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