Stage Hypnotist?

[TheCountAlucard]

After Sunday's abysmal Fiesta event, I was hoping that tonight's event, featuring a stage hypnotist, might be fun.

Sure enough, it was fun. He had the girls thinking they were pinched on the rear every time he said "Lobster," and one guy kept turning his shirt inside-out every time he said "car keys." He let the audience know that the participants wouldn't remember it for two weeks, and told everyone good-night.

Oh, did I mention I was one of the participants? And that I remembered everything?

I'm not sure what to say, Playground. :smallconfused:

[thubby]

so you kept turning your shirt inside out?
what was it like? I've always wondered but I can't be hypnotized (or the various attempts have yet to succeed)

[Douglas]

Oh, did I mention I was one of the participants? And that I remembered everything?
Are you sure about that? Maybe you remember everything except the tap dancing you did every time he said "shoes".:smalltongue:

[Rutskarn]

Hypnotists, for the most part, don't actually hypnotize people. They just weed out audience members who don't want to have fun and go along with their act.

Once, there was a stage hypnotist that came to my area. What happened is--and I'm assuming this is typical--he calls up 30 or so people and has them do minor things, like raise their arms or something. Those who do not are dismissed from the stage, but most people--progressively less as the acts grow more humiliating--realize this guy doesn't have magic earth-shattering powers and just do it anyway to make it a good show. Then he escalates, getting rid of any belligerents and keeping the amusing people.

I ended up being one of a core 10 that he used for something like three final acts.

[Keshay]

Hypnotists, for the most part, don't actually hypnotize people. They just weed out audience members who don't want to have fun and go along with their act.

This. The whole "they won't remember anything" sthick is for the benefit of the folks who decided to stay onstage, so they can have plausible deniability for anythign embarassing they may have done.

[truemane]

It's true. And it allows the members of the audience to 'remember' things that didn't necessarily happen. I was a participant in a show once and afterwards I had people telling me I did all manner of crazy thing that I absolutely didn't do.

I can't be hypnotised either. I think it's because I lack the focus required to go with the 'listen only to the sound of my voice' thing. I find myself, eyes closed, relaxing, breathing deeply, spending all my time wondering if I'm hypnotised yet and no time actually listening to what he says.