Hypnosis

“Look at me, Dearie. Be in my eyes. Be in me.”

―Drusilla

Dracula convinces Buffy to put down her stake

Hypnosis was a psychic ability to mesmerize and influence the minds of other beings, allowing the hypnotist to exert a level of control (sometimes total) over the victim's actions, as well as altering their perceptions. Certain vampires, such as The Master, Drusilla and Dracula, were particularly adept at hypnosis, and employed it to gain advantage over their enemies, though their hypnotic power worked differently.

Cases

“Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists.”

―Buffy Summers to the Master

The Master

“Come here.”

―The Master

The Master uses hypnosis to paralyze Buffy (Click for animation)

The Master, one of the oldest and most powerful vampires ever recorded, was capable of exerting hypnotic influence over his victims, as demonstrated during his fight with Buffy Summers, the Slayer. The Master paralyzed her body with a simple wave of his arm and hand, not requiring him to speak to her or see into her eyes. After mesmerizing her, the Master bit her and left her to drown. The second time they fought, however, Buffy was capable of breaking free of the Master's influence and killed him.

Drusilla

Drusilla hypnotizes Rupert Giles.

“Look at me... be in me... See with your heart.”

―Drusilla

Though a capable fighter with strength far above that of the average vampire, Drusilla also employed hypnosis to gain the upper hand against certain foes, always staring into their eyes and softly ordering them to "look at her" and to "be in her". During her fight with Kendra Young at the Sunnydale High library, Drusilla traded punches with the Slayer briefly. After a few seconds, Drusilla grabbed the Slayer by the neck and mesmerized her by staring into her eyes and speaking to her. This allowed Drusilla to place Kendra in a trance-like state and slit her throat with her fingernail.

Hours later, Drusilla employed her hypnotic powers once again. In order to extract information from Rupert Giles and learn how Angelus would be able to awaken the demon Acathla, Drusilla, after reading Giles' mind, looked into the eyes of the Watcher and softly spoke to him. After covering his eyes with her fingers, Drusilla altered Giles' visual and auditory perceptions, making him believe he was speaking to Jenny Calendar.

Dracula

“Pull your hair back.”

―Dracula to Buffy

Dracula casting his thrall on Xander.

Dracula employed his mind control powers in several ways. One was to influence the minds of certain humans to turn them into his servants, as he did with Xander. He also employed his powers on his female victims in order to influence their actions, to lure them and make them desire him. This was referred to as his "thrall". Dracula's mere presence made people obedient and willing to him. Buffy, however, was able to break out of it after drinking his blood, while Xander still retained remnants of his control, once referring to him as "master" after he left Sunnydale. This hypnosis could remain constant and continue past contact with his victim. It was because of this that Buffy felt compelled to cover the bite mark Dracula left on her the night before. His power to put people under his thrall only worked on those who were weak minded or (secretly) wanted it. Dracula also used his hypnotic abilities to make everyone perceive him as his younger self, rather than his true form which was that of an old man.

Lothos

“What? This is... none have ever resisted before!”

―Lothos marvelling at Buffy's resistance

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Lothos using hypnosis

The vampire master Lothos possessed hypnosis which, like the Master and Dracula, he channelled with his hands. This was apparently a method he used to kill the many Slayers he did over his lifetime. None had ever been able to resist it until he used it on Buffy, incapacitated her for a moment before she returned to her senses and slayed him.

Others

• The demon Ovu Mobani could congeal people with a simple look by sending a flash of light.

• Rupert Giles was compelled to hypnotize Buffy by making her look into the Hypnotic crystal. While she was hypnotized, he injected her with a product which inhibited all of her special capacities as Slayer.

• The Thrall demons, like Turfog, had the capacity to put their worshippers into a collective trance, compelling them to kill each other.

• Warren Mears created the Cerebral Dampener and used it on his ex-girlfriend Katrina Silber. When activated, the Dampener emitted a flash of light that took away the free will of the victim, making her submissive to the user, who also became the subject of the victim's sexual desire. Wearing sunglasses, however, blocked the effects of the Dampener.

• The First Evil used the song Early One Morning as a hypnotic trigger to make Spike do its bidding.

• The higher being Jasmine had the capacity to hypnotize all the beings that gazed at her, even via TV. Only her blood or the revelation of her monstrous face could cancel the effects.

• The Sirens had the capacity to hypnotize their male prey with their song.

Appearances

• The Origin
• "Prophecy Girl"
• "Becoming, Part One"
• "Becoming, Part Two"
• "Dead Man's Party"
• "Helpless"
• "Buffy vs. Dracula"
• "Dear Boy"
• "Once More, with Feeling"
• "Dead Things"
• "Two to Go"
• "Sleeper"
• "Lies My Parents Told Me"
• "Inside Out"
• "Shiny Happy People"
• "The Magic Bullet"
• "Sacrifice"
• "Peace Out"