Hypnosis, and hypnotic suggestion, are one of the tools through which members of expeditions into Area X were controlled by the Southern Reach, and more specifically by leaders of their respective expedition.
Hypnosis sends the subject into a state of total unawareness, similar to unconsciousness; after "reentry" (waking), they have no memory of any events that happened while they were in a hypnotic state. Hypnosis can be used to give the subject commands, control their thoughts, and alter their memories or perception. Hypnotic suggestion is a trigger phrase, inserted into a conversation to influence the subject without entering a full hypnotic state. Even though suggestions are also meant to alter the subject's thought process, it's likely they are more effective when "nudging" them in a certain direction, rather than outright controlling them.
Consenting to hypnotic conditioning is a requirement for participating in an expedition into Area X. Expedition members undergo conditioning at the hands of their expedition leader during pre-mission training in the Southern Reach. However, they do not know what exactly they are conditioned for, nor what the hypnotic suggestion phrases are. As such, expedition leaders have a great amount of power over the other members.[1] This control has the potential to be abused, though there's no known instance of it happening inside an expedition outside of the attempts to keep expedition members ignorant of the deeper mysteries within Area X.
Purpose and Uses[]
All expedition members are put into a state of hypnosis to cross the border into Area X by their leader, who later uses self-hypnosis. This supposedly protects them from the panic and hallucinations the crossing can incite.
It is likely that hypnotic suggestion is used when recruiting volunteers for expeditions. The Biologist believes that her husband was subjected to hypnotic suggestion when he attended informational meetings, with the purpose of solidifying his commitment to take part in the expedition. It is unknown whether this is done to all interested volunteers or just ones deemed especially valuable by the Southern Reach.
Hypnotic suggestion is also used by expedition leaders to calm other members during times of stress while the expedition is underway in order to keep them cooperative. The leader of the Twelfth expedition, the Psychologist, uses hypnotic suggestion on multiple occasions to keep expedition members from panicking and questioning the purposes of their expedition after visiting the Tower. It is unknown whether prior expedition leaders used hypnosis in a similar manner or frequency as the Psychologist. The Psychologist also implies that the hypnotic "veil" can be removed by the expedition leader at any time, causing the person to remember everything that happened while they were previously hypnotized, including the traumas of the border crossing.[2] It is unclear if this is true or just a threat.
Annihilation[]
The Psychologist uses hypnosis and hypnotic suggestion multiple times when discussing the Tower with the other expedition members.[3] Most notably, she hypnotizes them to see the Tower as a structure made of natural materials, preventing them from seeing it as the living, breathing organism that it truly is.[4] The Biologist is only able to see the Tower's true form after accidentally inhaling the Tower incantation's spores, which make her resistant to hypnosis. The Psychologist later uses hypnosis to lead the Anthropologist back to the Tower at night and force her to attempt to collect a sample from the Crawler, resulting in the Anthropologist's gruesome death.
After the Anthropologist's death and the Psychologist's disappearance, the Biologist attempts to use a hypnotic suggestion on the Surveyor while the two of them argue about their next objective. The phrase causes the Surveyor to shiver, but ultimately is unsuccessful in hypnotizing her. She sees through the Biologist's attempt and is visibly disgusted by it, likely contributing to the Surveyor setting an ambush for the Biologist and trying to kill her on her way back from the Lighthouse.
After jumping from the Lighthouse, the dying Psychologist screams "Annihilation" multiple times in a failed attempt to make the Biologist commit suicide.[5] After the Psychologist dies, the Biologist searches her body and finds a piece of paper with a list of hypnotic commands, along with annotations about specific members' reaction to hypnosis. She notes that the Psychologist must have been afraid of forgetting the commands and losing control of the expedition[6], which she was ultimately unable to prevent.
Authority[]
Control was hypnotically conditioned prior to his installation as the director of the Southern Reach. His handler, the Voice, used hypnotic commands in their phone calls together, and his mother, Jackie, was also aware. Control discovers his hypnotic conditioning after becoming suspicious and video-recording himself during a phone call with the Voice. He confirms his suspicions and cuts off contact with the Voice. Jackie says that the purpose was to prepare him for his time at the Southern Reach and "stiffen his resolve." Control fears that Central implanted fake memories in him, but Jackie counters that would have taken time and money Central couldn't afford.[7]
| Trigger phrase | Intended result |
|---|---|
| Paralysis is not a cogent analysis | Induce paralysis |
| Consolidation of authority | Compel obedience |
| Reward in the risk | Induce acceptance |
| Annihilation | Help induce immediate suicide |
| Are you excited, too? | Unknown |
| Floating and floating, like nothing human but something free and floating | Help induce calm |
| The possibility of significant variation | Unknown |
| Is there something in the corner of your eye? I can help you get it out. | Unknown |