Teens Talk Hypnosis Part III: The Good, the Bad and the "Unfunny"

For the past few years the health educator at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD has solicited feedback from her students after I visit her classroom to talk about hypnosis as a tool for health, wellness and confidence.   

She is kind enough to share this candid feedback with me, which is helpful as I am constantly and evaluating the content and delivery style of my talk.

Here are link to past articles I’ve published on this blog with student feedback:

Teens Talk Hypnosis – the Good, the Bad and the “Boring” (February 2015)

Teens Talk Hypnosis Part II – the Good, the Bad and the “Interested” (March 2018)

I’ve included below a selection of direct comments from high school students after my most recent on-campus talk in September.  As always, it is an interesting mix of the good, the bad and the “unfunny.”

The Good

The class went by very fast.  I was entertained.  The jokes were funny and the things I learned about hypnosis were interesting.

It was so cool!  Great ways to think about stress management.  The balloon and sand bucket trick was amazing!  I went home and showed it to my family.  Overall, a great class and performance.  I wish he could come again!

It was nice being hypnotized.  It helped me feel more relaxed.

I really liked him.  I can use the information he shared about hypnosis and stress management because it is relevant to my life.

Loved it!  I was super in to the hypnosis.  It would have been even better if the introduction was shorter and the hypnosis was a bit longer.

It was fun and I learned a lot about controlling stress.

I liked the hypnosis presentation because I am into mindfulness and practicing relaxation.  I’ve done meditations with music playing and that usually helps me get more relaxed.

I wasn’t expecting the hypnosis to work, but I fell asleep immediately and it was a really cool experience.

The Bad

He had pretty good jokes, yet it felt weird when I was participating.

The guest speaker had a positive attitude, but after being hypnotized I felt dizzy.

I thought it was scary and kind of creepy.

Hypnosis was very strange and felt like I mostly just zoned out.

The hypnosis made me tired.

I don’t know how people actually experience hypnosis.  For me, nothing changed the whole time and I felt the same way afterwards.

I did not feel comfortable with him whispering because I didn’t expect it.

The Unfunny

It was engaging and entertaining, yet parts of his talk felt too scripted.

I thought the guest speaker was nice and positive.  Some of his jokes were funny, though some were not.  I liked his energy and thought the hypnosis was cool.

Overall, I enjoyed the performance, but some of the jokes fell a little flat.

Teens Talk Hypnosis Part II: The Good, the Bad and the “Interested”

For the past five years I have had the good fortune of being part of the health curriculum at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland.   

Nikki Marafatsos, the health educator, has developed a unique approach that incorporates a group of guest speakers to share with students different viewpoints related to stress management and overall wellness.

My entertaining talk introduces hypnosis, and its applications for stress and confidence.  I then perform a basic hypnotic induction for volunteers. 

Mrs. Marafatsos solicits feedback from her students about my talk and demonstration, which she then shares with me.  The comments are thoughtful, insightful and (brutally) candid.  It’s exactly what one would expect from a group of high performing teenagers.

Three years ago I published a blog post entitled Teens Talk Hypnosis:  The Good, the Bad and the Boring.  It continues to be one of the most popular articles on this Web site. 

I thought the time was right to once again share feedback from Whitman’s health students.  There is a lot of good…some bad…and (interestingly) a high level of interest in learning the practice of self-hypnosis.

The Good

I enjoyed the experience.  It opened doors for me to manage stress and I even used the strategy last night when going to sleep.

The guest speaker was very interesting.  It was very weird to get hypnotized, but afterwards I did feel very good.  I think this is a good to tool to se while playing sports or trying to sleep.

I enjoyed the presentation!  It was a really interesting way to combat stress.  Thinking about the active mind versus the unconscious mind is new to me.  I definitely want to use hypnosis or meditation in a daily routine.

I really loved the presentation and it actually worked!  Really cool!

He is a cool guy.  I was very attentive to what he had to say.  The hypnosis seemed to actually work on me.  I feel pretty weird.  Overall, it was a great experience.

It gave me a lot of new techniques to help with not only stress, but also sports.

He was very good and informative.  It was interesting to see how strong the mind is.

He is super cool!  I think that hypnosis is something that actually helps to relax and was kind of fun to watch.

Yesterday, I actually was able to sleep well, and have a productive day.  While being hypnotized, I felt stress free.

The Bad

He was very entertaining and uplifting, but he talked a lot and sometimes too fast.

He seemed to talk a lot and was kind of funny.  He could have explained what he did the volunteers after.

It was a good presentation, but he could have talked more quietly.

It was interesting, but kind of creepy.  It could be useful maybe, but I am not sure ow to do it on my own.

I thought the presentation was interesting, but he talked way too much.

The techniques he used seemed legit and helpful.  He could improve on his jokes.

The class was calm.  The presentation was alright, but I didn’t really like the speaker.  I don’t really see how it calming it can be if you are being screamed at by a speaker.

The Interested

It was interesting, but I wish I remembered how to do it to myself.

I liked his soothing voice, but I won’t be able to do it to myself.

It was good except he did not tell us how to do it so we can repeat it or gain something from it.

He didn’t involve everyone and he didn’t teach us how to help manage stress ourselves.

I really enjoyed it.  I didn’t learn how to self hypnotize though.

Great speaker and good presentation.  Curious to know how to do it yourself.

The feedback I would give is explain more how we can employ similar techniques without a hypnotist.

5 Most Popular Articles of 2016

For five years I have written on this blog about hypnosis as a tool for health, wellness and exceptional living. The focus of my editorial has been to engage, educate and, when appropriate, entertain, while dispelling the misconceptions that exist about the practice of visualization.

I am incredibly appreciative of the time you’ve invested with me and for the Emails I have received from readers – both the compliments and the criticisms.  (Yes…I get those too.)

Today, I spent a few minutes reviewing a readership report for 2016.  I’ve included below links to the most popular articles I published this year, each of which attracted more than 1,000 visits.

Have a wonderful New Year!

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Do you have plans New Year’s Eve?  Join me at Professionals in the City’s annual party at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.  It’s a wonderful event with a myriad of exceptional entertainers.  I am set to perform two shows at 10:45 PM and 12:30 AM.  Type in the code “Marc” when purchasing tickets and you will receive a $5 discount.

Loved Me/Hated Me:  High Schoolers Rate the Hypnotic Experience (9.27.16)

After my visit to Walt Whitman High School, students shared their candid assessment of my talk and hypnosis demonstration.

Hypnosis Revealed: Video of My Talk About Hypnosis to High School Students (11.22.16)

My entertaining talk at Northwest High School about hypnosis -- what it is and what it isn’t.

Dental Hygienist Talks Health, Wellness and Hypnosis (2.3.16)

A leader in the mid-Atlantic dental community talks career, health and what it was like to be hypnotized.

Richard Montgomery High School Psychology Curriculum Comes Alive (4.8.16)

Recap of my talk about and demonstration of hypnosis to more than 150 high school students.

Cross Fit Competitor Gives Hypnosis a Try (8.24.16)

This athlete goes all in when it comes to her physical training.  Will hypnosis give her the mental edge required to be a champion?

Loved Me/Hated Me - High Schoolers Rate the Hypnotic Experience

Comedy is subjective. 

The success of a show is influenced by audience demographics, environment, situation and the vibe in the room.  Of course, my ability, timing and rhythm also have an impact.

Engaging audience at Welcome Club of No. Virginia show.

On-stage as a performer I benefit from real-time feedback.  Does the audience laugh?  Is there a more muted reaction?  Or, are we talking crickets?

This is helpful and allows me to shape (and reshape) the content of my show.  However, I am rarely provided a more comprehensive review.

Then, there is the whole hypnosis thing.  My Hypnotic Experience show is a unique twist on a traditional casino or comedy club act.  I use entertaining stories to highlight the power of positive visualization.

Some people though have little interest in hypnosis or may even be turned off by it, influenced by long-standing misconceptions (i.e. it is mind control).  This too can color how I’m received and reviewed as an entertainer.

Each year I have the privilege of guest speaking at a number of high schools in the Washington, DC area as part of the health or psychology curriculum.  My longest standing relationship is with a health educator at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland.  I look forward to visiting her classes each semester because the kids are smart, talented, engaged and brutally candid in their assessment.

I’ve included below verbatim reviews of my talk from earlier this month.  I scored well with most of the students, yet flamed out with a few.

It has me thinking about how to continue to grow and improve.  Ironically, that is one of the key points of my talk.

Loved Me

“He actually hypnotized me into having a positive attitude.”

“He is an awesome performer.  I could totally see how he’s a stand up comic.  He was so funny.  I actually had a good night sleep and woke up restored.”

“I thought it was a really unique experience to be hypnotized while in school.  It really helped me feel better all day.”

“I thought your performance was really de-stressing and I think it’s a great tool to use every day so you can achieve inner peace.”

“Really fun, interactive activity.  Creates an atmosphere for together-ness.”

“I thought the presentation yesterday was great.  I did my homework with a smile on my face.”

“Usually, I get about 8 (maybe 7) hours of sleep.  Last night I got about 8.5 – 9 hours.  I feel less tired.”

“It was awesome.  You’re really good at your job.  Very funny too.  Also, I had the best sleep last night, so thank you.”

“Great job!  I really enjoyed the class and I think the hypnotism really worked.  I had a great rest of my day.”

“The hypnosis really helped relieve stress and anxiety that I struggle with.  I really want to do it again.”

“That was the most relaxing class I have ever had.”

“His speech was amazing.  And it was new to me to see how hypnosis works in real life.”

Hated Me

“Waste of time.  I have an eight period day, so I forfeit my lunch for this.  It’s a joke.”

“The hypnosis did not work for me and the attempt made me slightly more stressed and restless for the rest of the day and night.”

“I freaked out during the hypnosis thing.”

“I felt uncomfortable when he whispered way too close to me with my eyes shut.”

“Talk less.”

“Yesterday’s experience was not as affected as promised.”

“It was funny, but I don’t think the hypnotizing worked because I had awful sleep and an even worse stomach ache.  But, other than that, I thought it was very funny and interesting.”