Trinity College students were given some work experience at a class rep training weekend earlier in the year by being hpynotized into giving lap dances.
The claims involve a hypnotist who was hired by the Trinity College Student Union who, amongst other things, convinced students they were watching a pornographic film and act accordingly. Fortunately, no members were self-yanked and there was little to note by way of obscene exposure, but the Trinity Student Union felt compelled to ask the hypnotist to ‘temper’ his act.
The general reaction to the act was one of enjoyment, with the female members who were lulled into erotic presentation crucially finding the whole thing a bit of a laugh. By all accounts, it was the lucid male members of the audience who were treated to the dance who were visibly uncomfortable. But then they weren’t hypnotised.
However, this didn’t stop the Trinity SU at hiring the same hypnotist again for none other than Mental Health Week just a few days later.
Spokesman for said Student Union Finn Murphy said he was shocked that the professional hypnotist has the untold ability to hypnotise people.
“To be honest, before it started I didn’t think it was going to work at all…the hypnosis seemed ‘too real’ and I think in general people are uncomfortable with the idea of another person having control over their actions”
Those were the same people that presumably volunteered to be hypnotised. Of course, being hynotised without permission could be called ‘mind-rape’, but it’s important to point out that being hypnotised takes genuine concentration as focus.
Of course, legitimate concerns were raised about certain students unwittingly sharing things they never would if they were fully lucid, outing themselves for instance. But, and this isn’t saying hypnosis is homophobic, but if you have a significant secret you’d rather not reveal, handing over the keys to your consciousness to bloke dressed like the Wizard of Oz probably isn’t the way to go.
And here, at least those people weren’t on live Irish television hypnotised into having an orgasm!