In some strange and bizarre way, I can't help but be a tiny bit jealous of the unknowing star of Derren Brown's 'Apocalpyse', Steven Brosnan, who experienced just that--even if it was all in his mind.
With months of preparation, Derren and his team worked to prepare Steven's mind, so that when the apocalypse began, he didn't think 'hang on, the living dead, is this a joke?' but instead unquestioningly accepted that a meteor shower had hit Britain, bringing with it a extraterrestrial virus that had infected nearby humans causing them to turn into the equivalent of 'Zombies'. Steven, your typical lazy bum who fits the profile of a 'Saw' victim, is then forced to re-evaluate who he really is and change for the better. What a touching storyline.
Yes, it sounds far-fetched, but personally I don't have any trouble believing that Steven was not a paid actor, although many are not as supportive (or perhaps gullible) as I! I have no trouble believing that Derren Brown and his team have the monetary resources to set-up a film location with the required props and special effects to make the situation believable. After all, in the words of Christof, the master-mind of the 'Truman Show', 'we accept the reality of the world with which we are presented'.
I am far more questioning of the hypnotic and mind-control techniques that Derren appears to use on his subject. With a mere click of his fingers, he can remove Steven's conscious awareness and plunge him into his own Zombie-like state, allowing the film crew to transport him to other locations as required, without his knowledge.
I feel ashamed, that as a student of neuroscience, the topic of hypnotism has never gripped me before as it has since viewing 'Apocolypse' and other Derren Brown shows. I imagined mythical tales from centuries past; a watch dangling in front of your eyes to make you sleepy; at the most, a deeply relaxed meditative state. Never did I imagine that full consciousness can be removed without your will by a third party at a time and location of their choosing. I am sceptical. Quickly, I became a youtube addict, watching all the other Derren Brown shows that I hadn't seen: inducing a religious conversion in an atheist, and inducing a man to kill under hypnotism. This stuff is addictive... Damnit, he's controlling me!
But this is television, and it seems likely that the capabilities of hypnotism may be slightly exaggerated. Or perhaps Derren uses some kind of instant-acting anaesthetic such as that used by the lovable serial killer 'Dexter'. Even if these mind control techniques are only partially possible on a certain well-chosen 'suggestive' sub-type of the population, I am truly hypnotised by this finding. Thank you Derren, I feel like I've just discovered Santa Clause IS real.
Well, Steven lived to see another day and didn't suffer a heart attack or ongoing psychological problems from his horrific experiences. (How does Derren get ethics for this stuff?) What's more, the experience turned his life around and he no longer takes his mother for granted and all that other stuff that many of us seem to do. What a lucky guy.
I did ask myself that age-old question, 'what is real?'. For Steven, zombies were real. For me, hypnotism is still out to the jury, but I would jump at the opportunity to experience it and decide for myself. Right, time for me to doze in front of the TV with a wine in front of the next Derren Brown episode, which I imagine is the next best thing...
I giggled at the closing scenes of Apocalypse, as Derren Brown looks at Steven with that same paternal love that Christof felt for Truman, a beret perched on his head to complete the mimicry.
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