You might think of a hypnotist as someone who swings a watch in front of people’s faces, while calmly saying “You’re getting very sleepy.” This is just a stereotype, and the truth is, hypnotists aren’t like that at all.
Some learn how to be a hypnotist so they can help people struggling with addiction, weight, anxiety, depression and more. Other experienced hypnotists decide to take the performance route instead. These comedy or stage hypnotists have the exciting task of hypnotizing entire groups of people for entertainment purposes.
If you’re wondering how to become a comedy hypnotist, you first have to understand the fundamentals of hypnotism.
What is Hypnotism?
Learning how to become a hypnotherapist or hypnotist isn’t easy. It involves putting someone into a state of deep relaxation.
When a person is hypnotized, they’ll become very suggestible and will have a more active imagination. The person is still fully awake, but they block out any of the distractions around them.
A state of hypnosis feels like a daydream. The last time you daydreamed, did you feel that whatever you were imagining was almost real? Daydreams can trigger certain emotions like happiness, excitement, fear or depression.
In other words, a person who is getting hypnotized will interpret a hypnotist’s suggestions as real. A hypnotist who tells someone that they’re outside in the snow might start to feel cold and shiver. If a hypnotist tells someone that they’re eating soup, they may feel the sensation of hot soup in their mouth.
Suggestibility is the key to comedy hypnotism. Due to the person’s relaxed and suggestible state, they’ll accept the ideas given to them by the hypnotist.
If you’ve ever seen a hypnotist show, you’ll sometimes see adults acting like children, singing, or even dancing in front of an audience. While they don’t feel embarrassed, they still won’t do things that they don’t want to.
Is Comedy Hypnotism Right for You?
After you’ve learned how to become a hypnotist, you might start to be curious about comedy hypnotism. You’ve probably been in the audience of a hypnotist show, watching in awe how quickly the performer can hypnotize people.
Comedy hypnotism takes a lot of skill and charisma. You’ll need to have the ability to perform in front of a crowd and be an excellent multi-tasker. You won’t be the center of attention as a comedy hypnotist–your volunteers will take up most of the spotlight.
If you feel that you’re able to focus on hypnotism in front of dozens of people, and if you can analyze the volunteers’ hypnotic state while also managing their actions, you might be cut out to be a stage hypnotist.
How Comedy Hypnotist Shows Work
A comedy hypnotist typically gathers a large audience. A larger audience is better because there’s a chance that there are more suggestible people in the audience. Only experienced comedy hypnotists will take the chance of having a small audience.
At the start of the show, the hypnotist must quickly find the members of the audience who seem to be highly suggestible. This can be done in a number of ways.
Induction Techniques
In order to find the members of the audience who are more easily hypnotized, you can opt to initiate a sort of test. This “test” is known as an induction.
Inductions are done prior to any of the volunteers being on stage and is used to decide which subjects will be your volunteers. Comedy hypnotists tend to keep their inductions short, but dramatic.
Suggestion Susceptibility
The hypnotist might tell the audience to hold their arms out in front of them and to imagine that a magnet is pulling their hands together.
The subjects will begin as if they’re just pretending. However, their imagination will actually create the sensation that their hands are stuck together. The members of the audience who can’t seem to pull their hands apart are more susceptible to accepting the hypnotist’s suggestions.
Pattern Interrupt
Hypnotists can also try the pattern interrupt technique. This method utilizes a physiological response that all humans and animals have. If you’re alone in a room and you hear a strange noise, you’ll stop what you’re doing as you try to determine your next move–this is known as pattern interrupt.
Essentially, hypnotists can startle someone into a suggestible state. Hypnotists won’t pop out and try to scare their subjects, but they’ll startle them in a more subtle way.
When someone tries to shake your hand, do you just stare at their hand and not know what to do? No, you’ll respond by returning the handshake. If someone were to shake your hand with their left, the socially acceptable handshake becomes interrupted.
Someone would be startled by this type of handshake, which is the perfect opportunity for a hypnotist to say a command like “sleep.” Subjects are more suggestible in this startled state, making it easier for them to accept orders.
Volunteers on Stage
Once the hypnotist uses the induction techniques to weed out the more suggestible participants, they can start the show. Some volunteers will come out of their hypnotic state because they’ll be nervous on stage–the hypnotist will simply have them return to their seat in the audience.
Other volunteers will be more focused on getting hypnotized, as they feel the pressure of being in front of a crowd. This works to the hypnotist’s advantage.
The hypnotist’s first suggestions are usually tame so the volunteers who are only lightly hypnotized will be willing to participate. The hypnotist must pay attention to the volunteers that come out of their trance over time and will have to re-hypnotize them.
Hypnotists will suggest silly scenarios that they know their volunteers will react to. The audience will be entertained–nonstop laughter and fun will ensue during the entire show.
Learning How to Become a Comedy Hypnotist
Many experienced hypnotists learn how to become a comedy hypnotist by observing other hypnotist shows, working as an apprentice, and researching comedy hypnotism. With enough practice, you’ll be up on stage with hypnotized volunteers entertaining hundreds of people.
Are you interested in becoming a more effective hypnotist? Whether you want to hone your skills, or if you want to become a hypnotist, signing up for my training course can help you achieve your goals.
