Hypnology

Hypnology is a strange word. Literally it means the study of sleep, but it actually means the science of hypnosis. I’ve been what you might call, fascinated, with hypnology for many years. My interest stemmed from a stage hypnosis show my parents took me to in a little country town when I was about nine. I didn’t get the chance to go up on stage that night, even though I recall pestering my folks to let me. I remember seeing a lot of the local identities going on stage though, and watching them do all kinds of comical things that had us roaring with laughter. In my youthful ignorance of what was going on I naturally assumed that the hypnotist was a very powerful person who had complete control over his chosen subjects and that there was nothing they wouldn’t do under his command.
Later on, as a teenager and even more intrigued by hypnosis, I formed the opinion that anyone who could be hypnotized must be very weak-willed in order to surrender themselves to a hypnotist. The recipe for a rollicking, good stage show, in my view then, would be a domineering hypnotist, preferably with mad, staring eyes, and a group of weak-willed subjects.
Of course I’ve changed my viewpoint somewhat since then, having studied and practiced hypnology as a science in its own right for many years, but it’s funny how many of the general public still think of hypnosis in basically the same terms as I did when I was a teenager!