This has never happened to anybody in hundreds of years of hypnosis.  Eventually, people will just drift from a hypnotic trance into ordinary sleep, and from there they will wake up. The trances we use in shows are fairly light, so the chances of actually having a long nap are also quite slim.

Despite the movies, it is not possible to

There are some special requirements for the chairs used by the volunteers. They must be able to sit comfortably with their feet flat on the floor. The chairs should not have arms, as chair arms restrict movement, and prevent the participants falling asleep on each other. Sleeping on each others shoulders and laps is an important part of the hypnotic setup – it can be funny in itself, and breaks down the mild inhibitions people have when seated next to complete strangers. We have used some softer chairs with great success, but armchair styles and sofas are generally too deep and don’t allow people to get up easily enough to be used for the show.

The only people who cannot be hypnotised at all are those with substantial neurological defects or impairment, but some people take a while to learn to go into a trance for the first time. It is always surprising to the volunteers and the audience how easily they find themselves being hypnotised. On the night, most people who volunteer will be hypnotised provided they follow the hypnotist’s instructions.

Yes. Amnesia is quite rare for participants in That Hypno Show, and if it occurs, we restore all your memories of the show as you leave the stage.

Being hypnotised is very, very easy. I can teach you in a couple of hours how to hypnotise others. The reason that learning to be a hypnotist takes so much longer than 2 hours is that you have to know what to do once a person is in a trance (very important), and you have to learn how to deal with all the other stuff, including people who consciously or unconsciously decide that it has to be harder than it really is. If you want to learn hypnosis from a counseling and helping people perspective, I highly recommend Richard Bolstad. Richard is possibly the best teacher I have ever had.

Once you put aside the technicalities such as the venue, lighting, etc (not that you should do this lightly), there are really two main factors that determine how good a hypno show will be: The Volunteers and The Hypnotist ** ** Their Personality Some people are keen to experiment and try things out. Some are more conservative. Generally, those who have been on stage will volunteer again, because they had so much fun. That is why it is important that the hypnotist does not ask the volunteers to do anything that would deter them from volunteering a second time.

When you volunteer to come onto the stage, the important thing is to relax and to follow the hypnotist’s instructions. There’s little point in volunteering if you treat hypnosis as a contest of wills. The hypnotist is unlikely to overcome your resistance, and won’t even try because dealing with resistance makes for a boring show. After one show in early 2006, I spoke to a woman who had volunteered, but was soon dismissed from the stage. She told me that at the beginning of the hypnotic induction she had gone along with my suggestions and felt herself slipping easily into a trance.

Generally, people need a bit of time to get used to the idea before they volunteer to come on stage. If your group is mostly new to being hypnotised then a surprise show is probably not a great idea. However, for the right kind of group a surprise show can work really well. We would need to discuss it with you well beforehand as there are a few traps to watch out for when staging a surprise hypnosis show.

We really prefer to have access to good stage lighting for our events. In technical terms, we mean DMX controlled theatre lighting and effects. Many people don't really give it much thought, but the sound and light for our shows is generally fantastic! And this is because we make the effort to have good lighting when it is available. We will discuss options with you for your event, but lets face it, a show under fluorescent tubes is never going to look that great. So as with sound, a small investment a some rentals can make a huge difference to the event.

We will need a full PA sound system for your show. We can rarely use the in-house PA if there is one, because they are usually not appropriate for a hypnosis show. Frequently it is necessary to hire one in or we can arrange one to bring along (for smaller events). We can almost always bring a mixer and microphones even on the plane, but the PA itself is always worth discussing. It has been our experience that many venues have an in-house system that does not delver the good vocal presentation essential to a hypnosis show. While suitable for prize givings and announcements, the house system is neither clear enough nor powerful enough to allow us to deliver good vocals while 100 or more people are laughing loudly, and while music is also playing.

There’s a more up-to-date description here: “How Does Stage Hypnosis Work?” Hypnosis is relaxing and fun. Most people experience a feeling of freedom, like they had when they were children. This is what allows them to do playful and silly things and enjoy it! Many people report that they were aware of what was going on all along, but they just went along with it. They generally also feel that they could choose to stop cooperating at any time. In some ways, being hypnotised on stage is like gaining instant access to the talents of improv actors (such as those in “Whose Line is it Anyway?

Being hypnotized is a skill, and the main thing is an attitude of willingness and cooperation. All you need to do is relax and listen to the hypnotist and do what they suggest. You will be hypnotised. If you approach it as a contest of wills, or if you resist doing what the hypnotist suggests, then you will not be hypnotised. In essence it is only three things: Be willing Focus Relax

We can work with a variety of venues, but generally they need to be private, and have electric power available. Seating is necessary for the volunteers, and given the length of the show, usually for the audience too. Click here for a bunch of information about venues for our show.

We travel with 300 - 400kgs of equipment for our show. We do this because we pride ourselves on presenting a professional stage show. Creating the right atmosphere with sound, music and lighting adds greatly to the effect of the show and the enjoyment of the audience. It is also more fun for us and less like work. We want everyone to have a great time. Good music and a good sound system is vital, and lighting creates the necessary mood. It would also be fair to say that Gerard V likes having nice toys, so we are always trying out new gear.

Hypnosis is a good way to help with smoking cessation. But for it to work, the hypnotist needs to deal with the practical and unique issues each client has. Smoking is complex because it has chemical addiction, social conditioning and individual habits all combined. If playing a CD (even a very good one) would reliably “cure” smoking, then wouldn't it be more widely successful and recommended? I won't say that recorded hypnotic CDs never work, but in the case of smoking, they work too seldom for there to be any integrity in taking your money for them.

You shouldn’t need to ask. But in short - I want everyone to feel respected.

We carefully select our material to avoid being rude or disrespectful to the participants. Since it is the participants who actually make the show, they deserve only respect and encouragement. None of our material is demeaning, nor would we ask anyone to do anything we would not do on stage ourselves or which would be unsuitable for prime time family viewing.

No… You will be unconscious. You will also have a great deal of fun!

We have done outdoor shows, in daylight and evenings. We still need power and shelter so as not to ruin a bunch of expensive equipment if it rains. If the show will run past dusk then lighting is essential and it pays to take into account that outdoor sound needs more powerful equipment than indoor functions do.