HIDDEN DEPTHS

The truth is that we are all capable of much more than we believe we are. This is true both physically and mentally. It’s like the story of the mother lifting a vehicle to free her child. Absurd though it sounds, such tales are not as crazy as they might seem.

Results obtained from individuals under hypnosis suggest that such prodigious feats of strength may be possible for many people. In one case, the average strength of the grip of three men increased by 40% from 101 lb to 142 lb when they were hypnotized.²

Hypnosis has also been used as an analgesic aid in surgical operations. In the 19th century, John Elliotson, Professor of Practical Medicine at University College, London, practised surgery using hypnotism as a substitute for anaesthesia. It was also used during the Second World War when conventional anaesthesia wasn’t available, and it is used even today by some surgeons.