Well, I’ve actually heard a few opposing viewpoints on this subject.
I have a psychology book, which clearly states a few things about hypnosis. For one, less than 50% of the population is easily hypnotizable, and for many people it is totally impossible to hypnotize them. It depends almost solely on how much they are able to concentrate, and how much they believe they are going to be hypnotized, as if their concentration is unbroken they can then can be put into a trance.
Unfortunately, the book also says that people cannot be forced to do (or feel, in this case?) things against their will, and that post hypnotic suggestions (I.E. telling someone they are more ticklish) sometimes don't work at all. Although, it is possible, I would assume. The book goes on to explain that the only real productive use of hypnosis is pain control, because it allows the patient to focus completely on something other than the pain. It says that people under hypnosis are not able to do anything they couldn’t do while totally conscious.
My second viewpoint is a story that comes from one of my friends, and it seems quite different. She and a few of her friends went to see a professional hypnotist. The hypnotist took volunteers out of the audience (these volunteers, mind you, were close friends of my friend, and swear that they were not acting) and made them do some insanely embarrassing acts.
Now, I don't remember all of the things they did, as really there is just one that caught my attention. Before letting them go back to their seats, the hypnotist told one of the girls up on stage (while in a trance) "If anyone touches you on your forehead like this (where he proceeded to touch her forehead) you will have an orgasm". No, I am not making this up.
The friend that told me this story said that they all had a field day with the poor girl under this post-hypnotic suggestion, and that although it wore off the next day, that it lasted quite a while, and almost without fail they were able to get it to work.
Just thought you guys might find that interesting….if that story is completely true (I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure if it’s really true or not, but I don’t see why she would make up a story like that) then it might very well be possible to use hypnosis to tickle. With just a slight change of his words, that hypnotist could have easily said “Whenever someone touches you on your forehead like this, you will feel tickling fingers all over your body”…so you never know.
