Is hypnotism real and if it is, what is going on when someone is being hypnotized?

In addition to what others have said, there's a placebo effect at work as well. To the average person, hypnosis is an established, ritualistic practice performed by a professional. The subject's willing participation in the process lays out the expectation that they will share some sensitive information. This information is usually something that the subject is usually too nervous to talk about, or perhaps they have some other emotional/mental baggage that is stopping them from discussing it - being ashamed, etc. Participating in hypnosis gives them plausible deniability and sets up the expectation that the information will come out.

Keep in mind that it takes two to tango here and the hypnotist is more than capable of "creating" memories for the subject, which really comprises asking leading questions which the subject plays into and responds to in the way that they think the hypnotist wants them to. In terms of alien abductions, people repeat the same content over and over again when this happens. Why? Because everybody knows the stereotypical content and it is pretty much regurgitated word for word.

/r/skeptic Thread