Here's a link to Chris Jones's appearance on the season opener of AGT last night. I thought he did a terrific job, especially considering the time constraints of the show. Great choice of subject and bit to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9dFLXV9hs0

Bob

A brave man going on that show. its not really set up for hypnotists. But he did really well. Don't know how he can do much better though. I would hate to do a gig like that. Good for him though.

That was obviously work he did with Howie WAAYYY longer than that edited clip.

Good for him.

I have OCD also regarding a few things, but I would be willing to be uncomfortable temporarily for the right price. Howie does look like he is in a trance, a "self-imposed" trance and a very uncomfortable one lol. So I do not believe he was hypnotized. I believe he only did it for the show as it is temporary and he can recover from it. But is not something that he wants to do on a daily basis. I can imagine how long Howie "disinfected" afterwards.

Howie saw an opportunity that was bigger than his OCD and he ran with it. Look at the results and all the buzz it generated, that is why he did it.

We will never know for sure if Howie was or wasn't hypnotized for sure. Although it did look genuine. I think it takes a LOT of bottle to go on a show like that because the opportunity to fail badly or be abused by the judges is pretty high. In some ways he got lucky that that was able to be set up. But when you really look at it in any other context it was totally boring. The judges over the top reaction was due to a bit of luck having a compliant Howie with an absurd phobia that judges new about. So it was a sort of an in "joke" if you like. And if it were any other time or place would've fell flat with an audience.

But I don't think you could do much more anyway within the limitations and format of the show.

10 out of 10 for bottle though and I hope he gets good things from this. I would never dream of doing such a show.

On the other hand it seems to be a trend with these talent shows. They did the same with Britains got talent with Simmon Cowel. Who was supposed to be hypnotized though out the show and was really nice to all the contestants when he is normally mean. That appeared to be totally fake though.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/brita......-5577209

I am not saying fake. I am saying good for him.

Im not referring to America's got talent I'm referring to Britain's Got talent that WAS obviously fake. It was badly done. Not the hypnotist's fault was obviously the programme producers. And there seems to be a trend with these talent shows at the moment. The same hypnotist appeared on a chat show a few days later and she did really well. (british one)

How about Piff the magic dragon. Don't know what is in store for magicians this year hope a variety act wins. The guy with the stutter problem done a great job.

Do they no longer have the 90 second rule or did they waive it for this guy?

I didn't recognize the induction.

You can make up inductions on the spot when you understand the real mechanics of hypnosis. This was most likely set up before hand with Howie.

I think I had previously mentioned this when I was contacted by the producers as a consultant before and as this audition was being taped back in February or March. His skills as a hypnotist were questionable, and as I'd been saying since season one and almost every year after when I was continually asked to appear on the show, that the issue of pre-hypnotising anyone would have to come into play based on their needs, interests and restrictions. They fought it, until this year because Howard was really behind the hypnosis idea.

When they contacted me I gave them my advice. This was highly edited and I believe with a second or third attempt (or perhaps some editing of several parts). As you can see the kid is actually quite surprised himself at the results. I wasn't impressed when I was contacted and am not impressed after seeing the performance. My fear is this kid will make a mockery of hypnosis and create more damage and misconceptions than good with such a high profile platform. I can see we'll have to be dealing with an aftermath if he goes beyond round two.I do wish him/them the best of luck, just wish he's be more proessional about it rather than acting like a kid that just hypnotized his first subject.

It would have been much better if he worked with him to actually overcome the issue of being able to shake hands without the deception of claiming to be wearing gloves. I'd be pi$#ed if I was Howie. If you're going to use or demonstrate hypnosis I would have gone to work with the real thing rather than the deception.

I wouldn't be pi@@ed off if I was in on it.

Working on Howie's OCD is therapy giving him imaginary gloves is supposed to be "funny". Entertaining. In any other context it would have fell flat. It was the over reaction of the Judges that saved it plus the setup. If it was Howie's idea then I guess he was more than motivated to make it work. And that's what stopped Stern ripping it apart if you ask me. The whole thing was set up much like the British version. I don't think it does anything for hypnosis.

The idea of being "entertaining" with a phobia is something to worry about in my view.

I agree. I never work with OCD its one of the few things that you can't really help with hypnosis. I turn people away and tell them to go see a counselor. Its complicated its much more than a simple phobia. And most basic phobias would not be sorted with a simple direct suggestion either. I have worked with quite a few OCD way in the past I soon learned that any real long term success rate is almost zero.

Hypnosis just doesn't work that way with therapy.

One of the biggest problems with OCD is that there is usually great benefit to the "sufferer" by having it. it makes them special gets them out of all kinds of things they don't want and they use it to control loved ones. And they usually have a "ton" of irrational phobias, anxieties and crazy rituals that they live by. Quite often they go to see a therapist to prove to a partner they can't be "cured" and that they are different special from other people with normal phobias.

I would say Howie is getting a lot of attention from his hand shake germ fear. I think he likes it.

The issue with OCD patients and hypnosis is that they are (generally) low-mid hypnotisable. This is only an issue if you want to do traditional and direct hypnotherapy. Other techniques should be used and hypnosis in these cases is only really the context of therapy; not a therapy on its own.

Howie may well be a highly hypnotisable character (notwithstanding his OCD). If it is a real effect (rather than him just playing along) he would have to be quite hypnotisable to be induced to such a degree that he would continue through the noise, heckling and buzzers. Nevertheless, I agree with others that I was not particularly convinced and the young hypnotist did not seem to be particularly experienced, in the sense that he seemed uncomfortable thinking on his feet (though he did OK).

Having said all that, if there was no set-up before hand, he had to have tremendous courage to get out there with that particular act. I don't think he will progress through after the next round.