Notes

Brooklyn-based music and culture writer Ilana Kaplan shares a personal anecdote about a psychologically-relatable predicament in her New York Times article, “Hypnosis Changed My Life.” Like many others of the contemporary world, Kaplan has suffered from the pains and disadvantages of anxiety, insomnia, depression, stress, exhaustion, and more, and has consistently struggled to cope with these issues in healthy ways. By providing detailed anecdotes of her personal experience, research regarding the validity of hypnosis, and rhetorical comparisons, Kaplan appeals to the reader’s sense of emotion, logic, and reliability.

In response to the common misconception that hypnosis is simply mind control perpetuated by smooth cadence and a swinging pocket watch, Kaplan chooses to share the context and instance in which she realized that hypnosis is actually fairly beneficial to the human psyche. Because she did not know much about hypnotic processes, she was unfairly prejudiced against it and was initially skeptical that nothing would change. However, as one who had already “hit rock bottom” (Kaplan 10), Kaplan decided to give the hypnosis the benefit of the doubt, which consequently changed her perspective toward it. Therefore, she describes her experience to argue that the stigma surrounding hypnosis should not dissuade people from being open-minded toward seeking help through such therapy.
Because the subject is one of psychology that requires a balance between sensitivity and candor, Kaplan relies on emotion to fuel the reader’s imagination and sense of relatability as a means of encouraging the reader to see the world through her eyes, just for a moment. By stepping into her shoes, the reader may then truly understand the context of the situation and the effects that the psychological issues and hypnosis have on her. Thus, Kaplan inspires feelings in the reader through a reliance on pathos because she understands that emphasizing emotion in this case will likely persuade a reader who can relate to try hypnosis, or at least try to find some kind of therapeutic and healthy method to combat psychological issues. To really highlight the emotion, she uses imagery in highly detailed anecdotes, which start right as the article begins. For instance, she explains to readers that “The 3 a.m. stroll in my neighborhood that my boyfriend encouraged me to go on with him had the opposite effect of a Xanax, and the speed of my anxious thoughts was physically excruciating” (Kaplan 2). This sentence alone is already relatable to so many people in contemporary society who struggle to battle their own demons. The vivid detail exhibited in this sentence may cause a reader who sympathizes with or relates to her to picture the image in their mind’s eye. By encouraging this, Kaplan uses something sensitive and emotional to influence readers into seeing the world through her eyes and understanding the context of her situation. Once the reader fathoms the urgency of finding a reliable and healthy situation, he/she will understand why Kaplan resorted to hypnosis and maybe even be inspired to try it themselves.
To consolidate the viability of this misconceived therapy method, Kaplan provides examples from the research she did prior to her hypnosis sessions. Using an element of persuasion known as logos, Kaplan explains that “2013 findings from the University of Quebec in Montreal revealed that ‘the short-term effects of hypnosis (one-two months) and relaxation training were comparable to the effects of short-term drug therapy, and that the long-term outcomes even surpassed the drug therapy in certain instances’” (Kaplan 11). Because the article is primarily an emotional, sensitive piece that appeals to emotion rather than logic, Kaplan attempts to increase the credibility of her claim that hypnosis is not a ridiculous concept by providing research from prestigious secondary schools like Stanford and the University of Quebec. She feels the need to include such research to refute any implicit counterarguments from skeptical readers. Kaplan also uses the research to make a comparison between hypnosis and conventional drug therapy, which is something that some of her readers may have had to undergo as a means of rehabilitation. In this manner, Kaplan presents a relatable and common experience so that readers may imagine how it must feel to undergo hypnosis and how hypnosis may even be better than drug therapy. This propels her purpose for sharing her story: to persuade others into trying hypnosis or, at least, finding some kind of method that will help them overcome certain psychological adversities.
Kaplan also uses several rhetorical comparisons throughout the article as points of relatability to ensure the reader understands the context of her situation. By using comparison, she connects her feelings to something that readers can easily comprehend. For instance, Kaplan uses the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” (Kaplan 10) and 2019 Netflix series “Russian Doll” (Kaplan 10) as allusions to describe her state of mind at the time she decided to try hypnosis. “Russian Doll” is very similar to its predecessor “Groundhog Day” in the sense that both feature time loops in which the main character must live a certain day over and over, to no end. Kaplan uses these allusions so that the reader may visually imagine and understand what her life has been like recently. She is conveying that “at that point, life had become an amalgamation of” (Kaplan 10) depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and essentially “the cocktail of mental health issues” (Kaplan 10), all of which had continued to plague her life every single day, to no end. Her mental incapacities had become part of a perpetual cycle, rendering her a “high-functioning zombie who had hit rock bottom” (Kaplan 10) and had no other choice but to give hypnosis a shot. These allusions to “Groundhog Day,” “Russian Doll,” and a “zombie” also all signify the concept of death, which is something that she must feel every day due to the weight and pressures of her psychological illnesses. Again, the rhetorical comparisons that Kaplan makes are used for emphasis and relatability as some of her readers can relate to the feelings associated with depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and/or other mental health issues, including the perpetual cycle described by Kaplan.
Ilana Kaplan shares a personal, interesting narrative through the use of detailed anecdotes, logos, and allusions to convey her intended purpose: to destigmatize the concept of hypnosis and persuade readers into being more open-minded in regards to hypnosis and other therapy methods that will help them overcome psychological adversities. By opening herself up to the world through this article, Kaplan inspires others to take the necessary measures to overcome challenges and improve themselves as individuals. For that reason, I admire the author for allowing herself to be vulnerable while still constructing an argument that the stigma surrounding hypnosis should not dissuade people from giving it a chance. Kaplan expresses details concerning a sensitive subject in her own way that is both emotional and informational, which helps readers like me understand the feelings and consequences associated with such situations.