This paper examines the question of whether hypnosis is real. While initially, that query seemed to be a relatively simple and straightforward one to answer, the more that one considers the evidence about this issue the more difficult it becomes to provide a straightforward answer to that seemingly straightforward question. The conclusion that this paper draws is that while there is certainly something that should be considered to be a hypnotic state that is measurable through objective means it is also the case that many of the attributes that are often associated with being hypnotized are clearly not an accurate representation of what it is like to be hypnotized.
