Being Hypnotized By "Mentalist" The Amazing Kreskin

The summer of 1977 I went to Chautauqua, New York to study opera and I was fortunate to find a retired high school teacher who gave me French lessons. I recall that even then I was starting to ask questions because when Miss Lawson would coach me I would say, "This feels so familiar. French feels so natural to me. Why is French so natural to me? She would compliment and say that I had a flair for foreign languages and encourage me to take up French when I returned to school, which I did and learned it fluently in two years along with semi-fluent Spanish, German and some Italian.

One highlight of that summer at Chautauqua was that I got to meet the renowned "Mentalist"- The Amazing Kreskin and become his subject. He invited about ten participants to sit in a roll of chairs. He had another five of us stand aside and watch. First he did some stage demonstrations utilizing hypnotic suggestions to tell the audience participants that they were on a sizzling steamy desert riding a camel on the sand. I noted that a few of them began breathing harder and they started sweating. I could actually see drops of sweat trickling down their neck. Then he told them they were on a snow mobile in the freezing Antarctica. Their teeth clattered and they started hugging themselves for warmth. It didn't feel fake to me. The temperature outside was a very mild one; in the mid seventies and there was a breeze blowing. This would not seem to be warm enough to cause them to sweat or feel like they were freezing.

Then Kreskin came to the ones standing and started speaking softly. At one point he told us to pretend we were ducks and to move our fingers and thumb back and forth like a duck bill. I recall how I closed my eyes and did as he requested, not feeling anything other than that I was humoring him. The others did likewise. A few moments later he stood next to me and whispered something. My left hand stopped the motions, but then the right hand started the motions. The audience loved it because I was jumping about pointing my left forefinger at my right hand which would not stop the motion. It truly seemed to have a mind of its own. I started yelling. What is wrong with you, hand? as I jumped about in big strides. The audience found it very amusing and entertaining and clapped. But I was not pretending. My right hand literally would not stop moving. A few moments later Kreskin moved closer and in my ear whispered something. The movement stopped. He motioned for me to take a bow and the audience applauded.

Then his assistant brought out more chairs and we all sat next to the others. He said something to the affect "now for the mystical moments." I am going to lead you on a meditation. Just relax and go with it. Try not to let your mind get in the way." He began his induction (I forget what it was) but I noted that my head started feeling light like it did when Janette put us under. The next thing I knew I was slowly bending forward until my head was completely drooped over. He came over to me a time later and said, young man, you are extremely susceptible to hypnosis. This is something you ought to check out. I bought his book The Amazing Kreskin and was thrilled that he autographed it ESP ecially, Kreskin.

Kreskin was also purported to do such 'mentalism' feats as have someone concentrate on their driver's license number or telephone and be able to 'read' their Thoughts and repeat the numbers they concentrated upon. There is some story of him having done something of this sort with some famous people, one may have been Carol Burnett if I recall correctly. I recall how he was so adamant about not being 'psychic' or possessing psychic abilities and I never really understood it because mentalism, and hypnosis seem to me to belong to the domain of the paranormal, especially when the hypnotized subject goes back to past lives and such. Perhaps Kreskin and other mentalists or hypnotists avoid delving into past lives.

My interest in mentalism and hypnosis returned a few years after college when I quit full time teaching and wanted more time to develop to my psychic work, and writing. I even considered becoming a stage hypnotist and was wondering how I would get certified for that, or was it just pure entertainment, and you had your subjects sign a form that said, "for entertainment purposes only" or some such thing. I wanted to delve deeper and explore other layers and domains of the mind because I had already had several experiences which led me to believe there is far more to us than our conscious awareness.

I do believe that things happen when they are supposed to. It's as Though our higher self and guides help to manifest and bring to us those circumstances, situations that will be conducive to our growth. Sometimes we are consciously aware of what we need to experience and we simply attract it via the law of attraction.