Ghouls, Goblins, Ghosts and...Hypnosis!

This gateway welcomes visitors to Nightmare Manor in Ijamsville, MD.

There is a rhythm to my performance schedule each year.

Springtime brings opportunities with social groups who are ramping up member meetings and activities.  May and June are dedicated to high school after prom and all night graduation parties.  Summer and fall are about county fairs and festivals.  And, of course, December is corporate and holiday party season and New Year’s Eve.

One surprise performance niche I’ve enjoyed is Halloween themed events.  I’m now four years in with gigs at Bradley Fair Haunted House, Cox Farms Fields of Fear, Laurel’s House of Horrors and…this year…Nightmare Manor in Ijamsville, Maryland. 

Rather than a stage show, I’m typically asked to be part of a line-up of entertainers who engage with guests who have purchased tickets and are waiting to enter the attraction.  Nightmare Manor has me partnered up with a magician and fire eaters.

I’ll be back on site this coming Thursday, October 29 from 7 PM until 10 PM.  I encourage you to join me for a scary, good time.

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Here are links to a few articles I have written in past years about my Halloween-themed performances:

A Scary Good Time at Cox Farms’ Fields of Fear

Back to Bradley Farm: Recap of this Weekend’s Hypnotic Experience

Pre-Talk Takes the Scare Out of Hypnosis

Super fun haunts at Nightmare Manor.  I'll entertain this Thursday, October 29 from 7 PM until 10 PM.

A Scary Good Time at Cox Farms' Fields of Fear

Fields of Fear at Cox Farms is open through Halloween.

During the past two Saturday evenings I have had the pleasure of being part of the entertainment at Cox Farms’ Fields of Fear in Centreville, Virginia.  The folks at Cox Farms do Halloween right with a wonderful mix of thrills, chills, scares and frights, hosted in a venue that is well managed and maintained.

My show – the Hypnotic Experience – was housed in an area called the Firegrounds.  With the venue sold out both nights I performed, guests often must wait some time before enjoying attractions like the Cornightmare or Dark Side Hayride.

That’s where I come in.  The Firegrounds feature an eclectic group of performers, including a magician and fire-eaters.  There is also a dance area, carnival games and, of course, food and drink options.

Rather than a stage show, I offered a demonstration for guests who were interested in experiencing hypnosis.  In light of the venue and environment (i.e. big crowds, lots of action, music, etc.), my participation included:

--Brief talk about what hypnosis is; its use as a tool for academic achievement, athletic performance, health/wellness, etc.

--Simple five minute hypnotic induction

--Visualization designed to instill positive thinking and stress management

This approach allowed me to work through small groups of two or three volunteers in minutes, ensuring there was a constant flow of participants and everyone interested had the chance to give hypnosis a try without much of a wait.

The result:  more than 200 volunteers over the course of two nights with little (if any) downtime during the three plus hours I was on-site each evening.

Many thanks to Sam and the whole team at Cox Farms for including me.  I had a wonderful time at a family-owned establishment that knows how to scare things up right. 

The Firegrounds area included music, food and performers to entertain guests while they waited to jump on a ride.

I set up in area with a magician and fire-eaters.

 

Thrills and Chills of Halloween Hypnosis

Cox Farms' Fields of Fear, Centreville, VA.

Halloween has proven to be a hypnosis-friendly holiday as revelers have come to expect unique entertainment as a complement to the standard thrills and chills.

For the past two years I was fortunate to have been included in the line-up of performers at the Bradley Farm Haunted House, a wonderful event in Northern Virginia that benefits a charitable organization that provides support to families in need.  You can read about my experiences at Bradley Farm here and here.

This year, you can find my Hypnotic Experience show at Cox Farms’ Fields of Fear in Centreville, Virginia.  I’ll be part of the entertainment at an area called the Firegrounds during the evening of October 18 and 25.

I encourage you to come out and enjoy what is considered one of the best Halloween-themed events in the Washington, DC area.  It’s family friendly, yet the folks from Cox Farms do a great job to ensure you come away appropriately scared.