talkmagic.co.uk

RIPPED APART: The Automatic Imagination Model
by Anthony Jacquin and Kev Sheldrake

What it is
An audio discussion exploring what hypnosis is and how it might work, and introducing a new theory by Jacquin and Sheldrake. (NB: It does not teach hypnosis techniques.)

Cost
£30 from Head Hacking
(I'll admit I bought mine for less, second-hand.)

Difficulty
Accessible for anyone, but really intended for those who already have some experience in hypnosis.

Review
Although we know hypnosis exists, and we know how to induce this state in people, we still don't know for sure what it actually is. Ripped Apart begins with a look at current theories, and ends by presenting a new and revolutionary model of what hypnosis might be.

The 80-minute CD takes the form of an informal conversation between Anthony Jacquin and Kev Sheldrake, and is easy to follow, even for those who (like me) don't take in spoken information very well. They retrace the lines of thinking and research that led to their theory, including a survey of the classical theories of suggestion and suggestibility, and the latest results from neurobiology and cognitive behaviour research. The more we learn about neuroscience and psychology, the less evidence we find for separate conscious and subconscious minds. The classical theories of hypnosis, which rely on the concept of the subconscious, obviously need to be heavily adapted or else thrown out entirely.

The final third of the discussion is the most exciting part, as it's here that Jacquin and Sheldrake set out their new model of what hypnosis is and how it works. They call it the "automatic imagination" model. I'll quote from the CD cover: When asked to imagine something, imagine it as completely as you can.... Now imagine that the act of imagining is happening automatically. Imagine there is nothing you can do about that. Imagine all the things you were imagining, but also imagine that you are not aware of imagining them. If you are reminded that you are imagining them, imagine them again, and also imagine that you won't notice the reminders. Repeat until there are no reminders left.

Is your mind spinning enough yet? Don't worry, it's all explained on the CD. And while the automatic imagination model is still very much in the research stage, they've tried applying it in real life with some amazing early results. People who were previously written off as un-hypnotisable have experienced classical hypnotic phenomena such as sticking hands, hallucination, and invisibility.

Although this CD isn't intended to teach any kind of "how to", it provides enough information to allow hypnotists to apply and experiment with the automatic imagination model in their own work. It's an utterly new theory that leads to exciting new techniques, and will make you think again about everything you thought you knew about hypnosis.

Overall
If all you want to know is how to put people in a trance, Ripped Apart isn't for you. But if you're seriously interested in the science behind hypnosis, I recommend it very highly. It's an absolutely up-to-date (2011) survey of the field as well as an introduction to Jacquin and Sheldrake's own theory, which is so new it's literally still a work in progress.

Personally, I would have preferred the information in book form because I learn better from the printed word. But that's my own preference and shouldn't be allowed to influence you! I may end up making a transcript for myself.

The only real drawback is the price, which is high enough to put off some potential buyers. Like so many magic/mentalism/hypnosis items, it's a private production for a limited audience, so it's necessarily more expensive than a top-ten album. But if you've got a spare £30 burning a hole in your pocket, forget about buying that latest snazzy trick and think about feeding your mind with some exciting new information instead.

A good solid 8 or 9 out of 10, depending on your budget and how well you take in audio information.

Hi Robbie,

thanks for taking the time to write your review of Ripped Apart. I am glad you found our ideas of interest. They have had a profound impact on our magic as well as hypnosis.

The real joy for me as a mentalist is being able to apply the principles outlined without any overt reference to hypnosis.

Stay in touch with any questions relating to practical application.

Best regards,

Anthony Jacquin
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