While it seems like the soothing nature of a feline could actually be used in such a manner, Chris Jackson’s registering of his cat George as a hypnotherapist in the United Kingdom was actually an attempt to see how well the bodies that govern the distribution of licenses were paying attention to their applicants. In the end, three separate bodies accepted fake certificates from the Society of Certified Advanced Mind Therapists which sprang completely out of Jackson’s head. George the cat is fully licensed to perform hypnotherapy in England, following a similar stunt by Dr. Stephen Eichel in the United States. To quote Eichel:
“I felt I’d test my hypothesis and I did that by getting my cat certified by a number of the most prominent lay hypnosis organisations in the United States. It was a frighteningly simple process.”
Jackson achieved similar results across the pond with the British Board of Neuro Linguistic Programming, the United Fellowship of Hypnotherapists and the Professional Hypnotherapy Practitioner Association. George the cat is now able to lull you into a state of mental openness and then force you to do his bidding. Usually this only consists of forcing you to give him your delicious cheeseburgers but it’s only a matter of time before he upgrades your RAM or forces you to give him a high five.
