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Parapsychology: Table levitations (sometimes called table lifting or table tipping):

Table levitations (sometimes called table lifting or table tipping), they are phenomena reported in séances, spiritualist gatherings, and some parapsychology investigations in which a table appears to move, tilt, rock, rise, or occasionally lift off the floor without an obvious physical cause.

Historical Background

Table levitation may have became widely known during the 19th-century Spiritualist movement in the United States and Europe. Participants would sit around a table, place their hands lightly on it, and observe movements that some interpreted as communication from spirits.

Researchers and investigators, studied these claims that concluded, that many cases could be explained by unconscious muscular movements exerted by the participants.

Common Explanations

Psychological Explanation

  • The most widely accepted explanation is the ideomotor effect.
  • People can produce small muscle movements without being consciously aware of doing so.
  • When several individuals are touching a table, these tiny movements may combine and create noticeable motion.

Parapsychological Interpretation

  • Some parapsychologists have suggested that certain cases may involve psychokinesis (PK), the purported ability of the mind to influence physical objects.
  • Reports of table levitations are sometimes discussed alongside research into telekinesis and other psychic phenomena.

Spiritualist Interpretation

  • Spiritualists traditionally viewed table levitation as evidence of communication with spirits or non-physical intelligences.

What Has Research Found?

While many reports of table movement have been documented, controlled scientific studies have generally found that ordinary physical and psychological mechanisms may account for most observed cases. Clear, repeatable evidence for genuine levitation under rigorous laboratory conditions has been widely accepted by the Parapsychology community.

Difference Between Table Tipping and Table Levitation

  • Table Tipping: The table rocks, turns, or tilts while people are touching it.
  • Table Levitation: The table reportedly rises partially or completely off the ground.

In parapsychology literature, table levitation is often cited as a classic example of a reported psychokinetic phenomenon, though its interpretation remains controversial for some people.

Shervan K Shahhian

The phrase “Music is Food for the Soul” is a metaphor suggesting that music nourishes,…

The phrase “music is food for the soul” is a metaphor suggesting that music nourishes our inner emotional and psychological life in much the same way that food nourishes the body.

Why some people describe music this way

1. Music evokes and may regulate emotions
Music may help people experience, express, and process emotions such as joy, sadness, hope, nostalgia, or peace. It may provide comfort during difficult times and enhance positive experiences.

2. Music creates meaning
Songs may often become connected to important memories, relationships, and life events. A piece of music may remind someone of the past, a loved one, or a significant moment, giving a sense of continuity and meaning.

3. Music promotes connection
Across cultures, music brings people together through singing, dancing, worship, celebration, and shared experiences. It may foster a sense of belonging and community.

4. Music affects the mind
Some research shows that music engages multiple emotional systems involved in emotion, memory, attention, and reward. Listening to enjoyable music may trigger the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine: Consult With A Neurologist, which are associated with pleasure and motivation.

5. Music may support spiritual experiences
Many religious and spiritual traditions use music in prayer, meditation, rituals, and ceremonies. People may often report feelings of transcendence, awe, or connection to something larger than themselves through music.

6. Music provides psychological restoration
Just as food replenishes physical energy, music may help restore mental and emotional energy. Many people use music to relax, reduce stress, focus, or cope with life’s challenges.

A psychological perspective

From a psychological standpoint, music may help satisfy several fundamental human needs:

  • Emotional expression
  • Social connection
  • Identity and self-understanding
  • Meaning and purpose
  • Stress reduction and emotional regulation

A famous expression

The idea maybe linked to a line from the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare:

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

While Shakespeare referred specifically to love, the broader idea has evolved into the modern saying that music nourishes the human spirit, helping people feel, connect, heal, and find meaning in their lives.

In that sense, many people consider music “food for the soul” because it feeds parts of human experience that physical food maynot reach.

Shervan K Shahhian

Improving Memorization is less about “having a good memory” and more about,…

Improving memorization is less about “having a good memory” and more about using methods that help the mind encode, store, and retrieve information efficiently. Research in cognitive psychology may show that memory improves when learning is active, organized, emotional, and repeated over time.

Here are some of the effective strategies:

1. Use Spaced Repetition

Review information at increasing intervals instead of cramming.

Example:

  • Review after 1 day
  • Then 3 days
  • Then 1 week
  • Then 1 month

This strengthens long-term retention by reinforcing neural pathways before forgetting occurs.

Possible Popular tools:

2. Practice Active Recall

Instead of rereading notes, push yourself to retrieve information from memory.

Examples:

  • Close the book and summarize aloud
  • Use flashcards
  • Teach the material to someone else
  • Write everything you remember before checking notes

Active retrieval strengthens memory far more than passive review.

3. Chunk Information

The mind may remember grouped information better than isolated details.

Example:
Instead of:

  • 1 9 4 5 2 0 2 6

Use:

  • 1945 | 2026

This works for:

  • Phone numbers
  • Vocabulary
  • Concepts
  • Study material

4. Create Meaningful Associations

Link new information to things you already know.

Methods:

  • Mental imagery
  • Stories
  • Analogies
  • Emotional connections
  • Acronyms

Example:
To remember “HOMES” for the Great Lakes:

  • Huron
  • Ontario
  • Michigan
  • Erie
  • Superior

5. Use Visualization

Visual memory is powerful.

Try:

  • Mind maps
  • Diagrams
  • Color coding
  • Memory palaces (method of loci?)

The “memory palace” technique may involve placing ideas in imagined physical locations and mentally walking through them later.

6. Teach What You Learn

Teaching forces deeper processing and organization of information.

This is sometimes called the “protégé effect”:
People remember material better when preparing to explain it to others.

7. Improve Attention First

Memory problems may often be attention problems.

To improve encoding:

  • Reduce multitasking
  • Study in focused blocks
  • Eliminate distractions
  • Use short breaks (Pomodoro technique)

If information never receives focused attention, it is less likely to enter long term memory.

8. Sleep Is Essential for Memory Consolidation

During sleep, the mind may strengthen and organizes memories.

Poor sleep impairs:

  • Recall
  • Learning speed
  • Concentration
  • Working memory

Consistent sleep schedules significantly improve retention.

9. Exercise Regularly

(FIRST CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE)

Physical activity improves blood flow and supports mind health.

Aerobic exercise is associated with:

(FIRST CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE)

  • Better hippocampal function: (FIRST CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE)
  • Improved learning
  • Better executive functioning

Even brisk walking can help cognitive performance: (FIRST CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE)

10. Use Multiple Senses

The more sensory systems involved, the stronger the encoding.

Try combining:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Speaking aloud
  • Listening
  • Drawing

This creates multiple retrieval pathways.

11. Manage Stress and Anxiety

High stress can interfere with attention and retrieval.

Helpful methods:

  • Mindfulness
  • Breathing exercises
  • Structured routines
  • Physical activity: (FIRST CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE)
  • Cognitive reframing

Chronic stress can impair the hippocampus(CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE), a major memory-related mind structure.

12. Make Learning Emotionally Relevant

Emotion strengthens memory encoding.

You are more likely to remember:

  • Surprising information
  • Personally meaningful experiences
  • Emotionally charged material
  • Novel situations

Try connecting material to real life or personal goals.

Types of Memory to Strengthen

Different techniques help different memory systems:

TypeFunctionExample
Working memoryHolding info brieflyMental math
Semantic memoryFacts and knowledgeVocabulary
Episodic memoryPersonal experiencesEvents
Procedural memorySkills/habitsDriving

A Simple Daily Memory Routine

  1. Learn small amounts at a time
  2. Use active recall immediately
  3. Review with spaced repetition
  4. Sleep well
  5. Exercise(CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR, PLEASE) and reduce distractions
  6. Explain what you learned to someone else

Over time, consistency matters more than intensity.

Shervan K Shahhian

Kinesthetic imagery is a form of mental imagery,…

Kinesthetic imagery is a form of mental imagery where you feel a movement rather than just see it in your mind. Instead of picturing an action like a movie, you internally simulate the sensations, muscle tension, balance, timing, weight, and motion.

Think of it as: “body-based imagination.”

What it feels like

If you imagine swinging a golf club using kinesthetic imagery, you don’t just see the swing, you feel:

  • The rotation of your torso
  • The grip pressure in your hands
  • The shift of weight through your feet
  • The timing and rhythm of the motion

Athletes often describe it as a “ghost movement” happening inside the body.

How it differs from visual imagery

  • Visual imagery: “I see myself doing it”
  • Kinesthetic imagery: “I feel myself doing it”

The most effective performers combine both, but kinesthetic imagery could be especially tied to motor learning and automaticity.

Why it works (psychologically & neurologically)

Kinesthetic imagery activates some of the same neural pathways involved in actual movement, including motor planning areas. This relates to:

  • Motor Imagery: mentally simulating movement without executing it
  • Embodied Cognition: cognition is grounded in bodily experience

Because of this, the mind may “practice” without physical movement.

Practical uses

  • Sports performance: (golf, basketball, martial arts)
  • Rehabilitation after injury or stroke: CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST
  • Skill acquisition: (learning fine motor control)
  • Reducing performance anxiety: by rehearsing calm, fluid movement

How to do it (simple protocol)

  1. Close your eyes and relax your body
  2. Bring attention to a specific movement (a swing, step, or gesture)
  3. Recreate the feeling:
    • Where is the tension?
    • How does the movement flow?
    • What’s the rhythm and timing?
  4. Keep it slow and vivid, quality over speed
  5. Repeat multiple times until it feels natural and automatic

Subtle but important detail

If the imagery becomes too visual or “observational,” you might lose effectiveness. The key could be staying inside the body, not watching from the outside.

Kinesthetic imagery could pair well with:

  • attentional guidance
  • post-hypnotic cues
  • automaticity training

It essentially lets you install movement patterns beneath conscious effort.

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Rehearsal is a structured way of simulating performance:

Mental rehearsal (often called mental practice) is a structured way of simulating performance in your mind, so the mind and body treat it as real experience. It’s widely used in sports psychology, performing arts, and high-stakes professions.

Here’s how you may use it effectively, without turning it into vague “visualization.”

1. Define the Exact Performance Target

Be precise. Don’t rehearse “doing well”, rehearse specific actions.

  • A golfer: the exact swing sequence
  • A speaker: opening lines and pacing
  • Tone, presence, and listening responses

Your mind encodes specificity, not general intention.

2. Use Multi-Sensory Simulation

Strong rehearsal may not just visual, it’s embodied.

Include:

  • Visual: What do you see?
  • Auditory: Sounds, voice tone, environment
  • Kinesthetic: Muscle tension, posture, movement
  • Emotional: Calm focus, controlled intensity

The closer this matches reality, the more it activates neural circuits similar to actual execution.

3. Rehearse From First-Person Perspective

Use through your own eyes perspective (not watching yourself like a movie).

This engages motor planning areas in the mind, similar to real performance.

4. Slow It Down First

Start in slow motion:

  • Break the performance into chunks
  • Refine technique mentally
  • Then gradually bring it up to real-time speed

This maybe similar to how elite athletes encode precision.

5. Include “Pressure Conditions”

Don’t only rehearse perfect conditions, add controlled stress:

  • Audience watching you
  • Unexpected disruption
  • Slight mistake recovery

This builds psychological flexibility, not just ideal execution.

6. Always End With Successful Completion

Even if you simulate difficulty, finish with success.

This conditions:

  • Confidence expectancy
  • Emotional closure
  • Reduced anticipatory anxiety

7. Add a Trigger (Conditioning Element)

Pair the mental rehearsal with a cue:

  • A breath pattern
  • A word (“steady,” “execute”)
  • A physical anchor (pressing fingers together)

Over time, this becomes a performance switch.

8. Keep It Short but Frequent

  • 5–10 minutes per session
  • 1–2 times daily
  • Consistency, duration

The mind learns through repetition, not marathon sessions.

9. Combine With Real Practice

Mental rehearsal is not a substitute, it’s a multiplier.

Best results come when paired with:

  • Physical practice
  • Immediate feedback
  • Reflection loops

10. Use Error-Rehearsal Strategically

Mentally rehearse:

  • Mistake, correction, recovery

This prevents:

  • Panic responses
  • Cognitive freezing
  • Overreaction to minor errors

What’s Actually Happening (Mechanism)

Mental rehearsal leverages:

  • Neural priming (pre-activating circuits)
  • Motor cortex simulation
  • Reduced threat response via familiarity
  • Strengthening of procedural memory

In short: your mind may start treating the performance as already experienced.

A Simple Protocol (You Can Use Immediately)

Close your eyes, regulate breathing (30–60 sec)

Set a clear intention (what exactly you’re rehearsing)

Run the performance in vivid first-person detail

Add one challenge and successfully handle it

End with a clean, confident finish

Repeat 2–3 times

Shervan K Shahhian

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), a great explanation:

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a condition where a person may continues to experience perceptual disturbances long after the effects of a hallucinogenic drug have worn off.

What is HPPD?

HPPD maybe classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a disorder involving recurring or persistent visual disturbances following prior use and or abuse of hallucinogens such as:

  • LSD
  • Psilocybin
  • MDMA
  • Mescaline

Importantly, these symptoms may occur while the person is sober, sometimes weeks, months, or even years after use and abuse.

Core Symptoms

HPPD is primarily visual, and can include:

  • Visual snow (static-like overlay)
  • Afterimages (palinopsia)
  • Trails behind moving objects
  • Halos or auras around lights
  • Intensified colors
  • Geometric patterns or flashes
  • Distorted perception of size

These symptoms may resemble aspects of an acute psychedelic experience that maybe unwanted and intrusive.

Two Possible Clinical Types

Researchers may distinguish:

1. Type I (Benign / Flashback-like)

  • Brief, intermittent episodes
  • Usually mild and not distressing

2. Type II (Chronic HPPD)

  • Persistent, long-lasting symptoms
  • Can significantly impair functioning and cause distress

Mechanisms (Theories)

CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST

The exact cause maybe unclear, but some hypotheses include:

  • Cortical disinhibition (especially in visual processing areas)
  • Dysfunction in serotonergic systems
  • Altered sensory gating
  • Possible overlap with visual processing disorders

From a neuropsychological perspective CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST, it may or may not reflect a failure to “turn off” altered perceptual states induced during intoxication.

Differential Considerations

HPPD may be distinguished from:

  • Schizophrenia (hallucinations are typically auditory and tied to delusions)
  • Migraine with aura CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (flashbacks are emotional/memory-based, not purely visual)
  • Persistent intoxication or substance-induced psychosis

Treatment Approaches

There may or may not be a universally effective treatment, but there could be approaches that might help:

Medications

  • CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Non-pharmacological

  • Abstinence from all psychoactive substances
  • Stress reduction (stress can exacerbate symptoms)
  • Psychoeducation and reassurance

Clinical & Parapsychological Perspective

From a strictly clinical standpoint, HPPD is considered a neuroperceptual disorder.

However, given your interest in parapsychology, it’s worth noting:

  • Some individuals interpret these persistent perceptions as “expanded perception” or residual psi-like sensitivity
  • In mainstream science, these are understood as neurobiological aftereffects, not evidence of external or transpersonal perception

A balanced clinical stance is to:

  • Validate the realness of the experience
  • While carefully examining mechanistic explanations and ruling out pathology

Summary:

  • HPPD = persistent visual disturbances after hallucinogen use
  • Symptoms are real, often distressing, and occur while sober
  • Mechanism likely involves visual processing and neurotransmitter dysregulation
  • Treatment exists but is inconsistent
  • Requires careful differential diagnosis
  • Shervan K Shahhian

Telepathic Hallucinations, explained:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Telepathic hallucinations is a term sometimes used in clinical psychology and psychiatry to describe an experience in which a person believes they are receiving thoughts, messages, or communications telepathically, but the experience is interpreted clinically as a hallucinatory or delusional perception rather than actual telepathy.

It sits at the intersection of hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and anomalous experiences.

1. Clinical Psychology Definition

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

In mainstream psychiatry, telepathic hallucinations usually fall under auditory or thought-related hallucinations combined with delusions of telepathy.

Typical features include:

  • Believing someone is sending thoughts into one’s mind
  • Feeling that others can hear or read one’s thoughts
  • Perceiving silent messages without sensory input
  • Interpreting internal thoughts as coming from another person

These experiences can occur in disorders such as:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

  • Schizophrenia
  • Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Severe stress or trauma

Psychiatrists often classify them under passivity experiences or thought interference. CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

2. Types of Telepathic-Like Experiences in Psychiatry

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Thought Insertion

The person believes thoughts are placed into their mind by someone else.

Thought Broadcasting

The belief that one’s thoughts are being transmitted to others.

Thought Withdrawal

The feeling that someone is removing thoughts from the mind.

3. Psychological Mechanism (Clinical Explanation)

Psychologists explain these experiences through disruptions in self-monitoring of thoughts.

Normally the brain tags thoughts as self-generated.
In certain conditions, this mechanism fails, leading to:

  • Internal thoughts perceived as external
  • Inner speech mistaken for communication
  • Misattribution of mental events

Brain regions involved often include: CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

  • the temporal lobes
  • the default mode network
  • language areas involved in inner speech

4. Parapsychology Perspective

Researchers distinguish between:

1. Psychopathological hallucinations

Mental health conditions producing telepathic beliefs.

2. Misinterpreted anomalous cognition

A genuine psi experience interpreted incorrectly.

3. Psi-mediated information

Some parapsychologists propose that telepathic impressions may occur but be filtered through imagination or dreams.

Researchers suggest that some experiences labeled hallucinations could involve psi processes mixed with normal cognition.

This idea overlaps with the Super-Psi model you asked about earlier.

5. Distinguishing Telepathic Hallucinations from Other Experiences

FeaturePsychiatric HallucinationAnomalous Experience (Parapsychology)
ControlUncontrollableOften spontaneous but meaningful
Emotional toneDistressing or intrusiveNeutral or meaningful
ConsistencyDisorganizedSometimes coherent
FunctioningOften impairedUsually preserved

However, most clinicians default to the psychiatric explanation unless strong evidence suggests otherwise. CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

In summary:
Telepathic hallucinations refer to perceived mental communications that feel telepathic but are interpreted clinically as hallucinations or delusional beliefs, often due to misattribution of internal thoughts.

Shervan K Shahhian

Deception and Sarcasm, what are they really:

Understanding deception and sarcasm involves several cognitive and social abilities. Both require you to interpret what someone says vs. what they actually mean. These skills are closely related to social cognition and to the psychological concept of Theory of Mind.

1. Understanding Deception

Deception occurs when someone intentionally provides false or misleading information to influence another person’s beliefs.

Key cognitive skills involved

  1. Theory of Mind
    • Recognizing that other people have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge different from yours.
  2. Intent detection
    • Determining whether the person is trying to mislead or manipulate information.
  3. Context analysis
    • Understanding the situation in which the statement is made.
  4. Inconsistency detection
    • Noticing contradictions between:
    • words
    • tone
    • body language
    • known facts

Psychological cues of deception

People often look for signals such as:

  • Changes in speech patterns
  • Micro-expressions
  • Delayed responses
  • Avoidance or excessive eye contact
  • Overly detailed explanations

However, psychology research shows there is no single reliable sign of lying.

2. Understanding Sarcasm

Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony where someone says the opposite of what they mean, usually to mock, criticize, or joke.

Example:
Someone spills coffee and says:

“Well, that was just perfect.”

The literal meaning is positive, but the true meaning is negative.

Skills needed to detect sarcasm

  1. Tone recognition
    • Sarcasm often involves exaggerated or flat tone.
  2. Context awareness
    • The situation usually contradicts the literal statement.
  3. Emotional cues
    • Facial expressions or body language reveal the real meaning.
  4. Social experience
    • People who understand social norms detect sarcasm more easily.

3. Possibly: Brain Areas Involved (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

Research in social neuroscience might link sarcasm and deception detection to:

  • Prefrontal cortex: reasoning and intentions
  • Temporal lobes: language and social meaning
  • Right hemisphere: interpreting irony and tone

4. When People Struggle with These Skills

Difficulty understanding deception or sarcasm can occur in:

  • Autism spectrum conditions (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
  • Certain brain injuries (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
  • Severe stress or trauma
  • Some psychiatric disorders (CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST)

These difficulties often relate to challenges in mentalizing (understanding other minds).

 Simple summary

ConceptWhat it means
DeceptionSomeone intentionally tries to mislead
SarcasmSomeone says the opposite of what they mean
Key skillUnderstanding others’ intentions

Understanding deception is also very relevant in areas like interview analysis, anomalous experiences, and belief formation.

Shervan K Shahhian

Become a fast learner, how:

Becoming a fast learner isn’t about being “smarter” , it’s about how you learn. The good news: the skills are very trainable. Here’s a clean, practical framework that actually works.

1. Learn actively, not passively

Fast learners don’t just read or listen, they interact with the material.

Do this instead:

  • Ask “How would I explain this to a 12-year-old?”
  • Summarize from memory before rereading
  • Teach it out loud (even to an imaginary person)If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it yet.

2. Focus on first principles

Don’t memorize steps, understand the why.

  • Break ideas down to core rules
  • Ask: What must be true for this to work?
  • Look for cause, effect, not surface facts

This dramatically reduces what you need to remember

3. Use the 80/20 rule

Most subjects have a small core that gives most of the payoff.

Ask early:

  • What 20% of this topic gives 80% of results?
  • What do experts rely on repeatedly?

Master the core before chasing details.

4. Learn in short, intense bursts

Your brain learns faster with focus + recovery.

  • 25–45 minutes of deep focus
  • No multitasking
  • Take real breaks (walk, stretch, breathe)

Long, distracted sessions feel productive but aren’t.

5. Make mistakes fast (and on purpose)

Fast learners test early and often.

  • Try problems before fully “knowing” the material
  • Guess, fail, adjust
  • Treat errors as data, not failure

Mistakes encode learning deeper than success.

6. Connect new info to what you already know

Your brain loves patterns.

  • Ask: What is this similar to?
  • Use metaphors and analogies
  • Link new ideas to familiar concepts

Isolated facts fade. Connected ideas stick.

7. Use spaced repetition

Revisit material right before you forget it.

  • Review after 1 day, 1 week, 1 month
  • Flashcards work, but only if they test recall, not recognition

Short reviews beat cramming every time.

8. Protect your energy

Fast learning needs a regulated nervous system.

  • Sleep > caffeine
  • Light movement boosts memory
  • Stress slows learning dramatically

A calm brain learns faster than an anxious one.

9. Adopt a learner’s identity

The biggest accelerator is mindset.

  • Replace “I’m bad at this” with “I’m not trained yet”
  • Stay curious instead of evaluative
  • Optimize for progress, not perfection

Fast learners see learning as a process, not a test.

Shervan K Shahhian

“Hypnotism” comes from Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep:

“Hypnotism” comes from Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep.


Here’s the lineage:
In the mid-1800s, Scottish surgeon James Braid coined the term “neuro-hypnotism” (from the Greek Hypnos, meaning sleep) to describe the peculiar trance-like state he was observing in patients.
Later he shortened it to “hypnotism.”
Braid originally thought this state was a form of artificial sleep, which is why he borrowed from the name of the sleep god.
However, he later realized hypnosis is not actually sleep but a special state of focused attention and suggestibility.

So the word “hypnotism” has its root in Hypnos, but the practice itself is closer to a waking state than to real sleep.

Here’s the connection between Hypnos in mythology and hypnotism:

  1. Hypnos in Greek Mythology

Hypnos = god of sleep.
Son of Nyx (Night), twin brother of Thanatos (Death).
Lived in a dark cave where the sun never shone, surrounded by poppies (a symbol of sleep/dreams).
His touch or words could calm gods and mortals alike, sending them into deep rest.
He was gentle, unlike his brother Thanatos - his power was about relaxation, release, and altered states, not finality.

  1. Why Braid Chose “Hypnotism”

When James Braid saw patients in trance states, their relaxed appearance, closed eyes, and dream-like quality reminded him of sleep → so he linked it to Hypnos.
The metaphor fit well: just as Hypnos could lull even Zeus to sleep, the hypnotist seemed to have power to shift consciousness and bypass resistance.

  1. Symbolic Parallels

Entrance to another state → Hypnos guided mortals into dreams, hypnosis guides the mind into trance.
Suggestibility → In myths, Hypnos influences behavior by softening consciousness; in hypnosis, suggestions bypass ordinary awareness.
Between waking and death → Hypnos stands between alert life and Thanatos (death), just as hypnosis stands between wakefulness and unconscious sleep.

  1. Later Misunderstanding

Because of the name, many thought hypnosis was literally sleep (even today people say “you look asleep in hypnosis”).
But modern science shows hypnosis is a focused waking state, not true sleep - though it shares the same imagery of rest, surrender, and altered awareness that Hypnos embodied.

 So: Hypnotism inherits both the imagery and the mystery of Hypnos - a gentle power to lead the mind across the threshold of ordinary awareness.
Shervan K Shahhian