Nourish Now's "A Night in Vegas" Fundraiser

The practice of hypnosis for health, wellness, stress management, career or academic accomplishment, and athletic achievement is a personal passion. 

 

Performing my Hypnotic Experience show at community festivals, street fairs, fundraisers, school events and private parties is just plain fun.  

As an entertainer, you quickly learn the need for some type of differentiation for your show.  Regardless of whether you are in comedy, music, dance or performance art, you need to uncover the thing that appeals to a broad audience and makes your act special and unique.

When concepting Hypnotic Experience I knew I did not want to be just another comedy stage hypnotist.  There’s nothing wrong with those shows, yet they all tend to be similar. 

So what’s my thing?  In Hypnotic Experience I combine stand-up comedy and a dash of improv with a demonstration of the power of positive visualization to unlock creativity and promote wellness.

The show consistently receives rave reviews from event organizers and attendees, helping me book four or five performances a month.

Plus, I’m fortunate to have a wonderful full-time career as a social media marketing consultant.  This allows me to donate my time to perform Hypnotic Experience at no cost for charitable groups, non-profits and community organizations.

It’s fun and rewarding!

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, June 1) I’m fortunate to be part of a line-up of entertainers at Nourish Now’s “A Night in Vegas” annual fundraiser to be held at the Progress Club in Rockville, Maryland.  

Created in May 2011 by business executive Brett Meyers, Nourish Now collects surplus food from restaurants in the Washington, DC area and delivers it to organizations that provide assistance to the homeless.  It’s a worthy cause and comparable to the Operation Renewed Hope Foundation, a non-profit I’ve performed for because of their support of homeless veterans.

Rather than a traditional stage show performance, I’ll be working the crowd at the Nourish Now event engaging small groups of guests with a bit of humor and, if interested, a fun demonstration of hypnosis.

I encourage you to join me tomorrow in Rockville for what will be a wonderful evening of food, fun and entertainment.  You can purchase tickets here. 

Deep sleep:  the instant hypnotic induction is a hit with crowds during a performance.

Similarity Between Yoga and Hypnosis

Yoga and hypnosis share so many of the same characteristics in process and outcomes.  These include:  focus, creative visualization and stress management. 

Here's an example from a tweet from an experienced and respected Yogi:

Anacostia Yogi ‏@AnacostiaYogi

Right before an important event, I sit still, meditate breathe and visualize things happening wonderfully! #ambitiousyogis

Did Stress Kill this 24-Year-Old PR Rep?

This article about a 24-year-old overworked public relations staffer in China dying due to stress caught my eye because of its absurdity.  After letting out a yell, Gabriel Li collapsed at his desk and was pronounced dead several hours later at a local hospital.

Gabriel Li, RIP.  Photo: AdAge

While tragic, I suspect Li's death will be tied to a heart defect or some other other natural cause.  Work related stress simply doesn't strike down twenty somethings.

However, it might actually be beneficial for the greater good if it did.  That's because the cumulative impact of stress on our overall health and well being is devastating.  Take a read of this article from the Huffington Post entitled 10 Scary Things Stress is Doing to Your Body.

Many people allow stress to build over time, slowly decaying their overall health and well being in the way plaque clogs an artery in the heart.  The end result from stress can be just as tragic as a heart attack.

This past weekend I performed at a high school after prom party.  A young woman who tried hypnosis told me it was the first time in months she felt refreshed and relaxed, and that stress had impacted her sleep pattern, athletic performance and relationship with her parents.  She is only 17 years old!

Give hypnosis a shot...practice yoga...try meditation...go for a run...read a good book...walk on the beach...find something that works for you as a stress reliever.  Good health depends on it.  

  
 

After Prom Hypnosis Proves to be a Hit with Students

Held at 300 Shady Grove in Gaithersburg, MD, the After Prom party featured bowling, billiards, casino games and my Hypnotic Experience show.

Young adults, teens and tweens are typically wonderful participants in a hypnosis show.  They have creative imaginations.  They’re good when it comes to focus.  And they are comfortable following direction.

It’s with this in mind that I very much looked forward to participating at Richard Montgomery High School’s After Prom party hosted at 300 Shady Grove in Gaithersburg, MD.  I came away from the event impressed with the exceptional students I met at the party and their willingness to give hypnosis a try.

I arrived a few minutes before midnight with an expectation of staying for about 90 minutes.   At about 3:30 AM I finally called it a night having hypnotized more than 40 party goers.

Here are a few of my observations from the evening:

1.  Due to the set-up of the venue and schedule of activities, there was not an opportunity to do my “Hypnotic Experience” 90 minute stage show performance.  I selected a corner of the billiards room, introduced myself as a hypnotist to a few nearby students and then took two volunteers at a time through a hypnotic induction.  I was fortunate to have a small crowd gathered for nearly 2-1/2 hours as word of my participation spread.

2.  It was noisy with music blaring from speakers throughout the facility, and the constant smack of billiard and bowling balls.  Accordingly, I adjusted my approach to have each volunteer quickly move through the hypnotic induction with constant reminders to focus on my voice, allowing all other sounds to fade to black. 

3.  I kept the suggestions simple as well because the constant distractions might impact how volunteers responded to more complex scenarios.  Light/heavy hands…feet glued to the floor…forgetting their first name all worked well. 

4.  Most impressive for the audience was the instant inductions I used once a volunteer had slipped in to hypnosis.  As always, there were skeptics in the crowd who thought the hypnotized might be playing along.  A volunteer’s immediate response to the “sleep now” suggestion generated the most reaction from the crowd.

Parent volunteers organized a wonderfully successful event.

5.  The parents who hosted the after prom party should be applauded for their commitment to putting on a fun, entertaining and safe evening for the students.  As the father of two sons (9 and 7), it was a nice reminder that your love and hope for your children remains strong during their teen years.

Many thanks to the parents, students and folks at 300 Shady Grove for including me in the After Prom party.  I had a blast!

The sleep suggestion instantly brings a volunteer back into hypnosis.

A Richard Montgomery High School student gives hypnosis a try.

Power of the Positive - 300 Shady Grove Kid's Fest this Weekend

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Alicia Dinwiddie, an events manager at 300 Shady Grove in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

To identify the venue as merely a bowling alley would be inaccurate and a disservice.  Yes...the facility features 32, state-of-the-art lanes.  Yet, 300 Shady Grove bills itself as "everything entertainment under one roof."  This includes floor to ceiling video screens with music and sports, casual dining, billiards, and an extensive bar area.

300 Shady Grove plays host to corporate events, private parties, fundraisers and community activities.

This Sunday, May 19th from 10 AM to 2 PM I'll be at 300 Shady Grove to participate in their bi-annual Kid's Fest, a community appreciation event that brings together families, local businesses and community organizations.  It is free to attend and every child receives a free game and shoe rental.

Activities include fire fighter demonstrations, coloring and crafts, face painting, display tables and product samples.

Rather than my "Hypnotic Experience" show, I plan to share with attendees how positive visualization can help improve career, academic and athletic performance.  This is a more flexible and age appropriate for a community and family event, and an approach I have used in the past at community festivals and street fairs.

I hope to see you this Sunday!

Teens, tweens and younger children can use positive visualization.  Photo from my performance at Bradley Farm Haunted Mansion Festival in Herndon, Virginia.

Cherishing Mom

It’s true, even hypnotists have moms.

Thanks to mine I had an easy and care-free childhood.  I was active in team and individual sports, successful in school and part of a wonderful group of friends.

I steered clear of drugs, was never suspended from school for misbehavior and, with the exception of a few minor scrapes, rarely got into physical altercations with peers.

Yet, like most kids I dealt with a mix of anxieties, feelings of insecurities and personality flaws.  I was (and still am) hyper-competitive and often curt to others when stressed.  Plus, I had my share of verbal mix-ups with mom, often tossing typical childhood frustrations on to her.

Through it all, she was always there to listen, to offer a kind word and, when needed, splash me with a dose of reality.

For instance, when I was a sophomore in college I attempted to seriously date two women at one time.  While home on summer break, I was hanging out with one young lady at my parent’s house when the second woman unexpectedly arrived.

I pleaded with my mom to run interference by going outside and telling the second woman that I was sick and highly contagious.  My mom brushed this request aside and explained I needed to accept the situation and deal with it myself.

Yes…I was pissed at the time as both women quickly ended the relationship.  Yet, I soon realized that accountability, respect for others and commitment are all attributes of tremendous value.  It’s helped me be a better husband and father.

That’s what mom’s are for. 

Source:  PowerChurchInternational.com

   

Filling Up My Summer Dance Card

After a wonderful set of performances of "Hypnotic Experience" during the past few weeks, I've been busy locking in on venues for the summer.

If you're organizing a graduation party, post-prom event, community festival, street fair or fundraiser, please consider adding me to your line-up of entertainers.

Rather than a comedy club act which is merely for laughs, Hypnotic Experience blends stand-up comedy, a motivational talk about achieving life goals (i.e. career, academic, athletic, etc.) and education about the power of positive visualization.  The show includes a hypnotic induction and a few creative suggestions for guests who volunteer. 

 

Here's how I promote my show:

1.  It's unique, memorable, and is all about creativity and visualization

2.  The guests who want to participate are the stars of the show

3.  It is easy to organize, requires very little set up and can be scheduled around other activities and entertainment

4.  It's incredibly family friendly and can be tailored to guests of all ages

5.  The guests can capture photos and videos of the show, and then share them with friends (makes for wonderful memories and helps with promotion)

Plus, I do not charge for a performance if it benefits a community group, charity, non-profit or school.

Send me an Email at m.russell.hausman@gmail.com or call me at (301) 538-8100 if you're putting together a line-up for a summer event.

Preparing to go on-stage at the Capital Hilton.

A Uniquely Entertaining Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I expect my run of entertaining shows to continue this Sunday, May 5th at the Splash Lounge in Rockville, Maryland.  I'm the headline performer at a new comedy series hosted by King Tay Management and Sofire Music.

So...celebrate Cinco de Mayo with an evening of great food, good music and my "Hypnotic Experience" show.