Buyer Beware

I don't hang around magicians much at all. I keep my material private, and the magicians world is one that doesn't quite fit me. But that's not my point.

I met a magician...and was deeply troubled by what he said. He mentioned that he had started doing hypnosis shows. A friend of his had written him a script, and he followed it. And he was doing a few shows with it

"It works great. I'm not sure why it works, but it works! I don't know all the mind stuff about how hypnosis works, but the script does a great job."

Yikes!

What will this person do when a participant starts shaking uncontrollably? (It can happen.)

What will this person do when a participant freaks out and hallucinates? (It can happen.)

What will this person do when a participant has a massive headache after the show? (It can happen.)

What will this person do when a participant has a flashback to an abusive memory in their childhood? (It can happen.)

The fact is this: If someone is doing hypnosis by mimicking someone's verbage, without any training or certification in hypnosis/hypnotherapy, he or she should not be doing it at all. 

Please watch out for the safety of your audience when you hire a hypnotist. Make sure the hypnotist is  certified and fully insured. Bad reactions are rare, but they do occur from time to time. Just ask those of us who do shows on a regular basis.

​Be safe.

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