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Stage Hypnosis
Stage
hypnosis is an offshoot of hypnosis, in which people carry out acts that
are used to entertain and delight an audience. In other words, stage
hypnosis is one of the popular forms of entertainment, which combines
hypnosis techniques as well as manipulation. The history of stage
hypnosis dates back to the late 18th century when stage performers
participated in shows to attract paying clients. Later, during the early
20th century, several reputable stage performers like Ormond McGill, a
popular clinical hypnotist as well as the author of many
hypnosis-related books such as The Encyclopedia of Genuine Stage
Hypnotism, entered the field. As a result, stage hypnotism became
one of the famed parlor games in most of the European and American
nations. Nowadays, stage hypnosis finds a prominent position in both
corporate and public entertainment. Even online and professional courses
are available to master the techniques of stage hypnosis. At times stage
hypnosis has also proved beneficial for clinical procedures.
Stage
hypnosis is entirely different from clinical hypnosis or hypnotherapy,
in which a therapist, with his/her knowledge of hypnosis and psychology,
works to identify the client's specific needs, thereby helping them for
the betterment of their life. However, the techniques employed in
hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis are the same, that is both of them
inhibit the conscious control of the mind, thereby awakening the
subconscious mind. This enables the hypnotist to plant any suggestion
into the unconscious mind, but, the similarities end here. As mentioned
earlier, hypnotherapy is applied to cure the emotional, physical, and
psychological disorders of a patient. On the other hand, stage hypnosis
is primarily undertaken to entertain the audience, and once the
participant is in an unconscious state, the stage hypnotist suggests for
him to act like a duck, to talk like a robot, or to dance like a doll.
Now we will
have a closer look on how stage hypnosis works. First of all, a stage
hypnotist conducts a test to find out who is the most suggestible
amongst the audience, i.e. volunteers who readily respond to
suggestions. Suggestibility tests are of different types. For example,
the hand clasp test is a kind of suggestibility test. In this kind of
test, participants are asked to stand up and hold their arms. They are
then asked to clasp their hands together. Later, the participants are
told that when the hypnotist counts up to a certain number, their hands
will be stuck together. When the hypnotist reaches the final number, he
asks the participants to unclasp their hands. In contrast to a veteran
who easily succeeds, a novice struggles to unclasp his hands, although
he tries harder. The hypnotist asks people those who were unable to
unclasp their hands to remain on the stage, and then asks them to relax
their hands, which will enable them to clasp their hands effortlessly.
There are also suggestibility tests that are exclusively focused on
large audiences. In this case, performers are invited to the stage and
asked to sit on a chair already arranged. However, stage hypnosis mostly
depends on the crowd's behavior and emotions, the nature of participants
or volunteers, social psychology, and showmanship.
There are
certain important things that a stage hypnotist should consider before
carrying out stage hypnosis. Since stage hypnosis is primarily focused
to entertain the audience and make them laugh, a stage hypnotist should
carefully select the subject or topic for stage demonstration. It is
important to avoid topics like religion for stage hypnosis. Further, a
good stage hypnotist must be a good stage performer and at the same time
an adept in inducing hypnotic trance. A carefully selected topic coupled
with the dazzling as well as brilliant performance of the stage
hypnotist is sure to make any stage hypnosis a dynamic, as well as
interactive event.
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