Maury's Phobia Shows

Has anyone here seen Maury Povich's shows (he has a talk show, I'm sure you know, and he's most famous for paternity test shows) where he has people with phobias, often very unusual ones, and he cures them by the end of the show? What are your impressions?

I just watched a taping earlier from a show that aired a couple days ago (a repeat, I think). I've seen some of his other phobia shows, and they always make me angry. Here's my impressions of the shows:

1. I know there are people with very strange phobias, and I'm not putting anyone down, but sometimes I wonder if these people are real. Some phobias have included cotton balls, buttons, pickles and peaches. I know not everyone "freaks out" the same as me, but some things seem kind of fake. I'd be more likely to believe them, of course, if I actually knew them and saw that they really have phobias.

2. While I'll argue that these people know what the show is like before they go on (or should--if I were considering going on a talk show, I'd watch a few episodes before agreeing to go on), I feel like Maury is exploiting them. Still, it's their decision to go on.

3. I am infuriated how these people are put on as entertainment. The audience laughs, Maury laughs, he always has someone bring out whatever it is the person is afraid of, often without telling them, to get them to react. Last night, he had a woman terrified of cotton balls, and had a guy covered in them (she'd had nightmares of such a guy coming after her to kill her by stuffing the cotton balls down her throat) surprise her and freak her out. He often says things, like, "Erica! It's just a peanut!" and "This is crazy, Linda! Why are you acting like this?" (Most of his guests are women.) I see the humor in some of these phobias, and I admit I've laughed at some things, but I'm fully aware of how disabling and serious this is, and I'm not making fun of them.

4. Maury has a hypnotist or someone who cures them by the end of the show. I'm not saying this isn't possible, but I'm really skeptical. I know some people would be afraid to even try, but if it's this easy, why aren't more people cured?

You can search "maury phobias" on YouTube to find more, but here's a clip from yesterday's show:

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i dont know i dont think you can be cured that quickly but hey i dont really know but these people geet paid to be on the show and people will make up anything to get on tv and be paid so but it is a curious thing to wonder if it is really true or not

Maven

You hit it right on the nose when you said its "entertainment". I have watched his show maybe once, and decided it wasn't very healthy for me.

Dee

Yeah, I agree. Not a very healthy show. I'll admit I've watched it, mostly when I was in my teens, and have laughed at some of the things but honestly its mostly just trash tv. I completely agree with the exploitation as well.

Maven,

It is possible to help people remove their fears through hypnosis. It can be achieved in one session with some clients, yet I usually do more then one session to clear up any loose ends.

Now I will admit that I have seen his shows on fears. And the whole show was a joke. The "staged" people with fears and all... I couldn't even finish watching. This is the kind of crap that give hypnosis a bad rap.

Now, as to why more people don't find way's to remove their fears. Wether it's hypnosis or other ways. It seems alot of people have some form of secondary gain associated with their fear. That is, it's better for them to have the fear then get rid of it. In some cases they don't realize they have this gain. Some are more "afraid" of hypnosis then they are of ___________. This is unfounded, but in some cases a reality.

I know if I had a fear that affected my daily life, I would do anything to get rid of it. But that is just me.

Rick

im afraid of hypnotists

I know that some people are helped by hypnotists, but I have a hard time believing that people whose fears were as strong as they purport to be on these shows were cured that quickly. A smaller phobia, yes, I could accept that.

I've seen a hypnotist. He didn't put me to sleep; he taught me self-hypnosis, which does help with the anxiety, but it didn't do enough to help my panic disorder (which is why I saw him at the time--I was a teenager).

I didn't know for sure if they were paid, but I just did some Internet searching and it seems they are. Furthermore, guests get paid more if they put on a good show. Figures.

Rick, I think you're right, in that many people are getting something from their fears. But I think there would be a lot more people being cured if this kind of hypnosis worked, despite that.

And how come we never get to see this hypnosis on-air? I understand the privacy thing, but they could film it in a quiet room and put it on TV...after all, these people don't mind coming on TV and showing themselves freaking out, so why should they mind people seeing them get help?

Maven,

I have seen some shows that show part of the hypnosis. Usually it's the suggestions more then the induction. Yet that is better then nothing. If you search the net you can find all sorts of hypnosis videos. Most of the are instant inductions instead of the progressive relaxation alot of the hypnotherapists use. I guess if they showed the entire hypnosis session they wouldn't have time for the show.

I have also heard of hypnosis inductions being done on different TV shows that put some of the very highly suggestible watchers at home into a "trance" state. I've heard people say this is alot of the reason why they don't show too much of the induction.

Rick

Rick,

Would you really be able to help a person get over an extreme, extreme fear of snakes?
Respectfully, submitted question here...

Might give it a try with someone if it would help.

Thanks...

Rick,

I didn't say they had to show the whole hypnosis session. Most shows that show surgeries, acupuncture, dental procedures, etc., edit. They can show part of the hypnosis without showing the whole thing. Regardless, I'm not saying hypnosis can't help a person. Like I said, I've had hypnosis. I'm saying, I'm skeptical that every guest Maury has on these phobia shows are cured by the end of the show, especially when their fears are so strong.

Maury doing that is just cruel. I don't even care if it is fake or not. Laughing at someone for their fear, fake or real, rational or not, and then terrorizing/teasing them with it is just wrong.

I personally know a woman who years ago totally fabricated her story to get on the Jerry Springer show.....I mean really these shows are attempting to deal with complex relationship and psychological issues in a circus atmosphere between the audience and in this case Maury. This is a lot like wrestling, its entertainment.

Yes, several years ago, there were several people found to pretend to be different people and have different issues. I actually recognized two or possibly more people on multiple shows. I remember one woman who was on Ricki Lake and another show.