Everyday Hypnotisms

We are constantly being hypnotized by the occurrences and events in our lives. Combine deep or continuing focus with repetition and continual reinforcement and we have what might be called the everyday hypnotisms of life itself. As a practicing hypnotherapist, I have clients who come in to see me with all sorts of bad habits that may be described in both behavioral or mental terms. However, this blog is not about stopping smoking or nailbiting, or improving motivation or self-esteem, etc. Here we engage the hypnotic-like phenomena that characterize much of social, cultural and political life.

So let's begin with a short list of some everyday hypnotisms.

• Political parties. It is with much satisfaction that I observe growing frustration with the institution of political parties. I have advocated an independent, non-party political systems since 1970, and now California and a few other states have passed laws that implement non-partisan qualifying primaries in which the top two finishers are selected, with the election then decided by runoff. This is similar to a tradition in some U.S. city governments and elsewhere. A no-party politics has the potential to empower politics and the citizenry, esp. if it is combined with meaningful public campaign financing.

• The U.S. government is spending over $1billion dollars in interest payments every day! The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund loans money to poor countries that can never pay back their loans and, as a result further cripples their economies. And personal dept is allowed to exponentially increase. Is there something wrong with banks that earn UNLIMITED profit when debtors run into difficulties that are compounded by the never-ending spiral of compound interest?

• One word: Ideology. Okay, two words: ideology and dogma. Are these not everyday hypnotisms that pervade human existence? 

The above are three huge examples of everyday hypnotisms that are adored by the masses (excepting, perhaps, the astronomic compounding of interest!) Respond to the above, or add your own examples of everyday hypnotisms. (originally posted 4/14/13)

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