# The blister from a cold nail

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-hypnosis-nail-blister
- Themes: mind and body, hypnosis, healing, belief
- Life situations: illness, doubting the mind's power

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At a public demonstration of the Cambridge psychical research society, a student is hypnotised to believe a four-inch nail on a stick is red hot. It's at room temperature. When it touches his skin he screams — and, to Ajahn Brahm's astonishment, a blister appears. He reasons: if the mind can raise a blister with no physical cause, why can't it shrink a tumour?

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

hypnotized him and they had a piece of wood with a nail on the end, very simple equipment, didn't need much to buy a nail and a piece of wood and they hypnotized this guy to believe that the nail was red-hot. It was just room temperature and they touched the nail on this man's skin, he screamed in pain because he thought it was hot, you can understand that, but to see a blister come up on his skin, that was weird

## Teaching point

The mind is powerful; confidence that it can heal matters.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

At a Cambridge demonstration, a hypnotised student was told a room-temperature nail was red hot. He screamed, and a blister rose. Ajahn Brahm saw the mind's power. Hope helps healing. Hopelessness harms. It's not medical advice and no reason to skip treatment. But a hopeful mind helps you through.

## Source

- [Hope | Ajahn Brahm | 8 April 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6OXWEWAeNE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 25:27 to 26:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6OXWEWAeNE&t=1527s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Out of Body Experiences | Ajahn Brahm | 1 July 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsyT2OaS2Tw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:36 to 30:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsyT2OaS2Tw&t=1716s
- [Our Mind and Our Health | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:51 to 15:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM&t=831s
- [How to Handle Anxiety | Ajahn Brahm | 15 March 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:30 to 16:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU&t=930s
- [The Mind and Brain | Ajahn Brahm | 1st April 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZTU-gQPAc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 46:05 to 46:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZTU-gQPAc&t=2765s
- [The Benefits of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 13 December 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5LJL6bgKO0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:06 to 13:07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5LJL6bgKO0&t=726s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 30 December 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoURx2wxH-U) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 11:23 to 12:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoURx2wxH-U&t=683s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 May 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My6WwoWKibQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:08:28 to 1:09:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My6WwoWKibQ&t=4108s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 6 December 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRm5mQSCD88) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:29:36 to 1:30:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRm5mQSCD88&t=5376s