WarpMyMind

Has anyone watched that tv show by Derren Brown?

I am very aware that he is not only a hypnotist (in fact I believe he is not acertified hypnotist), but he infuses mentalism, nlp, magic tricks (so there is a possibility it´s all set up).

In one of his latest, and possibly most polemic stunts (considering he did the russian roulette routine a couple of years ago) he hypnotized a subject (after careful selection) into carrying out a fake assassination attempt against Stephen Fry, British celebrity, during a speech. The subject was not aware that it was all set up, so the subject actually believed he did murdered Stephen Fry (but of course, he didn´t killed him).

It is commonplace in hypnosis that one would not perform something (murderer) while hypnotized the same way one would not do it awake. But Derren tried and (maybe using magic or stage tricks, who knows) succeeded into breaking this commonplace.

What do you think about that?

Cheers

My own opinion is that the guy is more illusionist than anything else. He is a showman and he's very good at it, and I have no doubt that he has some psychological tricks that he has perfected, as good illusionists can. But his shows shouldn't be taken seriously in a scientific sense, they are entertainment. After all, seeing a magician pull a rabbit out of an empty hat doesn't change what you know about hats.

Z

When a magician calls a volunteer up on the stage to help with a trick, that person is called a plant. When a "hypnotist" selects and turns them into an assassin, the subject is called a plant.

Unless Mr. Brown beat the million to one odds and actually found, totally at random and by sheer luck, an actual homicidal nut case who had no moral injunction against murdering someone, the whole bit was staged.

Sorry to burst your bubble....

no bubble bursted.

I admire Derren for his showmanship, but i am aware that there is a line he tends to break when he leaves hypnotism and enters trickery.
Even Derren himself states that his shows are not 100% NLP and mentalism

His hypnotism acts, when he is using Hypnosis really are good though

my personal problem with all the hypnosis done by Derren Brown is that there are camera's all about. people act differently on camera

It isn't impossible to make somebody do they wouldn't normally do it is just difficult. You just need to make their mind realize that they want to be it or do it. If you know what your doing you can make anybody a plant. Though some people its harder to do.

Though we all have those homicidal instincts. Its just if we decide to suppress them. If you ever thought even in anger I wish he was dead then you have it in you.

Well, in most cases, it's not so much an ideal that people need to believe in. All it usually takes is encouraging attachment to comrades. Most people are willing to kill for their family.

...as for what the flaws in my post are, I don't quite know what you mean specifically. Yes, it's not a popular theory, and I didn't do a very good job of saying it, I know, but I'm fine with that.

And what I meant with the part about the subconscious... I'm speaking from experience. People sometimes have dark parts to them, is all. Parts which may or may not be complicit in plotting suicide attempts.

The person involved had quite a few hints given to him that it would be ok to use the gun

There was the earlier trial with the water pistol and nothing bad happened to him personally

He was to meet up with Mr Fry and Mr Brown after the show and Mr Fry is a friend of Mr Brown

A very strange thing happens. Someone gives him a weapon in a box and he is told it belongs to Mr Brown. How often has someone met you and asked you to look after a weapon for someone, rather than meet them themselves? In the UK people are not in routine possesion of firearms. It is hard to get a license.

He is told the theatre management knows he has it and have no objection. That implies all kinds of permission and pre arrangement. If you asked most theatres if they minded if you brought a firearm in, they would probably call the police.

I was more interested in the fact that none of the audience reacted badly, personally...

I love Derren Brown, but I think a person that's been chosen to participate in a tv show with him knows (whether conciously or subconciously) that nothing bad is going to happen. Surely that's bound to influence your mind, no matter what prompts are given.