Stage hypnotists are good entertainers who can convince groups of complete strangers to do whatever it takes (within the limits of reason). Although hypnotized people apparently lose control of themselves, in reality they are only in a calm and relaxed state in which they are very open to suggestions. Learning to hypnotize on stage safely and confidently will be a great trick that you can show off to friends or even allow you to be part of a show and earn extra money.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Calm the participant
Step 1. Begin by hypnotizing only one person at a time
Stage hypnotists often invite large groups of strangers to hypnotize them at the same time, which makes the show entertaining. However, if you have just learned to hypnotize on stage, it is best to start by hypnotizing a family member or close friend to develop a strategy.
- Invite someone you know will take it seriously and be excited. Say something like, “I really want to learn how to hypnotize on stage, but before I can give a presentation I need to practice with someone I know. Would you be willing to help me?
- Prepare to do hypnosis in a private and comfortable room.
Step 2. Ask the participant to sit down and make himself comfortable
Give him a comfortable chair to sit on or let him lie down on a couch. Smile and thank him for his willingness to be hypnotized. An important part of hypnosis is helping the participant relax. Being friendly and welcoming with this one will help you get comfortable quickly.
Give him a minute or two to adjust and get comfortable. Ask him how he feels and if he wants something, like water, before you start
Step 3. Tell the participant to fix their eyes on a static or slow moving object
Ask the participant to look at something that is stationary or moving slowly and is slightly elevated. Speak in a slow, soothing voice, and say something like, “All I want you to do is keep your eyes on that light up there. Don't look around me or anything else. Just focus on that light without blinking, without looking away. " You have started the hypnosis process by "inducing" or helping the participant to relax. The following are some objects that you can make it look at:
- your finger
- a sustained cell phone
- a certain point on the ceiling
- a slowly spinning disk
- a pendulum or a swinging pocket watch
Step 4. Help the participant to breathe rhythmically to calm them down
Encourage him to inhale through his nose and exhale through his mouth, slowly and deeply. Breathe slowly and deeply with the participant and ask them to match their breath precisely with yours.
- For example, you can say something like “Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, slowly and calmly. Exhale, expelling all tension and stress, and begin to relax. Just focus on the breath, let your mind rest. "
- The participant may have trouble doing this if they are nervous or excited about being hypnotized. Go slowly, speak in a soothing voice, and give the participant as much time as they need to calm down.
Step 5. Tell the participant to rest their head on their chest after 3 breaths
Once the participant has become accustomed to deep, relaxed breathing, encourage them to close their eyes and relax their neck and head. This will help to further stimulate sleep and bring the participant into a calmer state.
- For example, you can say something like, “Keep breathing deeply and feel your whole body get heavy. The arms, the legs and especially the head. Relax your neck and let your head lean forward gently and slowly until it touches your chest.
- It is also normal for a participant's head to tilt back rather than forward. If that happens, gently push your head onto your chest to avoid discomfort or neck pain.
Step 6. Have the participant blink rapidly to simulate drowsiness
Tell him to open his eyes slowly and look at the object that he previously focused on. Then ask him to start blinking rapidly, staying focused on the object for the brief moment his eyes are open. Blinking rapidly is the body's natural response to feeling sleepy, so asking the participant to do so is signaling the body to go into a more sleepy state.
For example, you can say something like, “Now that you are relaxed and feeling good, I want you to open your eyes a little, look at my finger as you did before, then close your eyes again. Keep blinking rapidly, looking at my finger. "
Step 7. Tell the participant not to open their eyes again until you tell them
With this "eye lock" you will effectively send the participant to "sleep". While you will still be awake, your body will have gone through the entire process of falling asleep and you will be extremely relaxed.
- For example, say something like, “From now on, your eyes will remain firmly closed until I tell you to open them. Feel how heavy your eyes are. They are so heavy that it is as if they are stuck. You can't even lift them. "
- To make this "eye lock" even more effective, snap your fingers and say something like "Every time I snap your fingers, your eyelids will get heavier."
Step 8. Describe your relaxation to make it even easier to influence
Encourage him to notice his body sink and practically melt into the chair. As you speak, keep your voice warm and neutral, reminding him of how cool and relaxed he feels. Putting your physical sensations into words will make hypnosis more powerful.
For example, you can say something like, "Now that you are more relaxed, you may feel a warm tingling run through your neck, chest, arms, fingers, legs, and toes."
Part 2 of 3: Ask the participant to move
Step 1. Tell the participant that it should be as loose as a rag doll
Now you must translate the participant's state of deep relaxation into physical movement and sensation. Encourage him to release all the tension from each part of his body and have him imitate something concrete, such as a rag doll or a loose handful of rubber bands. From this relaxed position, it will be easier to test the depth of the participant's hypnosis.
- For example, you can say something like, "Now, on the count of 3, I want you to feel like you go completely limp, as loose as a rag doll."
- You can also say "Now!" or snap your fingers to tell the participant to go limp.
- You can also tell the participant to be "as stiff and hard as a steel bar." This can be more difficult, because you just made him relax quite a bit. If the participant is more naturally alert, the "stiff and hard" command may be more effective.
Step 2. Test the participant's immersion by holding their hand and releasing it
Tell him that you are going to hold his hand briefly and that you are going to let him go. Grab her wrist carefully, lift it a few inches and drop it onto your lap. If you feel him building up some resistance, calmly encourage him to loosen up a bit.
- Say something like, “Now I'm going to raise your wrist a few inches. Don't try to help me or raise your hand. The moment I let go of your hand, it will fall back into your lap, as flabby and loose as a rag doll's. "
- If you have told the participant to stiffen and stiffen, tell them that their arm goes up through the air. Say something like, "You can feel your arm shooting out in front of you like a steel bar." Put pressure on his arm when he picks it up. If you don't move, then you are in deep hypnosis. If they do, keep talking firmly but softly.
Step 3. Tell the participant to imagine themselves in a safe and warm place
This is a way to make the participant's mind wander, as can happen when falling asleep. Do not ask him to imagine a specific place, because that can trigger different emotions in him. Instead, let him choose the place that suits him best.
Say something like, “Now that you are relaxed and loose, imagine that you are in a safe and warm place. Imagine that you are in the safest and warmest place you have ever been and feel that feeling of comfort that flows through you”
Step 4. Ask the participant to count down from 100
Now that you have gotten the participant to a relaxed point in hypnosis, you can start preparing them to do certain things. A good way to do this is to have him start counting down from 100, which will relax him and help him anticipate what will come next. Speak slowly and calmly, making a short count.
- For example, you can say something like, "Now mentally count down from 100. As soon as you think of a number, imagine that it goes away."
- If you want a more visual method, tell the participant to imagine that they are at the top of a ladder and ask them to go down one step each time you say a number. This will make you feel like you are descending slowly, as you do when you fall asleep.
Step 5. Begin to intensify hypnosis while the participant is on the floor
Now that the participant is in the most influential hypnotic state, you can use some tools to deepen the hypnosis, called "intensifiers." Enhancers can be a snap of the fingers, a clap, or a phrase like "Go back to sleep." You can use them after waking up the participant if you feel like they are coming out of hypnosis.
For example, say something like "When I tell you to open your eyes and look at me, you will find that every time I snap your fingers, your eyes will immediately close and you will be taken into an even deeper state of hypnosis."
Step 6. Ask the participant to wake up and start giving orders
Help him get ready to wake up by telling him that he will wake up when you snap your fingers or count to 3. When he is awake, tell him to do some simple tasks, such as clapping slowly and then quickly or showing different emotions on his face, such as euphoria or anger..
- To wake him up, you can say something like "Now, on the count of 3, when I say to wake up, you will immediately raise your head and look at me."
- When you are more confident in your abilities as a hypnotist, you can assign more difficult tasks, such as "jump around like a rabbit" or "do not touch the ground, because it gives you a terrible allergy."
Step 7. Free the participant from hypnosis with a keyword
When you are ready to release the participant, tell them to go back to sleep. Then tell him that you will count down and that he will wake up when you hit 1.
For example, say something like "Now I will count down from 5 and you will come out of the hypnotic trance when it reaches 1. You will remember everything you did, but you will be fully awake and you will be back to normal."
Part 3 of 3: Presenting to the General Public
Step 1. Assure people in the audience that you will not ask them to do anything wrong
Before you start asking for volunteers, explain to the public what you are going to do. Tell him that the participants will be fully aware of what they are going to do and that they will only be deeply relaxed. Explain that you can't make them do anything they don't want to do.
- Hypnosis reduces the participant's inhibitions, but does not completely remove his or her self-control or self-awareness.
- For example, you can say something like “I am convinced that you have heard about hypnosis and that you are thinking“How strange! I never would! " However, before you totally change your mind, let me clarify a few things for you. "
Step 2. Speak using a friendly and relaxing tone of voice
Smile at the audience and speak using a calm, even tone of voice when introducing yourself and explaining what you are going to do. Talk for 2-3 minutes about yourself and your background. You can even tell a few jokes to get everyone to relax.
Anyone in the audience is a potential participant. By being friendly and calm, you can make people more open and relaxed before you start hypnosis
Step 3. Choose approximately 5 participants who are excited and enthusiastic
Ask for volunteers and search the audience for someone who seems interested and excited. The best participants are the "believers" who are willing to be hypnotized, since they are already in an open state of mind that will make them easy to hypnotize.
Don't pick a participant whose friends force him to volunteer or who doesn't seem to take it seriously
Step 4. Speak strongly and confidently when starting hypnosis
The process of hypnotizing the participants will be exactly the same as you have practiced. You will have to project your voice so that both the audience and the participants can hear you. Also, you will have to trust your abilities. You know you can do it, so convincing participants of the same will make hypnosis successful.
Step 5. Ask the participants to return to their places if they cannot concentrate
At any point in the induction, you may notice that some of the participants are lagging behind the others. They may look around instead of fixing their eyes on one point or moving in the chair even if you ask them to stay still and relax. Kindly ask the participant who cannot concentrate to return to their seat.
You can just tap him lightly on the shoulder and say something like "Thanks for coming, you can go and have a seat." If they ask why, say something like, “I need the participants to focus a lot. That doesn't mean you can't be hypnotized at all, it's just not tonight. "
Advice
- Have a monotonous and relaxing conversation while hypnotizing a participant so that they are comfortable with your voice and your instructions.
- This popular hypnosis technique is known as Elman's induction.
- Other methods include hand drop induction, in which you tell the participant to close their eyes and push your hand down. Take your hand out quickly. In that brief instant of susceptibility, tell the participant to go to sleep.
Warnings
- Never perform any form of hypnosis on people who are mentally ill or unbalanced. Make sure the participant is perfectly healthy and knows what is going to happen to him.
- Never try to make the participant do something they don't want to do. In addition to abusing their trust, you are likely to be unsuccessful; hypnosis only lowers the participant's inhibitions, it does not make them lose control completely.
- Some state and local governments require that you have a government license to perform any type of hypnotism. Check with your local government to see if you need one and look online or ask the staff to tell you how you can get one.