of a suggestion about what will happen when she goes to sleep that night.  He uses language about being light, being free, having the feeling of flying.  All of these things give her a sense of relief from the weight of the secret that she's keeping.  Jane then plants a kinesthetic anchor by gently tapping the woman on the knee as he's speaking.  Anchors provide the subconscious mind with a way to activate or trigger a response or behavior.  Jane couples the physical anchor with a verbal anchor of saying "hello."

Later on in the episode, the woman is brought in for questioning in again, and when Jane sees her he uses the tap and the verbal anchor of saying hello.  The woman shifts into state and voluntarily shares the secret that she's been keeping, the knowledge that the murder victim was secretly dating a man.  It all looks pretty impressive the way they do it on the show, but how many people would this actually work on?

I have no way to make an accurate prediction.  I can't give a percentage of people that this would work on, but I'll stick to my earlier analogy of the hole-in-one.  Yes, it's possible, but most people will never experience it.  The factors that have to come together to make this scenario work are pretty complex, and the writers of the show have the luxury of making all those factors come together.  They make it look way easier than it is.

There are lots of books, ebooks, and "secret" websites out there that claim to be able to teach you covert hypnosis.  Be careful about what you believe when it comes to their claims. 

Comments

[Dirk Patrick]

Excellent point. The writers have a fantasy world in which to make things happen. But often times when you are with one who is distraught, their perception is so tightly focused on one thing that it would be not difficult to use anchoring techniques to help them. For instance, a favorite piece of music or an aroma can trigger a very fond and supportive memory. As you notice the person enjoying that memory, one could mark that moment in time with a touch or sound. Then later when the person is in need of assistance, repeat that anchor without being obvious about it. This just may aid that person in drawing on greater inner resources to solve the problem at hand. Just a thought. Thank you for the discussion! Dirk at /www.hypnosiskansascity.com//

[Paul Ramsay]

Thank you, Dirk, for dropping in and leaving a comment :)