The Power of Suggestion

The power of suggestion is very strong. That's how hypnotism and magic shows work. I was hypnotized once at a show and I'm still not exactly sure what I experiences. It was a strange experience. I didn't think it would work on me because I am not one of those people who can fall asleep or be relaxed very easily. It takes a lot of effort for me to relax.  When the hypnosis process began, I found myself becoming completely relaxed. It almost seemed paradoxical. Throughout the entire hypnosis show I knew fully well what I was doing and hearing but it almost felt like I had no option but to follow the instructions I was given. Like I said, I'm still not exactly sure what happened. A lot of it was most likely the power of suggestion as well as the environment that I was in. I knew that I was supposed to be a part of an entertainment show, which more than likely influenced me to go along with the hypnosis even more than I already was. I felt very aware yet unaware at the same time. I think that sometimes this is the kind of effect that horror films can have on you.

            Have you ever watched a horror film in the theatre, or at home in a dark and cold basement with a bunch of your friends and been scared out of your mind until later when you realized that that movie was in fact not scary at all? When you are with all of your friends and you want to be scared, it's no longer just the film, but the watching of the film that becomes a source of entertainment. We want to be scared or we wouldn't be watching the film. Then, at the same time, we realize that we want to share this experience of being scared with our friends, so we become automatically more susceptible to the horror of the film.

            Then, the environment comes into play. If you watch a horror film in broad daylight, while listening to your little sister sing High School Musical songs upstairs, chances are you aren't going to be very afraid. If you are in your basement, with all the lights of, in the middle of the night and not a sound is heard around you, chances are that same movie is going to have much more of a horrific impact on you. The same thing goes for a movie theatre. There is a reason that movie theatres are dark. They set up the perfect atmosphere without interruptions that allow you to be scared. You may easily see a horror film and be absolutely terrified from it, but as soon as you walk outside into the daylight, you're fine. If it's night, however, you may leave the theatre flinching at every noise you hear on the way home.

            When I found out that we were going to watch the movie Ju-On in class, I was immediately excited. I love being scared and I had a feeling this movie would scare me. When time came for us to watch it, I immediately got the chills. I went from being very hot in the classroom to immediately being cold. I zipped up my sweatshirt and put my hood on my head, so as to "hide", in a sense. I hadn't even seen anything yet and I was already afraid! Even though someone would've thought I was watching the scariest movie ever made if they were watching me during it, I would have to, overall; say that the movie was just alright. I was scared for some parts of it, but after the fact of the matter, I realized that for the most part I was not. It's very easy to convince yourself that you are scared if you are in the right environment. As I said, it's the power of suggestion that is truly scary.