The Components of Mass Mind Control & Inciting Mobs Uncovered For New Educational Video By Hypnotherapist Dan Jones About The Dark Side of Hypnosis
Hypnotherapist Dan Jones has released his 4th and final educational video in The Mind Changers 'History of Hypnosis' series which has explored hypnosis from its earliest roots, through mesmerism, the development of hypnotism and now, in the final episode, exploring the dark side of hypnosis.
While Hypnotherapist Dan Jones, who runs psychology and personal development YouTube Channel 'The Mind Changers' with neuroscientist Dr David Lewis, was researching for his final video in the 'History of Hypnosis' 4-part YouTube series, he uncovered what prominent US psychologist and hypnosis researcher George H Estabrooks wrote about Adolf Hitler, mass mind control and mob mentality in his 1943 book 'Hypnotism'.
"While extensively researching hypnosis and mind control for the dark side of hypnosis video, I read the 1943 first edition of 'Hypnotism' which contains a chapter called 'This Man Hitler'. In the book Estabrooks describes Hitler as 'the world's best hypnotist', he goes on to describe the hypnotic techniques employed by Hitler for mass mind control, which, according to Estabrooks, come down to five steps" Dan explains.
The five components Dan uncovered in George H Estabrooks book 'Hypnotism' are:
- Emotional contagion
- Restriction of the field of consciousness
- Social sanction
- Feeling of omnipotence
- Removal of inhibitions
Dan says, "what I found fascinating about these components was that this was written almost 80 years ago and yet despite many advances in technology and the expansion of communication, these still apply today. In many countries it may not be that there are limited ways of consuming media, but instead that we self-select a restriction of the field of consciousness, that we unknowingly self-select social sanction, that anonymity can aid the feeling of omnipotence and removal of inhibitions, and social media companies and various digital platforms and their algorithms can reinforce this by showing us more of the same."
In 'The Dark Side of Hypnosis' Dan explore these components by giving an example of someone succumbing to mob mentality, explaining each point and continuing on the example to bring to life what he is referring to.
Dan explains, "according to Estabrooks, Hitler used fear for emotional contagion, he controlled what media people consumed, he set up a 'them vs us' mentality, encouraging the idea that 'we are the ones being persecuted and attacked'. He encouraged hatred, patriotism and a sense of superiority, controlling the press and promoting fake science papers as news stating ways in which 'we are superior', like the fake news headline claiming 'Nordic Hens are Superior to Mediterranean Hens'. Controlling the press helped Hitler restrict the field of consciousness of people on the reality he wanted them to have. He promoted the idea that it was their God-given right to rise superior in these circumstances and make Germany great again."
- Emotional contagion is where an individual gets swept up in the emotions of a mob or group
- Restriction of the field of consciousness is a narrowing of your focus of attention around one perspective, view or experience of reality
- Social sanction is where people feel that their behaviours and responses are acceptable within the group they are in, a group sanction develops where people don't feel that their behaviours are wrong
- Feeling of omnipotence is where people feel like they can do what they are doing without fear(or thought) of consequences, that what they are doing is acceptable and expected
- Removal of inhibitions is where the person ends up doing things that ordinarily they probably wouldn't have done
As well as covering mass mind control, 'The Dark Side of Hypnosis' also covers how therapists can have unexpected negative outcomes in therapy, hypnotic techniques used by politicians, sales people, cults, advertising and seduction, as well as delving into mind control research which has been carried out into whether people can be made to do things against their will.
'The Dark Side of Hypnosis' 2 hour educational video is available now and free to watch on The Mind Changers YouTube channel.