Has anyone considered modulating group emotions via triggering neural and hormonal releases? 

For example, in much of the esoteric training I've done in the shut-eye world, much more emphasis is placed on things like having you particpants module their breathing, posture and thoughts, than I have ever seen a mentalist do. I see some mentalists pay lip service to getting their particpants to stand a particular way, or look the performer in the eyes, but this is little more than window dressing. 

I have read about magicians messing up on purpose, and a theory that this causes oxytocin release. The oxytocin then causes a greater bonding between performer and particpant or observer. The audience start wanting the magician to suceed. We have noted how a near miss in mentalism is often stronger, or percieved as making the performance more real, but could oxytocin have a role in this? 

With haunted magic, aren't we trying to trigger some mind adrenal response, through triggering spirit bells, etc at opportune times? 

Some folks prefer to not even know themselves exactly when a bell will go off so it is a surprise to them too. Then if the performer is genuinely shocked or scared, then they have a genuine adrenal responce, and this is communicated to the participants via sight, sound, scent, sensation, etc. This in turn ramps up the particpants emotion too. 

But we need a cool down after this too, maybe some endorphins, via a cathartic moment at the end of the performance, so the audience / particpants go away feeling they have had a good time. 

Any thoughts on structure a performance with these ideas in mind? Say a spooky favourite like a seance, or spook show?

Just to prevent Christian's prediction from. I ing true,,,

I think most of us do this perhaps not intentionally - but I think you raise the potential of understanding he theory and practical applications of using biological processes.... I have a few myself, and it's through mostly suggestion and engaging participants imagination to plunge them into a simulated situation in their minds so their body does react to some degree to the real situation.. . One of my day jobs is a healthcare simulationist and we spend hours planning ways to make things as safe as possible because we know the use of simulation can really effect people psychologically and emotionally which research has shown can cause those who are vulnerable to develop forms of trauma....

Hence, to me, understanding this area is key to making sure you can increase the level of stress to where the person engages and is interested in what you are doing, but knowing to not go too far whereupon you can actually hurt a person. The techniques we wield can really cause powerful impacts when not put in a healthy frame IMHO

(One response yay!)

Jerome Finley has written about the use of circular breathing to induce altered states in the service of enhancing his presentations. He also utilizes other biological "tricks of the trade" similar to what is being discussed above. I am working on something that purposely triggers participants fight/flight response in order to then move past it so I can utilize the resulting state of resolution.

Okay, first some context: I'm an occational performer, and when I do, it is to small groups. As I mentioned in another thread, I bill myself as a storyteller of the paranormal or a storyteller of esoteric Jewish mysticism.

In certain routines (the B at M bookmarks spring to mind as I have been rescently using them) and when doing seances, I've found using meditation techniques on my specs or sitters at the beginning of the preformance is very effective at setting the mood and preparing the audience for a moment (or moments) in which something cathardic will occur. Techniques of hypotism can also be very useful in preparing your audience, if you are willing to take the time to learn it properly. It is a tool I use in longer seance performances (but I find it is a lot of work for me). If one is willing to devote the time, I highly recommend learning some basic hypotism techniques.

The mentalist's near miss concept should work with seances too, as least I think its the same effect and I think it might work. Consider what happens in a dark room with the sitters in a circle and nothing happens...time passes...still nothing happens. What if, you give up at that point and tell the sitters, 'sorry, I guess the spirits are not communicating tonight..lets they just one more time...' You turn the lights up, do some other things, and then the spirits become active. Why not?

I had not thought of using any such tools after a performance to allow the specs to cool down. I'll have to consider that now. Its seems kinda obvious to me now (duh!). Thanks, Brynmore.

I'm going to have to try the above at a seance to see what happens, if anyone here trys it too, please let me know how it works for you.

So, maybe I'm dense and this is what you are suggestiing, Brynmore, but what would a seance look like if the entire structure was build upon, say, a ritual meditation exercise? Not just elements as I have described here, but the ENTIRE structure? That is a very good question!

Thank you again Brynmore and Dr. S. It never fails that I come back with a new way of thinking or a new idea whenever I 'talk' to either of you.

If I was trying to do a genuine seance, I would pick a threshold time like a full moon, solstice or equinox. I'd make sure that the particpants were aware of that significant date. Look at famous occultists and the timing of their workings. This is all creating an expectation weeks prior to the event. Bizarrists do this well for Halloween, but what about for the rest of the festivals, full moons, friday the 13ths, Black Friday, anniversary of the death of Crowley, etc. Make sure the date is of significance to the culture of spiritual traditions of the participants.

I would consider some sort of ritual purification, even fasting prior to the event. Maybe smoking the area and particpants. Some sort of repetitive chanting, drumming, maybe while dancing, or holding shamanic postures. Some sort of energy work, like concentration on specific psychic centres, chakras, acupuncture points, dan tien, etc (just for you Yitzhak it'd have to be Kabbalistic, like creating an internal representation of the Etz haChayim).

Then a statement of intent for the ritual would announced, possibly repititiously, then a sealing of the ritual area / sacred space through ritual gesture and then use of magical tools (ala ceremonial magic) or the issuing of protective talismans (a ploy I have considered for a seance due to the strong suggestion this creates).

Then the formation of a circle through hand holding or other means. Invocation of the spirits next, with questions asked, and hopefully answers or signs received. Then a banishing ritual, breaking of the circle, an unsealing of the sacred space and then debrief in the form of ritual feast (or tea and biscuits for the Victorian seance).

The psychodrama of traditional rituals or seances already in my opinion exploits the hormonal neural sysyems.

So how much realism are we prepared to inject into our workings?

Two other things to mention, firstly the use of ritual items of clothing, ritual scents, will add a great deal, but not as much as a whole hearted conviction that what you are doing is real on some level.

Secondly, have a game plan for when you really do have someone freak right out, bursting into tears. I have had this happen in rituals, meditations, even during intense massage sessions. Be prepared!

Now that is very interesting. It would be like a mini-Yom Kippur (putting it a context I understand) with all ther spiritual trappings, intensity, awareness of a climax and resolution, and emotion. I too have seen and personally experienced the emotional intensity that all the repeatitive physical movement, meditation, concentration, and preparation (fastening, putting away your leather shoes, etc.). Just as you say: break down into tears. I use very different words than the terms you use, but the concepts are the same, I think.

I must do as you are suggesting! Or at least try it. What I've been doing is using medatitive practices (and occationally hypnotism) as tools. You are saying we create a ritual experience. (For me, I would use Yom Kippur or a Seder as a model.)

This takes seance magic to a new level. Its no longer magic, its REAL.

Thanks Brynmore! You never fail to insprire!

Here is a shared thought. At one of the meetings or our Spellbinders group I experimented with an Ion Generator set unobtrusively against a back wall, plugged into a remote controlled switch so that I could turn it on or off as the need arose. My story was about a child who recovered from a life threatening illness and much later at an outdoor activity, proclaimed that, as a spring shower approached and the smell of rain was in the air, it smelled just like God, as she remembered being so ill. The story, the ambiance, and the fact that I turned on the Ion Generator, convinced the company that they too had experienced something miraculous.
As sensory sensitive beings, the total modalities approach can, and does, play a huge part in our learning experience.
Not only can the eyes be fooled, but the ears, sense of smell and taste and our sense of touch.
Ed

Absolutely! Thanks for sharing, Ed.

Several years ago I heard about a computer scent generator being developed in Israel. Development was halted on 2006 (if I recall correctly). The idea seems to stick around, but none has been commercially offered....yet.

I've been following this:

http://www.scentsciences.com/products/scent_scape.html

Imagine what one could do with one of these in a seance or storytelling!

When one becomes available, I'll be sure let you all know.

A scent generator does sound great. And Ed, the use of the negative ion generator in that context is very clever.

I'm experimenting with rose scent for my next seance.

Basically I will tell the story about a dead lady who was known for her great roses.

What I did so far was, when I turned off the least candle for the dark seance, I use one of that brass gadgets used to turn off candles (sorry, writing that on my phone and I'm missing the English word). On the outside of that thing I applied very little rose oil and when I lower it down on the candle slowly the oil gives of the smell.
Works great because the smell is so little, that there is only an idea of roses in the room.
I am still looking for a better solution because I like it more, when nothing happens directly after the beginning of a seance. It just gives too little room to build up tension.

Sorry for my bad English but it's late and I just had a wonderful dark Christmas beer.

http://www.magicessence.com.au/oil-burne......ich-blue
http://m.officeworks.com.au/mt/www.offic......device=t


Here in Australia you can get an electric essential oil heater. They are flameless and take a while to heat up to the point where the oils are vapourised and give off a scent. If you wanted to delay the scent even longer, you could get a timer power socket and have it start after a half hour, 15 minutes or whatever suits.

Yitzhak,

Did you ever get around to trying the DTB with fragrant oils? If so, how did it go?

@Brynmore

I considered those, but I'd need to hide that stuff somewhere, it would kind of start in one edge of the room, which would curious people and hecklers go there and investigate where the smell is coming from.

My method lets it spread in the middle if the table, so there I'd not really something to look for.

I am curious for outlaws inquisitor 2013 and I Weiner if you could trigger a scent with that.

Brynmore and all,
I apologise for not posting my experiments with the DTB yet. I'm still working on a couple of stories to accompany it which I intend to post down below. I promised some of you here I'd post it before December, and I'm still working on it. Bad Yitzhak! Bad!

The short answer is yes. A mixture of 50% loco fluid and 50% essence oil (I used frankincense) gives plenty of smoke and plenty of scent (they are immiscible, but don't let that bother you). My greatest critic and cynic, my wife (who is also my greatest supporter), says "Mmmmm, smells like you are using scent to cover up the smell of that awful smoke." Then she banished me and my experiments to the bathroom to continue under the fan intake. Indeed, the two scents mix so you don't get a pure scent. At the risk of ruining my DTB , I tried pure essence oil. I am not recommending you do this to your DTB, as I don't know if there are long term consequences. However, you get plenty of smoke and the distinct smell of burnt essence oil. Its not the purest smell.

@Sicnatius, There are instructions to make a 'scratch-and-sniff' style scent 'generator' that might do the trick for you (pun intended). The instructions can be found in 20 Tips for Seance Workers by Thomas Baxter.

I wouldn't worry about curious sitters snooping around. There is a thread I started this year about candles down below. I've been using these for some time now. No one has noticed, no one has looked at them closely. I've even pointed them out to select friends after the performance and they were amazed they weren't real. It is amazing what you can get away with at a seance.

...and one more thing. I've tried the instructions in 20 tips, but haven't figured out the best method. If any of you out there know a good method you like, please PM me.

I used fragrant oils in my DTB - I'm off in an area with limited internet access so when I'm back in jan ill post a ton of things - nb: see these threads are greatly appreciated