by Jerry Valley
Featured Stage Hypnotist on ABC-TV’s “20/20”
This article contains materials concerning my personal experience in becoming a stage hypnotist so I put forth this information only for you to understand my perspective on the subject of hypnotism as entertainment.
No one was more of a skeptic of hypnotism than I was back in 1966 when I was invited to see a stage hypnosis show in Lawrence, Massachusetts at the Capri Restaurant. The hypnotist, Sam Vine, was breaking all attendance records putting subjects into hypnosis and having them perform like “Hollywood Stars” every night of the week.
My first reaction to the invitation was “No way! These shows are phony and the people onstage get paid to act silly.” Little did I know how wrong I was and that my attendance at the show would actually lead me into a whole new career. Reluctantly, I went to the dinner show with my wife, Pat, and 4 other people, one of which was a young girl in her twenties who was a very quiet and reserved person. After dinner and at the start of the show, I noticed that this young lady was not longer at our table but up on stage where Sam Vine very hastily had her dancing and singing like a professional actress! I was amazed to say the least. How could this be? How could he take a very quiet, unassuming person and transform her into an outgoing actress giving a great performance? Well, from that time on, I was convinced that hypnosis was real, unrehearsed and the subjects were not paid to perform.
A few years later, I decided to take a hypnosis course, learn this craft and became a pretty well-known stage hypnotist where I had the wonderful opportunity of being featured on the TV show “20/20,” being the headliner of cruise ships including the beautiful QE2 and performing throughout the United States and the world in such arenas as London, Aruba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and more. Both Sam Vine and the “Dean of American Hypnotists,” Ormond McGill have had a most profound and positive effect on my career. Before his recent death, which was a great loss to the profession, Mr. McGill and I taught stage hypnosis together. It was my profound pleasure to teach with Mr. McGill who had over 75 years of experience in the field of hypnosis.
Where Is Stage Hypnosis Now?
Today, there is more interest in stage hypnosis shows than ever before. As a result, we have hundreds of stage hypnotists throughout the United States and Canada performing and delighting audiences nightly. This type of show has wide appeal because nothing is funnier than seeing your friends up on stage perhaps revealing latent talent that they never knew they had. This is truly theater at its best.
This is what good, ethical stage hypnotists do. They elicit and direct volunteers to enter this wonderful state of relaxation whereby they become, mainly via their imaginations, fantastic entertainers.
Have you ever watched a dynamic stage hypnosis show and wondered if perhaps hypnosis might somehow improve your life in some capacity? When clean, ethical hypnotic demonstrations are presented, the hypnotist usually points out that in hypnosis, many people are able to make positive changes in their lives such as stop smoking, weight control, stress control and many more self-improvement categories.
A professional stage hypnosis show is one of the funniest, most enjoyable experiences that you will ever watch or participate in. There is nothing funnier than seeing your friends perform on stage like Hollywood Stars.
Many years ago, Art Linkletter had a show called “People Are Funny,” and even without the use of hypnosis, Art would take people, dress them in some funny outfits and simply let them perform. It was just a hilarious show. It is amazing what people will do in the right situations and circumstances.
How Does It Actually Work?
When the subjects on stage enter a sufficient level of hypnosis, the hypnotist will select those that he/she feels are the best subjects and dismiss the others and return them to the audience. As the selected subjects enter the deeper levels of hypnosis the door to the subconscious mind opens and, while it give the subjects a “license to perform,” very often talent just bursts from subjects who never knew they had it.
Once the volunteers are into what I call my “Circle of concentration,” nothing can disturb that hypnotic state. Most people do not realize that people in hypnosis can actually hear other sounds but they have the ability to “sink beneath” and ignore those sounds. When the show is over, the subjects actually feel just fantastic
Have you ever wondered about participating in a stage hypnosis show? Have you wondered what it takes to be a good and receptive subject? I will tell you that it takes a little bit of concentration, willingness and lots of imagination. People with the most vivid imaginations usually make the best subjects. There also is an element of trust. Excellent hypnotists know that the most prized possession of a human being is a person’s mind and when you volunteer to be hypnotized you are placing your trust in the hypnotist, and they should respect that and treat you with style and dignity.
If you have ever spoken to persons who have participated in a stage show, I can almost guarantee that they had a wonderful experience and felt absolutely marvelous and full of energy. This is because 15 minutes of a hypnotic sleep is equal to 2 or 3 hours of a regular sleep. That brings me to some common misconceptions.
Most Common Misconceptions
Q. People in hypnosis are sleeping.
A. Not true. Hypnosis is not actually sleep but a deep state of daydreaming.
Q. Someone can get stuck in hypnosis.
A. Has never happened. Since you have the power to remove yourself from hypnosis at anytime, you can never remain in hypnosis.
Q. Only week-willed or stupid people can be hypnotized.
A. False! Over the last 34 years, I have hypnotized, on stage and privately persons who are pilots, housewives, truck drivers, teachers, police, psychiatrists and professional athletes and more. The best subjects have good will power but just choose to follow the suggestions.
Q. People get embarrassed in hypnosis shows.
A. Yes, some do when the hypnotist’s only goal is to get outrageous laughter from the audience with no regard to the person’s welfare or dignity. I have done thousands of shows and have trained over 350 students to perform in the most ethical and dignified manner as possible. We value the trust given to us on stage.
Q. Hypnosis is dangerous.
A. Absolutely not true. Hypnosis has never been proven to cause any problem because it is simply a beautiful state of relaxation in which the subject is always and totally in control. Remember, the hypnotist does not force anyone to do anything against their will. He/she simply gets them to want to perform, and as far as the subjects are concerned, it is real.
As a stage hypnotist, I have had so much fun on stage that when people ask me what it is like to perform these shows, I tell them “I feel like a professional ball player getting paid to have fun. I get tremendous enjoyment by allowing people to be the “Stars” of the show, so much so that very often I just break up laughing along with everyone else. Hypnosis on stage is really a FUN venue where the audience actually laughs with the subjects on stage and not at them. That way, the subjects are very open to volunteering again and perhaps those who did not volunteer, might consider it next time.
Our goal, as ethical stage hypnotists, is to treat the subjects as we would like to be treated, leave them with wonderful feelings of relaxation and the thought that they did something that many have never experienced. And that is to give that audience, in this world of strife and violence, the opportunity for the 1 ½ hour show to “laugh their heads off” and for that let’s give them a thunderous round of applause!
In summation, I would like to leave you with a thirst to, not only go to see a stage hypnosis show, but to perhaps actually volunteer and participate in it. Therefore, you will get a first-hand experience of precisely what it feels like and, who knows, you just might be the next “Hollywood Star” with your very own walk of fame!
