Beyond hilarious video: Richard Hammond of Top Gear gets hypnotized, for real!!!

[jkarolyi]

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCkHy290uA0

Richard Hammond was put under hypnosis by "world famous" Paul McKenna, and cannot remember how to drive!!! And thinks a toy Porsche is a real car! I was ROFLMFAO!!!

Thought this would be totally fake knowing Top Gear, but I agree with most people in the comments section that this is for real. Watch it and answer me this:

1. Did they fake it? Google Paul McKenna and watch Richard closely...he's not that good of an actor to pull this off.

2. Can hypnosis REALLY do that to people? Ever seen it or experienced it yourself? This just blew me away.

[livi]

As I do not believe its possible to influence someone that much with hypnosis - I have to believe he is Oscar material. Good show !

[LeRoux Strydom]

I saw the whole episode recently. I just about killed myself laughing. I am a natural sceptic, but it looked real enough. You could actually see the bewilderment in his eyes, and he was making certain hand gestures (wiping his face) that you never saw in acting mode when he was trying to figure out how to drive that Alfa 147. After JC crashed into "his" toy 911, he was asking for the cameras to be turned off, so upset was he.

Looked believable enough to me.

[livi]

I am thinking he would be great as the next Bond. Fast cars, a bit distracted and that lovely British accent.

[CJFusco]

My mother has taken courses in hypnotherepy (she is a psychiatrist), and I have witnessed my own brother hypnotized right in front of me. I have no doubt in my mind that the Hammond clip is real... although I do think Top Gear stages situations sometimes (the camper trip gone wrong, etc).

[Overpaid Slacker]

CJ --
Perhaps mom can cure you of your, um.... affliction. There's still time to join the Dark Side before the playoffs.

alii --
I've seen hypnotism done twice, by two different hypnotists, on two different people I knew. i think it's possible, but requires a person abnormally susceptible to suggestion.

FWIW, I think the Top Gear stunt was real.

JP

[jkarolyi]

>i think it's possible, but requires a person abnormally susceptible to suggestion.

And keep in mind that Paul McKenna is one of the best hypnotists in the world. It's still amazing to me that our minds can be controlled like that. Couldn't a hypnotist do some real psychological damage by controlling someone like this?

[TerryH]

It's always been my understanding, and I could be wrong, that while hypnotized we wouldn't obey any commands that we would consider immoral or illegal. Otherwise, murder through hypnosis would probably be in the headlines occasionally.

[jkarolyi]

>It's always been my understanding, and I could be wrong, that while hypnotized we wouldn't obey any commands that we would consider immoral or illegal

That's a relief. I wonder what that says about the human psyche...almost as if there's a wall around our conscience. Some interesting theological ideas there...will have to do some research and bring this up at my Bible study this week.

[MichiganMat]

Really funny, although it makes me a little sad knowing that Richard is all banged up right now from his recent accident.

[jkarolyi]

Wow...just read about that on the tech forum! Glad to hear he is most likely going to be OK.