Is hypnotism of people simply a trick, or is it actually possible
to get people to cluck like a chicken on demand?

Hi aksin!

Hypnosis is not so much as a trick someone plays on you, but a trick
you control for yourself. It is a state of altered consciousness where
you are in full control of your actions.  If you are the type of
person who would cluck like a chicken for kicks, then you may cluck
like a chicken while under hypnosis with a trusted therapist. Queen
Elizabeth, however, would not cluck like a chicken while hypnotized,
because it is out of her character.

"Hypnosis is not an artificial condition imposed upon a "subject," but
rather a skill to be learned by the client to correct an existing
symptom or problem. It's not magic; all clients must work
cooperatively with their therapists."
Saichek/Vail Hypnotherapy
http://www.hypnotherapy.com/hypnosis.html

Hypnosis uses relaxation to enhance suggestibility and to induce a
hypnotic state in order to achieve a goal. It is most useful for
therapeutic purposes, but the entertainment industry does get a
chuckle out of stage hypnosis.


Additional Websites that may interest you: 

"Will I Cluck Like a Chicken?: Myths and Misconceptions About Clinical
Hypnosis". by Dr. Rick Voit. OfSpirit.com
http://www.ofspirit.com/rickvoit1.htm

To read more about Hypnosis, check the Hypnotherapy.com website.
http://www.hypnotherapy.com/

To ask an expert about stage hypnotherapy, check the following
website.
Stage Hypnosis Center
http://www.stagehypnosiscenter.com/ask.htm


Search Terms Used: 

Hypnosis and validity

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I hope this helps!

Penguin

Hello!

Hypnosis is more than a simple parlor trick, yet it is not as powerful
as to "get people to cluck like a chicken on demand."  A proper
definition of hypnotism is:

"A form of sleep or somnambulism brought on by artificial means, in
which there is an unusual suspension of some powers, and an unusual
activity of others. It is induced by an action upon the nerves,
through the medium of the senses, as in persons of very feeble
organization, by gazing steadly at a very bright object held before
the eyes, or by pressure upon certain points of the surface of the
body."
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. C. & G. Merriam Co. (1913).

A common misconception is that "under hypnosis a person will do
anything - good or bad, that they are a slave who automatically obeys
the master hypnotist ... With hypnosis, a person may reject any
improper or immoral suggestions that are given."
"About Hypnosis" by Wand Enterprises
http://www.hypnotism.com/aboutHyp.cfm

Search terms used: hypnosis fact fiction

I hope this helps!

ScottSB

hello aksyn, 

no, this is not possible if you don't want to do it.

But hypnosis is not only a trick, as you can see:

"Hypnosis, altered state of consciousness and heightened
responsiveness to suggestion; it may be induced in normal persons by a
variety of methods and has been used occasionally in medical and
psychiatric treatment. (...)"
Source: Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761553025

About the truth of hypnosys you can consult:

THE TRUTH AND THE HYPE OF HYPNOSIS
By Michael R. Nash 
Scientific American
July, 2001
http://www.sciam.com:80/2001/0701issue/0701nash.html

Your same question answered:

"So rest assured, when under hypnosis, no one can make a person run
down the road squawking like a chicken. That could only occur if the
person has the desire to act like a chicken in the first place (e.g. a
volunteer for a stage hypnotist has agreed, in his or her mind, to be
part of the entertainment and will therefore cooperate)."
Source: http://www.hypnosiscenter.org/faq.htm

"Would someone say or do something against their will because of
hypnosis? (In other words, will I cluck like a chicken?)
This is a myth. No one would ever say or do something against their
morals or values because they are hypnotized. Such misconceptions stem
from portrayals of hypnosis in the mass media and by stage hypnosis."
Source: http://www.headmenders.com/hypnosis.htm

I hope this info helps you!