How does stage hypnotism "work?"
Based on the descriptions of thoughtful, educated people who practise hypnosis, it seems useful to think of it as a "suite" of psychological effects such as suggestion, group conformity, hype, etc., rather than a single coherent phenomenon.
This is a thread where people can ask questions that they would ordinarily feel embarrassed for not knowing the answer to. The previous thread is at close to 500 comments.