A New Perspective Of Stage Hypnosis

Stage hypnosis has been around for quite some time, and people have a not-so-good impression of it. This is because the hypnotist has made the selected audience come on stage to perform things that are ridiculous and not quite acceptable from a logical point of view.

What you would normally see in stage hypnosis is that the hypnotist asks for volunteers from the audience. There could be 10 or more people called up to the stage. But not everyone is chosen. They are required to go through a suggestibility test and make it through before they can undergo the hypnosis.

The selected group would then undergo a short induction that put them in a hypnotic state or trance. They would then be told to act out something out of the character - such as cluck like a chicken. Of course, this hilarious act is meant to entertain the audience. After all, who would want to watch a stage performance that has no entertainment value? Because of this, it gives people the impression that stage hypnosis, like magic, is fake.
It is just for entertainment. It is not real.

Being a hypnotherapist, I would like to clear people’s doubts and concepts about stage hypnosis. Instead of seeing it as what most people see, please withhold any judgment first by reading through the following. You can then decide for yourself what stage hypnosis is about.

Stage hypnosis is REAL. This is because:

a. The hypnotist conducts a suggestibility test to determine whether a person can be hypnotized. He knows very well that hypnosis is not magical and that only some people are willing to follow instructions and be hypnotized. Not everyone can be hypnotized. If he acted boldly without considering this fact, he will fail.

b. He conducts induction for the people on stage. Though it is usually a quick induction that takes a few seconds to a few minutes, it is nonetheless similar in nature to the proper induction methods that hypnotherapists used in a therapeutic setting. It is to get people out of their conscious minds into the subconscious mode.

c. The hypnotist is not playing the role of a hypnotherapist whose objective is to resolve the client's issues, such as addiction, eliminate bad habits like biting fingernails, insomnia problems or weight loss, etc. He knows that if he is too serious, people would not be entertained. He also takes on the role of an entertainer.

d. The hypnotist usually is quite charming in the way he speaks and the way he exhibits his performances. This mesmerized the audience in some ways. And if you know the history of hypnosis, Mesmer was a very early pioneer whose discovery of animal magnetism or called mesmerism was studied and transformed into hypnosis. Being mesmerized is a form of hypnosis. It is a natural one because you do not have to be told. You will respond to it unconsciously.

e. Under hypnosis, people can literally perform things that they cannot do while in the conscious wakeful state. This reveals the power of our subconscious mind, which is real power, not some make-up artificial things. The people often behave so out of character on stage that their friends and family members could not believe it was true. They are unlike their usual self - quiet people behaving boldly and without any inhibition. The hypnotist is simply tapping into the subconscious mind of the person. It unleashes the part of him that is suppressed.

f. Unlike magic, there are no props needed. It is a direct revelation of mind power.

Stage hypnosis is therefore like a mind/body expert demonstrating to people the power of the subconscious mind in a very practical way rather than just telling people the theory.

I would call stage hypnosis "Subconscious mind in action"!