Misleading NLP and Hypnosis

As many of you know, I am an atheist and a born skeptic. Ironically many hypnotists claim to be skeptics too. However, all too often you will find images like these at hypnosis or NLP workshops.

Glass walking

Firewalking

Arrow Snapping

Some NLP and Hypnosis, workshop trainers work people up into a frenzy and to prove that their NLP/Hypnosis or pendulum swinging exercises have indeed had any effect they will use: Arrow Snapping, Fire walking and/or Glass walking as a convincer of their suggestive workshops. They want to prove that after their workshop you have the "energy" the "spirit" the "strength" whatever it is to charge over those hot coals and feel good about yourself. Because after all you need to be able to engage a certain "subconscious" mechanism to deal with the excruciating pain that goes hand in hand with walking over hot coals creates. Or you need to focus all your "healing" or "positive" energy to keep those sharp glass shards from cutting the soles of your feet!

When I see this I literally see a new religion in the making. Which is my problem with most Hypnosis and NLP courses. People are brains washed in similar ways as some religious leaders do. A trainer who will use one of these techniques to show that you can control your mind, is nothing short but another Peter Popoff. Peter Popoff, is a so called "minister"/"faith healer" who apparently heals people using the power of God... After these people paid money to get into the whole "stage hypnosis" show.

Fire walking, Glass Walking and Arrow snapping to name a few of these abused rituals to self proof. Are Fakir effects. Used by Fakir's as far back as the 800 AD. These methods came to europe in the early middle ages and have since been abused by any charlatan under the sun, from medieval potion makers to current day Hypnotherapists claiming to be Doctors. 

The Medieval potion maker would cook up some brew and sell it from town to town. Aften the potion was nothing more than some animal based oil (hence the expression snake-oil). A so called "stooge" in the crowd would buy the potion drink it and feel strong and amazing and to prove that he did not get hurt walk over charred coals, glass, or break arrows with his eye socket or larynx or bend metal bars. Many people were convinced by these methods and also bought the miracle potion (aka snake oil). They too would be coached over the smouldering coals or stand bare feet and to 4 razor sharp swords. Adding a new "high" to the now well known and documented placebo effect.

Fire walking has all to do with reduced heat conduction. The ash on the coal works as an insulator and when you walk at a steady pace having a foot no more than one second on the hot ashes then your feet will be fine. Do not kick up the ash or you will be in trouble. Ash is a very poor heat conductor! Would you heat up a metal plate to the same temperature as the coals underneath the ash then trust me! There's no way you can walk over there!

Psychologically its very weird, when you are on the edge one part of you screams NOOOOO! The other part screams: TRUST IN SCIENCE! It's setting that first step that is the hardest, but when you know in your mind that you will be safe it's no big deal. 

I once was at the CN Tower and I had to walk onto the glass floor, 400 meters above ground and bear i mind, I suffer from vertigo! 

As I stood on that edge, I felt a simular struggle in my psychology as with the fire walking. My analytical neocortex said: "It's all fine! Those plates can hold a group of rhinos" my limbic system screamed: "DANGER DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!" -- with my amygdala screaming the loudest.

Me pretending to fall down for the photo. (Never mind the hair there)

Two years later I came back with my best friend and I instantly walked up. My best friend who doesn't suffer from vertigo (unlike me), froze for a few minutes, experiencing what I'd two years prior. As soon as he got on he felt as liberated as I did two years ago. 

This feeling is very powerful! Hence the trainers/coaches like to associate (anchor in NLP terms) that feeling with their workshop. But fire walking, glass walking, sword walking, bar bending all that stuff is no different than walking on the glass floor at the CN-Tower or at the Grand Canyon.

Glass walking is something that relies on science as well, bar bending/arrow snapping rely on science and actually some setup work in advance to make it safe for everybody! 

I've done all of these effects myself at some point and the irony is: When you know you are safe and when you know science is at work it looses it's power. Sure there's an adrenaline rush, much like you get from a rollercoaster but it's not a groundbreaking achievement! But those "GURUs" want to make it appear that way.

Here I demonstrate how to stick a needle through someone's hand without feeling a pain sensation:

Needle Through hand of Spectator this actually is more of an achievement than walking on glass or coals. Because here the spectator needs to completely trust me. Also this here is merely for entertainment purposes. However, I never use this in my courses.

Conclusion: When you see an NLP/Hypnosis or what ever do fakir stunts, then you know you should stay away! Even some very great names like Anthony Robbins does fire walking and to me that's the trademark of a charlatan. It's the same as the hypnotist placing a person between to chairs, which is also nothing special and has nothing to do with hypnosis.

Please people, this is 2011, we should not fall for tricks that were invented in the early medieval times anymore. 

These are demonstrations that should only be admired when performed by a professional fakir. The fakir act is a wonderful piece of entertainment and todays fakirs will almost always do demonstrations that push the envelop of human endurance. Unlike fire/glass walking or arrow snapping/bar bending.