Much in the literal way that a Hariyama's powerful slap can wake even Snorlax from their dreams, Hariyama slaps are said to metaphorically "wake" people from being wrapped in their own world. The effectiveness of this is disputed, for a Hariyama slap is not effective treatment for those truly lost in delusions. Yet it is often used on television as a quick resolution for a character's detachment or selfishness, and it is common in Hoenn for people to send out or even hire a Hariyama as a last resort when someone they care for is acting in a similar way.
It is a last resort because a Hariyama's large size, strength, and enormous hands can cause injury even when they are being careful, and many Hariyama, trained to use these slaps in battle, are not particularly careful. These pokemon rank among the most common cause of concussions in humans and knock more teeth loose than the average hockey player. There are even peoplen left comatose when Hariyama hit them in the wrong spot.
Some of these comas are ended by another wake-up slap – these pokemon are still on the whole a boon to medicine, no matter how many extra cases they provide - but remain the same, as though they were never slapped. Others have alienated so many people that they can not find a Hariyama willing to wake them, so they spend years comatose - yet when they wake up, they have changed their ways for the better! Because at times, a Hariyama slap even works. And to most of Hoenn, this is worth it; it is quite telling that while assault by humans or other pokemon is illegal, there are no laws whatsoever in all of Hoenn against sending out a Hariyama to slap someone.
