Task 2. Hypnosis.
When did you discover that you had this talent for hypnosis, Dr Parker.
When I was a final year medical student, actually.
I'd be reading a lot about it and decided to try it myself on a few friends, you know, using certain well-tried techniques.
And you were successful. Well, yes, I was amazed at how quicklyＩwas able to do it.
Could you tell me more about these techniques? Certainly, my method has changed very little since I started it.
To begin with, I get the subject to lie comfortably on a sofa, which helps to relax the body.
You see, in order to reach a person's mind, you have to make him forget his body as much as possible.
Then I tell him to concentrate on my voice.
Some experts claim that the sound of the voice is one of the most powerful tools in hypnosis.
Do you have an assistant with you? Yes, but only as a secretary.
He always sit well in the background, taking notes and looking after the recording equipment.
Then I tell the subject not to think about what I'm saying but just to accept it.
Don't you use a swinging watch or flashing lights?
No, at first I used to rely on the ticking of a clock, some say that boring, repetitive sounds help, but now I simply get my patient to stare at some object in the room.
At this point, I suggest that he's feeling sleepy and that his body's becoming so relaxed that he can hardly feel it.
Be careful, Dr Parker. I'm beginning to feel very drowsy myself. Don't worry, I won't make you do anything silly, I promise.
What you're saying, then, is that you want to control your patient's mind, and that to do this, you have first to take care of the body.