• Fla. school settles bizarre lawsuit over hypnotized students, suicides
    14 replies, posted
[quote]The families of three high school students who died after being hypnotized by a former principal will receive $200,000 each from the Sarasota County School District under a settlement agreement unanimously approved by the School Board on Tuesday. The Herald-Tribune reports that the $600,000 settlement closes a bizarre, yearlong case that began after former North Port High School Principal George Kenney admitted that he hypnotized 16-year-old Wesley McKinley a day before the teenager killed himself in April 2011. A subsequent investigation found that Kenney hypnotized as many as 75 students, staff members and others from 2006 until McKinley’s death. One basketball player at the school said Kenney hypnotized him 30 to 40 times to improve his concentration. Kenney was placed on administrative leave in May 2011; he resigned in June 2012. He was charged with two misdemeanors in 2012, including practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license. He entered a plea of no contest as part of a deal that saw him serve one year of probation, during which he was not allowed to practice unlicensed hypnosis. The families could not sue Kenney himself because school district employees are considered an extension of the School Board under the law. The only entity families could sue was the school district.[/quote] [URL="http://wreg.com/2015/10/07/fla-school-settles-bizarre-lawsuit-over-hypnotized-students-suicides/"]Source[/URL] That's pretty fucked up. This really gives hypnosis a bad rep especially sine it really can be used for good
Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?
This makes me incredibly uneasy for some reason. It's like something you'd see in a fucked up fantasy novel.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] Hypnosis is used as a therapeutic treatment frequently. It's not literal mind control - it's essentially making people sleepy and utilizing the fact that sleepy people are more disinhibited.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] It's just strong suggestion using unconventional means. The kid would have already been determined to kill himself.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] I dont think thats what happened since the whole story isn't there. Hypnosis can't make you do something that would completely go against your morals. I think maybe the self hypnosis is a scapegoat. Also you need a license to practice hypnosis in a professional environment [QUOTE=Levelog;48862834]It's just strong suggestion using unconventional means. The kid would have already been determined to kill himself.[/QUOTE] this
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] hypnosis is used to make suggestions easier. The person still have the willpower to stop it, but if they desire the suggestion they will be able to do it way easier due to hypnosis.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] Exactly what I was wondering. I mean, where do you 'learn' this medical practice, Harvard? Who awards licenses, a medical board or some clerk in an office? How do they establish that there's is a connection between you dying and the hypnosis you were under? To me this sounds like this guy was hypnotizing people and no one cared. Then there were these deaths. People started correlating "they were hypnotized and they died afterwards..." and a witch hunt starts.
Its grasping at straws in an attempt reconcile why a young kid would off him self (an act that isn't to uncommon in that age group). The two misdemeanors seemed appropriate at least, he was practicing without a license.
People always have to find someone to blame for everything dont they...
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;48863511]Exactly what I was wondering. I mean, where do you 'learn' this medical practice, Harvard? Who awards licenses, a medical board or some clerk in an office? How do they establish that there's is a connection between you dying and the hypnosis you were under? [/QUOTE] hypnosis is used in the medical field and is used for modern medicine thanks to a mayo clinic doctor. [url]http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46728[/url] mainly used to fix problems that involve the brain being stupid or psychological therapy.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] You can't. Hypnosis as it is portraid in movies is 100% bullshit, you can't make people do things they wouldn't do otherwise: like rob a bank or get naked on stage (if they aren't a stripper or someone who thinks it's normal for them) etc. You can make people do things that they would do otherwise however. What probably happened is that this kid was already depressed and leaning towards suicide, the hypnosis probably had nothing to do with it.
[QUOTE=Aman;48862651]Am I an idiot in thinking that hypnosis is just bullshit? How can you be hypnotized into killing yourself? Licensed hypnosis, what?[/QUOTE] "Therapeutic hypnosis" works, but not that kind of therapy...
[QUOTE=clanratc;48863805]You can make people do things that they would do otherwise however.[/QUOTE] This makes no sense to me. If I'm going to do something anyways, how can you take credit for hypnotizing me into doing it? I'm sure I'm missing something here...
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;48867099]This makes no sense to me. If I'm going to do something anyways, how can you take credit for hypnotizing me into doing it? I'm sure I'm missing something here...[/QUOTE] I usually think that hypnosis is bs anyways, but licensed hypnosis is kind of like the "hysteria" that televangelists use to do "miracles". It's pretty much they put you in a situation where it doesn't seem weird or uncomfortable to do something, like fall over when they touch your head (or in the case of therapeutic hypnosis, talk about a traumatic event you experienced so that they can understand what happened to you better.) What they mean by "somebody can have the willpower to not do what's suggested" is as if you or I went into a televangelist studio and knew that he was just tricking us, and wouldn't fall over at his touch or suddenly act healed when he prayed for us.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.