Blapsing_Beard wrote:
yes - but that is where I also begin to wonder where if there is actually a very physical reason as to why there is a headache, the pain would go?
Hmmm... this is pretty interesting, I was discussing my interest in inpromptu hypnosis with one of my friends who wants to specialise in brain surgery and as part of his course they were actually required to study and try hypnosis - he too was aware of magnetic palms and magnetic fingers and tried it on a fellow student. I know nothing about medicine but he did mention something about the neurology of it all and it certainly sounded quite credible. Whilst the more science minded amongst us here may shed some light on this, my way of understanding it is an analogy with drugs. There's clearly a neurological effect when, for instance, narcotics alter your brain: some illegal drugs cause a physical change in your brain, whereas others (such as MDMA for instance) are not as a result of a physical change but rather some kind of "rewiring" (something to do with the gaps between receptors).
Similarly, I read somewhere, can't remember where - it could have been Anthony Jacquin's blog - that acupuncture, is not the result of a physical thing (other than needles sticking in you, obviously), but rather a neurological thing. For doctors to be actually studying this as part of their course, it definitely would be a clear indicator that this grey area (if you'll excuse the matter pun) has some substance (in a palliative care context). Part of the reason for my purchase of RIP is in addition to the possibilities fo fun in a bar context, my mum often has pains due to kidney malfunction, and the idea of pain alleviation is one that I find quite significant and valuable. I for one find it incredibly interesting if initially I did find myself sceptical, even at the point of reading up to the Set Piece chapter, which is something I would never considered had I not read RIP. Again, continuing the drugs theme, it has certainly opened the doors of perception for me in terms of what is possible for magic, and whilst I've yet to "successfully" hypnotise (i define "success" as something more substantial than ideomatic movements or catalepsy, which is thus far the only hypnotic pheneomona i've achieved), this book has given me the right direction and approach, and I'm therefore confident that the next milestone stage of someone "going under" will be reached.
) but with great powers come great responibility 
