I have been a mentalist for most of my magical career. I am well-read and fairly successful in my endeavors and goals thus far. In becoming more educated in this art, I am becoming more aware of the role of hypnosis in a mentalist's repertoire. My question may be a bit vague...

Many successful mentalists like Richard Osterlind, Derren Brown, Gerry McCambridge, Ken Weber etc. also practice hypnosis. I have not been to many shows or demonstrations, however, I would like to know how important it is (if you are a full time professional) to know about hypnosis. Derren Brown (I have heard) mixes hypnosis with mentalism to achieve the desired effects in his shows. Richard Osterlind apparently uses the two in separate demonstrations. Onto the question: Why do professionals learn about hypnosis in addition to classical mentalism? What exactly is the role/benefit of hypnosis in their demonstrations and what is seriously the best way to go about learning about it? (Should I look into a book like McGill's Encyclopaedia, or is taking a class really the best way to learn the techniques?) Any feedback on the topic will be appreciated.

/David

Whether or not you choose to learn hypnosis is totally up to you. It won't make bad mentalism better, nor will it grant you some mysterious power over your audience (meaning, if your show sucks, it'll still suck).

If you want to learn, "Fun with Hypnosis" is most practical. 12 bucks at amazon.com. Do the routines right out of the book, and you have an instant show.

However, to change the topic a bit, I'm a mentalist turned hypnotist by trade and I never - not once - thought hypnosis was important to the mentalist (since one thing is mind perception and the other is mind control). What I believe is essential, though, is stand-up comedy. Think about it: one guy, no props, just a mic and his mouth. That's all it takes to kill onstage - just a mic and some words. That's what I've always believed mentalism should be. It should be that honest and raw. You should be able to entertain and amaze with nothing more than the words from your mouth. That's why I gave up on mentalism and became a hypnotist. (Note: the skill is important in that it teaches you about audience management and how to connect with a large group.)

Please know that this is my opinion only. Artistically, I never could realize my vision as a performer with mentalism. That may not be the case with you.

Best,
JS.

I agreee with J.S. concerning the showmanship angle hypnosis demands. To stand on stage with nothing but a mic and 60 to 90 minutes ahead of you is quite a humbling experience. It takes courage to pull off, but like most things that do, the rewards are fantastic. You get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment in doing a full evening show using nothing but your personality.

As far as how important it is to a mentalist, I believe it goes hand in hand with related topics such as super memory demonstrations, rapid math and, yes, even magic! You don't HAVE to be a hypnotist, but it adds a nice ability you can always fall back on. There are also many related concepts of audience control that can be learned from the performance of hypnotism. The demanding nature of hypnotism can also aid you in learning the elusive art of muscle reading.

I have always thought that McGill's encyclopedia is the most comprehensive work on the subject, but there may be a lot of great material out there that I haven't read. (I will look up "Fun With Hypnosis" and check it out.)One thing is for sure. You can't go wrong with his books. They have been the mainstay for over 25 years.

The topic is timely to me as we are about to finally offer my "Journey Into Hypnotism" recording on CD Rom. The original recording, put out many years ago on cassette, was a big hit with hypnotists. (I believe many still use it as their induction music) We have had the music remastered and put on CD for the best sound quality possible. For those who aren't familiar with it, it is designed to be the perfect background music to use when inducing hypnotism. The information at http://www.osterlindmysteries.com will give details about the package and should be on line in a day or two.

Richard Osterlind

Richard how did you go about learning hypnosis?

David,

Actually I learned from watching a hypnotist perform in the Catskill Mountains. (Charles Lamont, I think is the right spelling) Later I got the McGill books and studied them profusely. But mostly, with hypnotism, you learn by just doing it. That first show is a killer on the nerves!

I need to point out in my previous posting that I referred to the Journey Into Hypnotism recording as being on CD "rom". That is, of course, wrong. It is just on a normal CD. Sorry about that mistake.

Richard

I believe good stage hypnosis is about developing trance personalities. Sure you need good showmmanship and personality to pull off a show. And to go even further and produce something outstanding you need a deep understanding of how work with the personalities of your subjects. Their minds are your props, they are your success or failure(not you). I've seen so many hypnotists miss golden opportunities. Many seem to think stage hypnosis is about getting subjects to do silly things. I see subjects as "organic props".

A real good show is when you allow things to take a life of their own follow the twists and tease prompt then allow the people on stage to develop their full trance personality. Even I don't know where its going to go. It takes real skill quick thinking that means the difference between a excellent show and mediocre one.

Wow, you're only the second person I know that has read that book! That is where I got my start with hypnosis and it was more than ample to teach me the basics. After a quick read and a little practice with some willing co-workers I was off and running!

When I first saw the book I thought "Great, what a waste of money!"
I was certainly wrong!

This very minute I tried to by 'The how-to book of hypnotism' by Silver & McGill on Amazon and called on my wife to help me press the correct buttons etc (so I'm a perfectionist, sue me). And she went into fits (and I mean fits) of laughter before taking me by the hand, opening a drawer to my right and pulling the very book out. It would appear I had asked for her help in buying this last year from Amazon and when it arrived I had put it somwhere safe to read later.
Oh dear... getting sleepy now. Going off to bed. If anybody's reading this make a note of it for me huh? And Gimme a shout later in the week just to remind me NOT to by the b****y thing again. Ta.
Bobser.

I think that hypnosis and mentalism are really not too seperate. I work full time as both! the first half of my full evening show is 40 min of interactive mentalism,
no props other than a artists sketch pad/pen and words.I have never called myself a minreader ect.. but let my audience know that all the tools that go into hypnosis,the power of sugestion,influence,and the human voice ect can be used for other extordinary things..
the second half is pure hypnosis.

One thing that I became very aware of is that "process" is a very important part of hypnosis AND mentalism.
for eg:
if I would hypnotize someone... they must sit up, feet flat on the floor, deep breathing ect ect.. by doing these things, they are admitting to themselves that these things will lead to hypnosis..that this IS going to happen.

But, in metalism this kind of process is lost somehow.I have seen too many mentalist do a c$#TEr T$#r ,and strike the thinking pose and announce the name!


Very important, when people are doing what you are telling them to, they are cooperating with you! THIS is very important.If they feel their actions and cooperation helped in making the effect a success they will not challenge you ,but
be thankful that they experienced it, and they will tell people about it..and you.


kind thoughts,
GERARD

BB,

The content of the book surprised me at first too.

Shamefully, novices still tend to take up the New Encyclopedia first, which I think may be a bit overwhelming for the beginner.

JS.

And, indeed, Richard Busch DESTINY RESPONSE book is entirely dedicated to those kind of issues...

How to to make your participants fully feel a connection, fully experiencing the experience, not just as something coming from outside themselves, but also coming from their deepest core inside themselves... and much more than that.

Thanks for that lord of the horses I must pick up Richards book now!
GERARD

Hi, A.G., wise decision

With Richard's stuff, one can't be wrong.

Most Hypnotists mix Mentalism with their show to establish them self...to give credit to what they are about to do (hypnosis). Others add it just to make the show longer.

~Rick~

Rick, I disagree on the statement that most hypnotists mix mentalism with their hypnosis acts. I work with and/or book hypnotists all over the country and the caribbean and the number of them who do mentalism is quite low - only about 4 or five. However, a very high percentage do wither traditional magic or memory acts to cover when an audience tanks on them.

One thing that I will say to the original poster is that, if you are set on doing a stage hypnosis show, PLEASE get a professional certificate in the filed before stepping on stage. The reasons for this are myriad - abreactions, misreactions, spontaneous regression, hysterical response (unexpected), phobic response, suggestion management, post hypnotic suggestion formulation and limitation and handling those who refuse to terminste trance when told to are just the tip of the iceburg.

I would strongly suggest that you contact the National Guild of Hypnotists (www.ngh.net) and take their course. It runs about 15 - 200 hours of classroom time, contains peer work, supervised sessions, experiential work and written and practical exams. Also, many insurers require a professional certification before they will issue performance liability insurance to a stage hypnotist.

I will be teaching a workshop at the NGH's national convention on safety for stage hypnotists and also should have an ebook coming out on the topic as well - a companion to my monograph on the backstage considerations that a stage hypnotist should consider (contracts, insurance, bad room layouts, etc.).

I cannot emphasize strongly enough that getting the professional certification is a necessity in today's litigious society. The certification also lends an air of credibility and also gives you a chance to gain some valuable experience before you ever set foot on stage with a stage hypnosis show.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

I stand corrected, Lee. Most of the hyp men I know in Canada do. The only reason I do a hyp show is to do my billets before as a warm up, booking just a billet routine has been hard to do...up till now, thanks to a friend in Maryland !

~Rick~

I would like to echo Lee Darrow's sentiments exactly. Unless you're certified, I wouldn't touch hypnoptism in a show with a 10 ft pole. There is just too much at stake.

I'll note here that certification practices in lay hypnosis organizations (like the NGH, ABH, or IMDHA) lack standardization and should not--in any way--be used as a measure of quality or expertise.

When I perform for an audience that may know a little about me in advance, specifically that I use hypnosis and suggestion, they will often create, or suspect, an hypnotic method for a mechanical effect.

This, of course, suits me just fine and I believe this is one of the major strenghts of combining hypnosis and mentalism.

If a spectator has just seen me do something that is clearly not a trick, such as "sticking" someones forefingers together or making them forget their name there's very little chance of them suspecting chicanery if I hand them a pad and ask them to write something down a little later on.

I find this so very interesting!
I have never done a straight hyp act. But some say you can do it by reading a book. Others insist that you must be certified.(I have hypnosis certification.)
I would like to hear more concerning this.
Thanks.
Peace,
Parson

BTW, George Kresge says that there is no such thing as hypnosis and I wonder if he is certified.