How do you know if hypnosis works?

[Like Ra]

You are not ingesting anything when exposing skin to the sun and yet it affects your essential vitamin D levels and hormones and its definitely not considered a placebo.

That's radiation in a hugely wide spectrum. Definitely far from placebo.

whatever you're ingesting instead of actual medicine is meant to be "neutral", else you would invalidate any study employing placebos.

If you can disregard the side-effect of the placebo pill, if the working of the actual medicine is very far from the effect of the "placebo material" (which can also be present in the the "real pill"), then everything is OK.

Or sleep, highly necessary for the human organism, but is there anything coming from the outside that is not also received when in the wake state?

Yes, you use internal mechanisms with no external physical or informational influence.

Another difference: placebos fail to work when you're aware of them being used, which is not the case for hypnosis, but then again, hypnosis might also fail if I'm convinced that it won't work??? Oh damnit...

Bingo! Both hypnosis and medical placebo are no more, no less, but provided information. Generally, you do not need any external information, you can concentrate on something internally. This is called "self-hypnosis", "meditation on XXX", etc. 😊

You are not ingesting anything when exposing skin to the sun and yet it affects your essential vitamin D levels and hormones and its definitely not considered a placebo.

That's radiation in a hugely wide spectrum. Definitely far from placebo.

Another difference: placebos fail to work when you're aware of them being used, which is not the case for hypnosis, but then again, hypnosis might also fail if I'm convinced that it won't work??? Oh damnit...

Bingo! Both hypnosis and medical placebo are no more, no less, but provided information. Generally, you do not need any external information, you can concentrate on something internally. This is called "self-hypnosis", "meditation on XXX", etc. 😊

Indeed, "radiation" and "sound" vs. "image" and "noise" as the subsets that already contain information in the respective physical domain (I just hope I'm somewhat accurate with the wording). Why differentiate between the effects it causes on and in the skin or the damage it does to the ear vs. whatever the brain is able to "emit in measurable ways" after having processed the neural signals in order to call something placebo or not?
But I think we are on the same side that what defines a placebo-effect, i.e. the rite of taking something which by biochemical understanding alone is useless but still shows an effect nonetheless and what we try to accomplish when meditating or listening to hypnosis apparently has a similar input/output structure!

[Like Ra]

whatever the brain is able to "emit in measurable ways" after having processed the neural signals in order

This is where my second non-western-science-proof theory lies - thought-forms, that can provide the necessary information, as soon as you tune in by matching the frequencies (just like the radio).

But we digress. This thread is not about how hypnosis works (if it works), but how to prove that it works (or not).

My question is - how do you distinguish between "playing along" and "being affected by hypnosis"? Is it possible at all?

My question is - how do you distinguish between "playing along" and "being affected by hypnosis"?  Is it possible at all?

This almost sounds like "fake it 'til you make it" mentality.

How do you become hypnotized?
Pretend you're hypnotized.
When do you stop?
Never

[Like Ra]

"fake it 'til you make it" mentality.

Yep, this is how most teaching system works. Some things can not be explained, but they can be felt.

How do you become hypnotized?
Pretend you're hypnotized.
When do you stop?
Never

Exactly, at the end you don't know if you are hypnotized or not. It's extremely difficult to realize that you are dreaming when you are sleeping. And this is where the second option might help:

As for behaviour, I see two options:

o- you must be VERY aware of your actions (think "mindfullness") to notice any non-standard inclinations
o- "unlikelinesses" might be noticed by others, who know you well

My question is - how do you distinguish between "playing along" and "being affected by hypnosis"? Is it possible at all?

Perhaps some differential analysis between what exposure to my fetishistic triggers vs. any "learnt" erotic hypnotic conditioning does?
I know that the former is much more real than whatever the fascination of giving in to trancing provides me with.

[Like Ra]

... and how to distinguish from the usual "waves of interests" ... ?

[Like Ra]

... and how to distinguish from the usual "waves of interests" ... ?

... and how do we know, what causes those "waves of interests" ... ?

Reading a lot about it on likera.com?

[Like Ra]

Reading a lot about it on likera.com?

Also. Not everybody reads and posts everyday, though 😊 Some people disappear (purge fetish clothes and kinky toys), then return back weeks/months later again (and again) 😁