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There are quiet obviously two sides to hypnosis. Therapy and stage. Many hypnotherapists shun stagecraft and accuse stage hypnotists as being charlatans that soil the good name of hypnotherapy. On the one hand, this is understandable, hypnotherapy has experienced more than its fare share of problems without the added complication of irresponsible performers.
On the other hand, stage performers are a blessing to therapists, opening doors that would otherwise have been passed by. Like many hypnotherapists, I began on the stage. I performed to drunken youths in local pubs and clubs, to excited teenagers at birthday parties and bewildered pensioners at Christmas! At the time I had no inclination that I would develop my interest as a hypnotist for therapeutic use. I was a natural performer, working as a DJ and a professional juggler for many years before my active interest in all things paranormal gave birth to a budding fascination of hypnosis!
I no longer practice stage hypnosis, yet I still recognize its tremendous value. Without it, I would never have developed as a hypnotherapist, I would never have bathed in the crescendo of laughter nor seen a thousand smiles of joy, all praising the simple, yet extraordinary, performance that is the power of the mind.
For me, stage hypnosis was the door that opened to reveal a utopia of experience. Now that I have passed through, I do not want to admire the door, but enjoy the paradise that I have found beyond. Others take a different path, and naturally you will find your own.
Hypnosis is big business, stage hypnotists earn thousands of dollars and the skills required to induce hypnotic trance are easily accessible for only a few. I have written an introduction to stage hypnosis that is aimed at those with absolutely no experience. Using this publication, it is easy for anybody to set up as a stage hypnotist. Unfortunately, there are other guides to becoming a stage hypnotist written by less scrupulous individuals. It is my hope that, as a member of my site, you will become a responsible practitioner of hypnosis developing both on the stage and in the clinic.
If you are interested in finding out a little more about my guide to stage hypnosis you may like to view my sales page by clicking here.
Stage hypnosis is very simple to perform, it requires no special skill and anybody can do it. Naturally, the secrets of stage hypnosis have been closely guarded over the years, as magicians, eager to enhance their persuasive powers, welcomed the publics wonderment at their mesmeric gaze! Little did the public know that the hypnotist was not special, he possessed no secret powers, and underneath the heavy black eye make-up, dark buttoned up shirt and neatly trimmed 'goatee-beard' he was just the same as everyone else!
One of the beautiful things about stage hypnosis is that it demonstrates the sheer awesome power of hypnosis. It is able to do this more so than hypnotherapy due to the very nature of a stage performance. The primary concern for any stage hypnotist is obviously to put his volunteers into an hypnotic trance. In a therapeutic situation a client walks into your practice and you have to deal with whatever situation they present. If the client is not a particularly good subject or finds entering trance very difficult then your therapy will be a little less effective. On the stage however, you choose from the entire audience!
Around 10% of the population are extremely good at going into hypnotic trance and are able to do so very quickly. This means that for every 10 people in your audience 1 of them will be an ideal subject for the stage. When you call for your volunteers you inevitably have too many people rush up onto the stage. This gives you the opportunity to whittle the group down to those that not only respond well to hypnosis, but are also natural exhibitionists. From this point on you can be confident that your show will be a huge success!
Becoming a stage hypnotist is easy, you need no formal qualification and to learn the techniques involved is a simple and fast process. However, some states do have very strict laws about the practice of stage hypnosis so it is always worth checking with your local police department before your public debut.
The simplest approach to stage hypnosis is to first educate yourself with techniques and procedures required, then practice, practice, practice! Friends are usually eager to volunteer for you, and private experiments soon develop into on-the-spot performances at social gatherings. From here your next step, as your confidence builds, is the club and pub circuit. A great deal of money can be earned by performing in local clubs, and it's great fun! The next step could be your local theatre or even a cable television performance! If you choose to follow this path it is well worth while getting an agent to negotiate contracts for you.
The beauty of stage hypnosis is that it requires no tools other than the sound of your voice and a little imagination. You are able to perform on-the-spot routines without the baggage and paraphernalia required by other performers. This allows plenty of opportunity for practice and will dramatically improve your popularity at social gatherings!
As a stage hypnotist, you are primarily an entertainer, hypnosis is just a tool that you use during your act. Your act is the important part! You will need to prepare some quality routines that will be entertaining for your volunteers. In the early days of hypnosis, onlookers were simply mesmerized by the hypnotism itself, the actually routines were very limited and certainly took a back seat to the phenomena required to produce them. Hypnosis is more readily accepted today and focus falls to the routines rather than the inductions.
Your performance on stage is also important, careful consideration should be made over what you wear an how you present yourself to your audience. You can find more details on such matters along with a collection of usable routines here
It will be beneficial to familiarize yourself with a selection of routines, practice them and commit them to memory. This way you will always have something to fall back on if you are required to perform a stage routine at a party without the opportunity for prior preparation.
Many people consider the, 'Encyclopaedia of stage hypnosis, by Ormond McGill' (pictured below) to be the bible of stage hypnosis. Unfortunately I tend to disagree, but I have supplied a link to it for you to take a look at the online reviews and decide for yourself if you would like to order. I personally feel that Ormond McGill's book contains too many instructions that include trickery and stooges, and to me, this is not genuine stage hypnosis. Although these techniques do serve a purpose, in that they help to create a sense of hype for your genuine volunteers, I prefer to be open and honest with my hypnotic shows and have never felt the need to use a stooge. If you are interested in finding out a little more about my guide to stage hypnosis you may like to view my sales page by clicking here. The more you can read about hypnosis the more you will learn, some views that you read may conflict and you will develop your own style as you practise.
To view the title, hover the mouse pointer over the book image. For further details (including online reviews, synopsis, larger image and ordering information) click on the link below the book. Use the UK or US links depending on your location.