Derren Brown: Proving Fear Is A False Reality

Ashlyn Kaye, Hypnotherapy, NLP, Stress Management in Hertford November 15, 2012

Part one of Derren Brown’s Fear and Faith program on Channel 4 shows the power of our own unconscious mind.

At the beginning of the program he tells us he is testing a new drug called Rumyodin, which had previously only been used by the military to suppress fear and now that it was being released for public use, he wanted to discover just how effective it was. Participants with a wide variety of fears including a fear of heights, socialising, allergies, and smoking took part in the clinical trials with regular reporting on their progress. Over a short period of time each reported significant improvements, and he set up circumstances to ‘test’ their success on the ‘drug’.

A man, who had such a fear of heights and wouldn’t walk over a bridge, ended up standing on one of the highest viaducts in the UK.

A shy nervous man who was anxious with even talking to people stepped in and broke up a bar brawl.

And all were delighted with this new wonder drug. But when he brought them all together at the end he admitted that the drug ‘Rumyodin’ was in fact a placebo, sugar as well as the injections they were give only contained saline. He had created a pretend pharmaceutical company, a pretend ‘drug’ calling it Rumyodin and actors to make the whole experience credible.

What had worked was not the drug but the BELIEF that what they were taking would be the solution. They trusted the source and gave themselves the permission to succeed and this set up new patterns of behaviour, new ways of thinking.

“You can now stop taking Rumyodin because the Rumyodin is YOUR MIND” he said. “You have all the resources already in you, by changing your beliefs.”

Derren Brown has proven through this demonstration that to say ‘it’s all in your mind’– means your beliefs determine your behaviour and the power to overcome anything with another’s help.

People do change, beliefs can be changed and people like you can succeed.