Word of Mouth - 21/07/2009

Chris Ledgard considers the use of words to control minds, exploring hypnosis, brainwashing and the recruiting language of cults to find out just how influenced we are by language. Chris is put into an altered state of consciousness by the soothing words of a hypnotherapist, to find out what kind of words are used to do this and how. Some in the medical profession are calling for hypnosis to be used for pain relief during medical procedures such as bone marrow transplantation and cancer treatment. They say that as hypnosis has no side effects it makes the operation quicker, the recovery faster and the cost less than with the use conventional anaesthetic. But does it really work, and if so, how? Chris talks to the scientists currently working on a systematic review to find out. Can talk also be used to control and manipulate us into doing things that we would otherwise not do? Stories of people being indoctrinated into cults usually involve descriptions of brainwashing, corruption and manipulation. But are words really powerful enough to control the mind? Chris talks to an ex-cult member turned rhetorical theorist about how language is used.