When the fall semester kicks off at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, the school hosts a Welcome Week for new and returning students which include a series of events and activities. A highlight of these festivities is a Midnight Carnival that features food, music, carnival rides and entertainment.
This past Friday evening I had the privilege to
perform Hypnotic Experience for about 75 students at the Carnival and then hang
around for nearly 90 minutes after the show for a series of informal
demonstrations of the power of positive visualization.
My participation at Welcome Week was particularly
gratifying for a few reasons. First,
this was my second year at the event after a successful
performance in 2012. It’s always
nice to be invited back by an event organizer.
And second, I have a close connection to Georgetown
because of my proximity to the campus.
My family attends a number of sports events and theatrical productions
each year.
Here are a few observations from Friday evening’s
show:
1) A successful performance is very much about setting
audience expectations. There are a
myriad of misconceptions about hypnosis and what might happen on-stage.
Hypnotic Experience is not a Las Vegas-style
show defined by outlandish volunteer antics.
Rather, it’s an entertaining demonstration of hypnosis and how it can be
harnessed as a tool to improve health, wellness, self-confidence, and athletic,
academic and career performance.
My goal is to leave an audience with a positive view
of hypnosis and visualization.
2) With that in mind, I keep the suggestions simple and
fairly vanilla. My “go to” is the instant
induction, which typically draws a reaction from the crowd when they witness
how quickly a volunteer can re-enter hypnosis.
I do try to introduce more complex suggestions (i.e.
visualize competing in an American Idol completion), yet these are more
challenging to pull off and based on volunteer suggest-ability.
3) Volunteer comfort and a positive impression of
hypnosis are paramount. That’s why I
focus on two post-hypnotic suggestions related to confidence and wellness. I want my volunteers to tell friends, family,
etc. they tried hypnosis and it was fun and helpful.
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| A simple sign encourages students to enjoy a hypnotic induction. |
