Look Into My Eyes Not Around The Eyes...
What's your favourite Derren Brown show?
Illusionist Derren Brown has revealed his latest stunt to be shown on TV - making a woman believe that she has died in a car accident.| Results | |
|---|---|
| Mind Control |    (9) |
| Seance | (7) |
| Russian Roulette | (2) |
| Messiah | (0) |
| The Heist | (3) |
| The Gathering | (1) |
| Something WIcked... | (1) |
| Other... | (3) |
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Julie Simm was hypnotised by Brown before being taken to a mock crash scene. She was then allowed to wander around the wreckage whilst ambulance men removed what appeared to be her body from a car.
The stunt is part of Derren Brown's new series Trick or Treat. A source at Channel 4 said, "She can't believe what's happening. As far as she's aware she is still alive, so she ends up having this strange out-of-body experience. She's clearly distressed, but not hysterically so."
They added, "She vowed to wear her seat belt from now on so it's had some public service value."
Now I find Derren Brown to be entertaining, interesting and amusing. I've enjoyed every one of his programmes that I've seen but is this a stunt too far? The truth behind hypnosis is that you can't be made to do anything that you don't want to. So while the people picked for these programmes are not stooges in that they are 'in' on the gag but they are selected by, for want of a better word, their gullibility.
What do you think? When you wake up you'll write a comment, vote in the poll and click on an advert. Oh, and you'll do this every day. 3,2,1 and you're back in the room.
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subscribe to these commentsIndeed, DB has studied NLP and is quite scathing of it in his book but I think he uses it when it suits his needs. The thing to remember is that he's not just a hypnotist or a magician or whatever, he has all of those skills, and more, and uses them as the circumstances dictate.
Robert Haas (15-03-2007 11:37:51)
NLP.. oops , my bad.
Robert Haas (15-03-2007 11:36:33)
Many thanks.. Your theories are very logical. It is then all somewhat NlP-ish: Distract/ anchor/ command/trance/ deepen/command type of thinggy.
revrobuk (14-03-2007 21:24:05)
It must have been done in one of two ways. 1) It's a set up and the woman is an actress, or 2) she's hypnotised before the sequence is shot. I don't think it's no.1 because it'd cost too much to keep her quiet! One confession of being a stooge and that's his whole career out the window. I think the trick comes from him finding a suitable subject, i.e. very receptive/suggestable/etc., hypnotising her to think something like 'when I tap you on the shoulder the road will turn to glue and you won't be able to move' or 'the stripe you are standing on is the top of a high pillar and you'll fall off if you move any further'. Then he sends her off, walks up to her and 'hey presto!' she's stuck. The trick works because we don't see the preamble and it just looks like he's picked a random stranger to exert his influence on. Still a damn fine bit of TV though!
Robert Haas (14-03-2007 20:43:13)
You are right on both counts.. But I still sort of wish Brown would have as great a sense of kindeness, to counter his sneaky, sharp and mischevious side. I still cannot figure out how he made that poor lady unable to move in the zebra stripe. She was obviously not delighted. R.
revrobuk (14-03-2007 18:59:18)
I can't see Derren Brown doing the helping people thing. If you've read his book it very quickly comes across that he enjoys what he's doing and gets a kick out of the teasing aspect of it. Also if he started doing hypnotherapy he'd just turn into another Paul McKenna and one of them is plenty!
Robert Haas (14-03-2007 18:32:37)
I think Brown is amazing. No one can manipulate or influence someone faster and more steathily than He. The "Invisible man" sequence alone is my favorite routine, but all of his accomplishments are first rate. I hope that this "carwreck" episode and all of his latest other antics will be released on DVDs The 4 now available are from so long ago I wish that he would also use his skills to help others.. easing people of their grief, anxieties and fears. He is often a holy terror, but I would love to be duped and conned and tranced and manipulated by him.
revrobuk (11-03-2007 23:00:40)
Aren't you thinking of David Blaine?
scary guy (11-03-2007 20:11:02)
When he's done it can Eamon Holmes interview him again........
Roulette... (11-03-2007 16:26:13)
I thought it was really funny when that Chief of Police in Jersey (or Guernsey, I don't recall which) where the Russian Roulette was filmed stated on a TV interview that at no point was Brown permitted to carry a live round of amunition or indeed a working firearm whilst in his jurisdiction.
revrobuk (15-03-2007 20:15:25)