Hypnotized on Stage - One Volunteer Shares the Experience

At times you meet people in life and it clicks.  You feel like you were meant to be friends

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That happened to me recently with someone who I met in a professional environment.  She is warm, friendly and engaging, with a wonderful sense of humor.

So…imagine how thrilled I was to learn that she had been hypnotized years ago on stage at the Maryland Renaissance Fair.  An entertainer named Hypno Bob puts on a comedy hypnosis show each year that draws positive reviews from the audience.

I sat down with my friend for a few minutes to talk about her experience being hypnotized on stage and to compare it to the self-hypnosis process.  Here is an overview of our conversation.

Q: Tell me about the hypnosis show at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

I attended the Festival when I was a child, so I made it a point to return as an adult.  I try to go to the event every year.

I had volunteered for Hypno Bob’s show two years in a row.  Through controlled breathing and relaxation exercises he gets volunteers into a focused state.  He then goes through a process of testing suggestibility; keeping certain people on stage for the duration of the show.  I remained on stage the second year I volunteered.

Q: What did it feel like to be hypnotized as part of show?

People assume hypnosis is like the scene in the move Office Space and you’re kind of knocked out.  That’s not the case.  I was aware of everything at all times and definitely relaxed.  It was easy for me to just go with the flow and follow Hypno Bob’s suggestions.  I felt in a better state of mind for the rest of the day.

Q: You’ve now tried hypnosis in a one-on-one setting.  What can you share about the experience?

Sounds just fade away and my mind became quiet.  I felt like I was on a beach in Hawaii.  Again, I was aware of everything, yet everything suggested felt like the right thing to do.

Bravo to these High Schoolers

My work as an entertainer puts me in front of hundreds of teenagers every year.

Each semester I speak at high schools in the Washington, DC area about hypnosis as an altered state of consciousness, and as a tool for positive and meaningful change.  I also entertain at after prom and all night graduation parties.  I’m signed on for 14 of these Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) organized events in the coming months.

Teens often get characterized by adults as moody, difficult and hard to reach.  I have received my share of flack from high school audiences.  You can read the biting criticism of my talk about this hypnosis in this blog post. 

Yet, for the most part I’ve found high school kids to be incredibly engaged and invested in their own health and happiness, as well as the well-being of their peers.  

The video below is an example of everything right about high school kids.  The athletes from both schools and the kids in the crowd should be recognized for their self-less support of a peer with special needs.