Yes, you can have a show in your lounge room. Sometimes it is the best option for smaller events. If you can squeeze everyone in, I can work with that and you’ll have a great time. I have done this now so often for private parties, hens’ nights, and stag dos that it is second nature. The room matters so much less than the people. A bunch of friends in the mood to party makes for a great show.

It depends on the group. Gerard V’s Comedy Hypnotist Show is usually aimed at groups of over 50 people, and the more people who volunteer to come up on stage, the better the show will be. But for smaller events Gerard also does a Small Group Show for groups of 20 - 40. We have done functions for as few as 9 people. The main thing for the full-on show is to get volunteers at the start of the show, so more people is always better. For a close group (people who know each other and get on well) we will do shows for a handful or two.

Unfortunately not, at least when it comes to physical talent. You might be less inhibited, but if you cannot play the violin, or moonwalk, then when hypnotised you will still be unable to do those things. However under hypnosis you might believe that you can, which is the basis for many excellent gags. You may be more agile or stronger however, and there is plenty of evidence to show that hypnosis allows you more or better physical control. An interesting effect does occur where you are an amateur at something, and held back by self doubt and internal criticism. Under these circumstances you may find that in trance you are a much better performer than when fully conscious, because you are no longer getting in the way of your own talent.

It’s possible to stage a hypno show in almost any kind of venue. The main thing is to have enough room, comfortable seating for the audience, and not too many distractions such as noise or people coming and going. Ideally a hall or theatre type space works best. Cabaret style seating (like a café) or theatre style seating (rows) allows for a good number of people. Remember that the volunteers will need to be able to get from their seats in the audience to the stage. Also, if the volunteers can leave the stage and interact with the audience during the show we can use more skits and gags than we could if the volunteers have to remain in the stage area.

A stage is useful for raising the action up higher so that everyone can see it, though a proper stage is not always necessary. There does need to be plenty of space for the volunteers to sit in one or more rows, while the hypnotist needs to be able to easily walk along behind them. There must also be enough room for the volunteers to lark about on the stage. If there’s not enough space, they won’t be able to express themselves fully, and too little space with a steep drop is a safety risk.

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.

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.