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| A show is about entertaining and informing. Yet, one-on-one conversations afterwards are just as fun. |
When embarking in comedy and entertainment as a
hobby I quickly learned a few things.
--While it may be fairly easy to write original
material, it is agonizing slow and cumbersome to create (and test) funny
material. Laughter is as much about
timing, as it is content.
--Differentiation is paramount and you have to capture
what makes your show unique in a single sentence or, at most, a paragraph. From what I understand, it is comparable
to a teaser pitch a writer (or director) makes to a movie studio.
As I concepted my Hypnotic Experience show,
I kept these principals close to mind and heart. There are already a myriad of talented comedy
stage hypnotists who are adept at transforming volunteers into the stars of the
show, tapping into their creativity and imagination.
Yet, these Las Vegas style acts at some level
reinforce the misconceptions about hypnosis.
There is often a vibe among many in the crowd that they would never
give hypnosis a try. That’s unfortunate.
So, I created a “fun and entertaining show about the
power of positive visualization.” That’s
my teaser pitch.
I marry my penchant for storytelling and humor, with
a frank discussion about hypnosis and its benefits as a tool for health,
wellness and happiness. I also incorporate
a basic hypnotic induction with a series of visualizations that I perceive to
be consistent with the expectations of the audience.
For instance, at a show for professionals or a high
school psychology class I’ll focus on stress management and confidence
building. An after
prom party or community
festival gets some more entertaining visualizations, such as competing in
an American Idol competition.
This brings me to last night and my performance
for one of the most active social groups in the Washington, DC area. I’ve been fortunate to strike up a
relationship with the group’s organizer, who I have now partnered with on
several events during the past two years.
Although a late season snow storm was approaching, it
was a wonderful evening with an exceptional audience of about 50 people –
smart, talented, accomplished and professional.
The show went well, yet the highlight for me was the post performance
Q&A. This is when I have the chance
to engage with audience members at a more personal level.
There were three types of conversations:
1.
I don’t believe self-hypnosis could work for me, yet I’m intrigued and may want
to give it a try.
It is absolutely OK to be a skeptic and I always try to set realistic
expectations about hypnosis (i.e. it’s a process, not magic). At the very least, you’ll find the experience
to be comforting and relaxing. That’s a
good thing, right?
2. I’d like to learn more about the hypnotic process
and how it differs from other forms of meditation and stress management. I encouraged a few of the guests to check out
Hypnothoughts, an online community
of hypnotists and practitioners.
3.
When, where and how do you practice self-hypnosis, and what happened after you
incorporated it into your life. I’m happy to share my personal experience
with and lessons learned from self-hypnosis.
I recognize it can serve as a good starting point. Yet, I always remind people that ultimately
it’s up to them to define the positive outcomes that will contribute to their
happiness and well-being.
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