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.

 

Stress and the Daily Commute -- Is There a Remedy?

A congested daily commute is a source of great stress for many.  Can hypnosis help?  Photo source:  Imagesoftinc.com

The road is a sea of brake lights.  Horns blare.  People swear.

Or perhaps it is a rush of bodies on to the train.  Elbows fly.  People glare.

Regardless of your means of commute, the daily grind to and from the office creates a high-stress environment.  And, as we all know, stress is negative energy that preys upon our health, happiness and overall wellness.

That’s why this article in the Washington Post entitled “Mindful Commuters Say Deep Breaths, Clear Mind Keep Them Calm Under Stress” is so encouraging.  It confirms that people have taken proactive steps to better manage and mitigate the impact of a tiresome and painful commute.

The practice of self-hypnosis is comparable to mindful meditation, with the added value that is a tool to create an expectation for success in work, school, athletics, etc.

So…take a deep breath…because it’s all good.

Hypnosis for Athletic Success, Capitals Style

Braden Holtby sat alone on the visitors’ bench Saturday night in Boston, stick resting across his lap, and twice checked his watch. He cracked his neck, craned up at the scoreboard, and looked at the clock: 50 minutes until the puck dropped. Security officers had stationed inside each tunnel, and the TD Garden suites had begun to fill. But these moments, as they always had been for the Washington Capitals goaltender, were reserved for visualization. So Holtby stood up, dropped his head onto the stick blade and closed his eyes.

During the past six weeks I have spoken about the use of hypnosis as a tool for health, wellness, academic success and athletic performance to more than 200 high school students.  The application that garners the most intense interest from these young audiences:  visualization for success in competitive sports.

That’s because it is well understood that competition intensifies as an athlete progresses from recreation to travel-based youth sports, and then on to high school with JV and eventually varsity.  Plus, with so many kids now having aspirations to play in college there is often a willingness to employ alternative approaches to inspire performance.

Today’s Washington Post published a wonderful article about how Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby employs visualization prior to each game.  I encourage you to take a read at this link.

If intrigued, you can also check out a few posts I have published on this blog about hypnosis for athletic performance.

Positive Visualization Scores at the World Cup

College Basketball Star Sharpens Performance with Hypnosis

Whitman High School Athletes Give Hypnosis a Try

Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby most likely visualized this save. (Photo credit: Blogsohardsports.com)

Recap of Hypnosis at Walter Johnson HS

Teens across the USA are feeling high levels of stress that they say negatively affect every aspect of their lives, a new national survey suggests.  More than a quarter (27%) say they experience "extreme stress" during the school year, vs. 13% in the summer. And 34% expect stress to increase in the coming year.

Stressors range from school to friends, work and family. And teens aren't always using healthy methods to cope.

2014 Stress in America survey from the American Psychological Association

When I introduced my Hypnotic Experience show three years ago the initial 12 months was invested performing at different venues for different audiences.  What I quickly learned is that high school students are an engaged group who are generally open to alternative approaches for health, wellness and exceptional living.

That’s because they are at a phase in their life defined by learning and discovery.  They are just beginning to figure out who they are and have obtained enough maturity to assess the world around them.
 
Plus, they exist in an environment of constant stress – from school, peers and parents.  Teens often have unrealistically high expectations of themselves and the success they need to achieve in all aspects of their life.

I have written frequently on this blog about how the pursuit of perfection is an exercise in futility.

This morning I had the pleasure of returning to Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, MD to speak with a group of psychology students about the use of hypnosis as a tool for stress management, confidence and performing in the moment (i.e. academics, athletics, etc.).  The event was hosted by the school’s psychology faculty, who I’ve come to know well during the past year.

Here are a few observations from today’s event:

1. I incorporated some new material into my talk, including a funny anecdote about my experience with a homecoming date while I was in high school.  It played well and drew a positive reaction from the audience, yet resulted in the talk running a few minutes longer than I would have liked.  (Here is a photo of me at my 25 year high school reunion this weekend.)

2. In an educational environment, my philosophy is to take all volunteers as I want to encourage an interest in hypnosis and positive visualization.  That led to more than 60 kids joining me on stage for a hypnotic induction.

Great…I love the enthusiasm and it was a wonderful set of volunteers.  Bummer…I could only take the kids through a very basic induction with a few visualizations.  I also couldn’t incorporate convincers (i.e. heavy eyes) or an instant re-induction, which is always an audience pleaser.

3. I did have a group of 10 kids approach me individually afterwards with specific questions about hypnosis and its applications.  I passed along my business card and encouraged each to connect with me to discuss further and, if interested, learn more about the practice of self-hypnosis.

I’ve made it a priority to help anyone who expresses an interest in achieving positive change and empowerment.  It is how I got started on this journey.

PS  One of the most enjoyable parts of speaking at a high school is the time I get to speak with educators.  I’ve found that across the board they have a passion for what they do and deeply care about the success of their students.  As the father of three sons, that is incredibly encouraging.

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Updated on October 9:  Here is a kind Email I received from the educators at Walter Johnson in follow-up to my appearance at the school yesterday.

Hi Marc,

We just wanted to send you a big thank you for your wonderful show yesterday. Our students ( and all of us , of course)  really enjoyed the experience . You really helped our curriculum “come alive” . We are so happy to have you partner with and be part of the WJ family. We will be sure to spread the word about your talents to all relevant parties.  I look forward to seeing in in May for a “fun show” !

All the best-

Geri, Nicole, and Ty

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.

Finding Inspiration in 20 Minutes of Meditation

Recently, a journalist at Fast Company Magazine decided to put meditation to the test as a tool to better manage stress, improve health and inspire wellness.

The article, entitled How 20 Minutes of Meditation a Day Helped Me Deal with My Anxiety, is a wonderful read for any professional, student, athlete or entertainer who seeks empowerment.

Here are a few quotes from the text I wanted to share:  

And while "mindfulness" has become more of a cliché than a real call to action in the business world, the core message to quiet your mind and focus on the present sounds like the perfect solution for a more productive workday.

Meditation does not come naturally in the beginning. For starters, when meditating first thing in the morning I found it difficult differentiating between sleepy time and meditation time.

I found this meditation to be extremely effective at quelling my anxiety. Throughout the day life’s stressors would often quickly signal a churning in the pit of my stomach and shorter breaths, but after I started meditating I gradually found over the week that my triggers took less of a hold on me. I was able to face things like looming deadlines, wedding planning, and general money-budgeting with more ease than usual. Everything was still real and in-focus, but the negativity associated with each was less oppressive.

While making the time to meditate and embracing the fact that life is full of distractions is no easy feat, this is a habit that I think I'll try to keep. I plan to continue to meditate for at least 20 minutes a day--for sanity's sake.