A Steamy Night for Self-Hypnosis

I offer event organizers three versions of Hypnotic Experience: 1) an entertaining, informative and instructive seminar to teach self-hypnosis; 2) a comedy oriented stage show for community festivals, fairs and parties; and 3) a more informal approach where I engage small groups of guests and attendees to demonstrate the power of visualization.

Each performance of my show presents a unique set of challenges – host expectations, venue, logistics, audience engagement and volunteer suggest-ability.

I practice what I preach and visualize a positive outcome prior to each show.  The incorporation of self-hypnosis into my pre-event preparations served me well this past week.

I maintain a relationship with a Washington, DC-based social organization called Professionals in the City.  Last year, I was one of the entertainers at the group’s New Year’s Eve party held at the Capital Hilton.  

That performance led to my teaming with Professionals in the City to organize and host an event on Thursday entitled “Healthy Mind, Healthy Body: Learn Self-Hypnosis for Wellness, Confidence and Success.”

It was a steamy evening in the Georgetown neighborhood of the city with the temperature sniffing at 100 degrees, even though it was nearly 7 PM.  I arrived at the venue to learn that the facilities manager experienced a health issue and had to depart.  It was up to me and the two Professionals in the City staffers to prep the room for our 20 guests.

Challenge #1:  The facilities person neglected to share with us how the venue’s sound system worked.  Thankfully, I had my wireless microphone and speakers in the car, parked four blocks away.

Challenge #2:  After walking to the car and returning with the speakers, I realized I had mistakenly left the microphone in my trunk.  Back to the car I trudged in the sweltering heat.  By the time I began to set-up in front of the guests I was drenched with perspiration.

Challenge #3:  Thankfully, the venue’s air conditioner and fans kept the room cool.  Yet, the humming and whizzing of a dated system created a distraction for some of the attendees.  It only became an option to power the system down once the temperature outside chilled.

Despite these obstacles, the event was a big-time success.  It was a wonderful group of attendees who were accommodating of the situation.  They had come to learn about and experience hypnosis as a tool for wellness, yet also enjoyed my entertaining pre-talk.

Nearly all of the guests achieved a level of hypnosis with a few slipping into a deep and relaxing trance.  I employed two of my favorite visualizations – “healing waters” and “confidence” – which left the guests feeling energized and empowered.

As I personally thanked each guest at the conclusion of the evening, I was reminded why I am so lucky to be aligned with groups like Professionals in the City.  I have the opportunity to meet and interact with exceptional people.  

Hypnosis Sharpens an Athlete's Mindset for Recovery

Athletes at all levels live with injuries. 

 

Some are dramatic and require significant rehabilitation.  Others are nagging and primarily a nuisance.  Yet, physical injuries share a common characteristic:  a mental and/or emotional impact that can also limit performance.

Can hypnosis help an athlete more quickly and effectively achieve a mindset of recovery?

Last week I met with a recently graduated collegiate basketball player who has been preparing for summer league play.  The area where a pin was inserted in her ankle after a break in 2012 continues to be tender, although she experiences no swelling after training and X-rays have been negative.

Her goal was to mitigate the discomfort, which would allow her to compete with confidence.  Plus, she desired a way to sharpen her focus to enhance her performance on the court.

Like most athletes, she allowed herself to achieve a deep level of hypnosis.  The hypnotic experience is defined by visualization, concentration and creativity, and those are attributes of people who compete in sports.

Once in a relaxed and focused state, I talked her through visualization I call “healing waters.”  It empowers a person to manage pain prior to and after any type of physical activity.

The result has been all positive.  She will still need to be tuned in to her physical health and well-being, and seek appropriate medical attention for injuries.

Yet, healing waters has given her another tool to improve her on-court performance.  And it’s a sense of empowerment that athletes desire.

Read more about hypnosis to enhance athletic performance:

Hypnosis for Hoops: How I've Stayed on the Court

Hypnosis for Exceptional Athletic Performance

Tween Athletes: Is Hypnosis Beneficial?

 

 

Hypnotic Practices of the Movie and Gaming Industries

Sights, sounds, colors and motion help slots "hypnotize" players.

Certain industries thrive because of the adoption of hypnotic techniques.

Think for a moment about the movie theatre experience.  You sit in a comfortable chair, in a dark room with your attention fixated on the screen.  It’s a situation conducive for becoming lost in the story. 

 

Hollywood refers to this as the suspension of disbelief.  Yet, it is merely a form of hypnosis.

This past Sunday, the Washington Post published an article entitled Slot Machine Sounds Can Manipulate Players, Researchers Say that overviewed recent research about how our minds process the sounds and sights of slot machines

Behavioral neuroscientist Michael J. Dixon of the University of Waterloo in Ontario explained that slot machine noises can easily trick a person into believing they have won, even when the outcome is lost money.  As a result, a player is more inclined to continue to thrust coins into the slot.

The gaming industry has perfected the practice of hypnosis to stimulate risk taking.  Bright rooms, energetic sounds, no windows or clocks, and oxygen pumped in through the vents.

When introducing hypnosis as a tool for stress management, confidence, health and well being, I’m often greeted with a bit of skepticism.  “I can’t be hypnotized,” some will say.  “That will never work on me,” others will argue.

It’s true -- all of hypnosis is self-hypnosis.  For it to be effective, a person has to be open and desire to achieve a deep level of focus, concentration, creativity and relaxation.

We’re all hypnotizable though.  It happens to each of us several times every day when the conditions are right.  Movie studios and casinos understand that.  

Reflections on a Nightmarish Performance

“There are only two kinds of stage hypnotists: those who have had a disastrous show, and those who are going to.”

Member of Hypnothoughts Online Community

I now fall into the first category as I have put on a terribly disappointing and unfulfilling show.  It has taken me two days to emotionally recover to the point that I could write this blog post.  

This past Sunday I hosted an event to honor the Operation Renewed Hope Foundation (ORHF), a charitable group that provides financial and support services to homeless veterans.  I support ORHF because of the importance of their mission and the respect I have for the group’s founders and leadership.

The good news is that I helped fill the Splash Lounge in Rockville with nearly 70 guests, including a myriad of my own friends and family.  This helped ORHF raise enough money through raffle ticket sales and donations to make it a worthwhile evening.

That’s the extent of the positive.  The venue’s service was sluggish and poor; the DJ playlist and musical entertainment arranged by the event’s other organizer missed the mark; and my show was dreadful.

Here the low-lights from the Hypnotic Experience show:

--The set-up of the venue was not conducive for a hypnosis show.  Bright lights and loud music was pumping through the speakers prior to the show.  Food and drink orders were shouted out from the kitchen.  The Confederations Cup soccer game was playing on the TVs ringing the bar.  No excuses:  it is my responsibility to work with the venue prior to the event to construct the right environment. 

--Guests and the restaurant’s staff would not quiet down when I attempted to begin my performance.  I tried a couple of approaches to engage those chatting the crowd, yet was unsuccessful at commanding the room.  It resulted in a disjointed start of the show and positioned me as having little control.

--I mixed in nearly 20 minutes of additional stand-up comedy as part of my pre-talk and it bombed.  My anecdotes ran way too long, resulting in audience annoyance at the pay-off.  Plus, I confused the crowd.  Was this a comedy routine or a hypnosis show?

--The hypnotic induction was unsuccessful because I had my volunteers initially focus on a part of the room where there was a lot of activity and background noise.  What a mistake!  There is nothing worse than a demonstration of the power of visualization when no one is able to visualize.

--And finally (and most important), I have been on such a run of super shows that I was over-confident and arrogant.  Did I prepare enough?  Did I think through how to construct the best possible show?  No…and as a result, the guests had only a so-so time.

I’m moving forward now and using this set-back as inspiration to grow, get better and have more respect for future audiences

. 

A Hypnothoughts member shared these words of encouragement in a note he sent me after hearing of my poor showing:

“Hey, best of all, you've already experienced a terrible show... the next 1000 will be child's play!”