Riding a Hypnotic High

Hypnotic Experience for 20s/30s Social Group: a successful performance demands preparation and professionalism.

When asked, I characterize the role of an entertainer as a challenging, rewarding and brutally humbling experience.  Ultimately, success requires understanding the expectations of the audience, and making sure you deliver through preparation and professionalism.

For most shows, things come together well and the audience rewards you by having a wonderful time and (hopefully) learning a bit about the health and wellness benefits of hypnosis.  I have had performances though that skidded off-track and left performer and audience feeling unfilled.

It happens…you learn…move on…and stay positive.

It has been three years since I introduced my “Hypnotic Experience” show and I’ve had the good fortune of performing before a diverse and eclectic group of audiences.  There has been high school and college students, athletes, musicians, boy scouts, young professionals, retirees and…yes…even burlesque dancers.

During the past eight weeks, I’ve enjoyed an incredible high because of a series of well received and popular shows.  Check out the audience feedback from my performance for the 20/30s Social Group and 30s/40s Group.

This week I co-hosted an event in partnership with Professionals in the City and was the featured presenter at a function attended by more than 150 members of the Wednesday Morning Group.   Both audiences were incredibly engaged, inquisitive and open to the practice of hypnosis.  I fed off this energy and enthusiasm, and delivered shows I was proud of.

In fact, one Wednesday Morning Group member wrote me a nice Email quoting feedback she received from others at the show, “He is so funny and comfortable with himself."

May is an exciting month as I’ll be performing at six high school after prom events, as well as hitting the road for a Saturday night show at the Timberline Lake Camping Resort in New Jersey.

I’ll do my best to keep this hypnotic high!

Post Show Chats - When Hypnosis Gets Personal

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.

A Very Musical Hypnotic Experience

A few weeks back I was fortunate to connect with the organizer of one of the largest and most popular social Meetup groups in the Washington, DC area. 

It was the perfect time for us to talk as he sought to diversify the types of events he was hosting for members and I was interested in performing the more entertainment-oriented version of my “Hypnotic Experience” show.  With spring and summer approaching, there are typically a myriad of opportunities to appear at community festivals, fundraisers and college/high school events.

My performance this past Friday in Washington, DC’s Chinatown area was a wonderful experience and a big time success.

--The audience was exceptional!  Nearly 60 young professionals interested in learning more about hypnosis as a tool for emotional and physical health, well-being and balance.

--The upscale venue and time (Friday evening) made for a festive environment.  As such, my goal was to strike an appropriate balance between entertaining and educational in putting on “Hypnotic Experience.”

--I had a dozen volunteers, most of whom achieved some level of hypnosis.  There were a few who went deep enough in to trance to comfortably act on more complex suggestions, including one participant who was in the audience.

--The highlight of the performance was when I suggested to the volunteers they were to compete for a $10,000 prize in an American Idol competition.  Only two people acted on the suggestion and serenaded the audience with their favorite song, yet they both have amazing, professional quality voices.

I used this as an opportunity to reinforce the understanding that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.  The fact that both women have a beautiful voice led them to be comfortable to embrace the suggestion.

You can learn more about Friday’s event and read comments from the attendees at this link.