We will now continue our series of short discussions of stage hypnosis techniques with a look at the Hot and Cold sensations gag with a twist.
Hypnosis is amazing . . . you can do so very much with it and even manipulate the perception of physical reality. The Hot and Cold sensation switch patter is one of the most common in hypnosis shows . . . one, it’s easy for most folks to experience shifts in heat and cold perception once hypnotized; two, it is a great group effect and rather quickly helps you identify who your high responders in the group are as they are the ones who will be most powerfully affected and helps you mark out the high responders who are also most obviously expressive who you might wish to pull out for your individual effects later (typically, you will select the high responders who are most expressive for those); three, it acts as a compounder effect in that each successful suggestion makes subsequent and previous suggestions more powerfully experienced; and four it helps move things along in the show.
The typical patter approach to this gag is to tell folks that they are cold or hot . . . some folks, like myself, put it into context in terms of either the room’s air conditioner or heater being on the frizt or have the volunteers go on a fantasy rid of some sort such as a bus with faulty air conditioning or even – as is often done for specialist conventions and the like – a space shuttle or even an airplane (I suggest staying away from airplanes as some of your volunteers may be phobic and while I know of at least one stage hypnosis trainer who suggests increasing the fear response in such folks as humorous I say stay away as cruelty is not a very admirable goal for an entertainer and it will come back and bit you on the ass big time later and will likely damage the reputation of other hypnotists in the long haul). Most folks aren’t emotionally connected to riding in a spaceship so the phobic response is not likely . . . of course, it’s a very good idea to have appropriate training to deal with spontaneous abreactions just in case so that you can care for your volunteers and keep the show on a positive light.
I will use the air conditioner and heater patter approach along with a fantasy trip on a tour bus so that I can also tie in some other group effects in this early sequence in the show. I will also typically tag in a sensation of bliss or happiness with a “happy gas” suggestion for this bit as I want the volunteers to feel good and positive emotional associations to hypnosis are a very good thing for your show and your presentation.
In the following video example, I take the happy gas bit into a more mature subject matter direction and have the volunteers feeling horny or sexually aroused (this is from an adult themed show with no minors present so such a suggestion is appropriate, if you have minors in the audience or if you’re doing a show in a general audience venue then don’t do this, stick with your G-rated approaches).
Here’s the clip . . .
Obviously, as you watch your trance partners, you watch for responses and expressiveness. You can accelerate the experience by running additional patter and you can shift the experience by adding in other effects.
Of course . . . folks who take my upcoming seminar in Hong Kong on STAGE AND SPEED HYPNOSIS (http://www.briandavidphillips.com/training/hkspeedstage.html) set for Feb. 11-13 will be getting a LOT more than just one method and how to do it right . . . they will be getting solid instruction in a number of stage hypnosis methods.
They will also be getting a whole slew of other inductions along with gags and bits . . . what to do with folks once you’ve hypnotized them . . . the material is great for anyone who wants an edge on entertainment or recreational hypnosis but I will also be demonstrating how to take the material and apply it in the clinic for therapeutic application as well as other contexts.
This is high quality stuff . . . seriously, these are skillsets that go a long way . . . AND . . . folks who sign up NOW get my very comprehensive SPEED HYPNOSIS DVD set, the full thing, as well as the DEMONSTRATIONAL STAGE HYPNOSIS DVD as an added bonus . . . that’s right, an amazing amount of high quality video training YOURS for FREE . . . just for signing up early . . . the bonus videos alone are higher value than the actual Early Bird cost of the tuition . . . yes, you get over US$550 worth of free bonus items AND get an amazing low price for registering for the seminar early . . . for a program that in and of itself is already an incredible high value.
The Speed Hypnosis DVD bonus gift offer expires on Dec. 25 so be sure to sign up NOW! The Early Bird pricing expires on Jan. 1 as well.
Check out the webpages to get all the info NOW!
For correspondence, information in Chinese, or for questions regarding Chinese interpetation, please contact Lorraine Yuk-Lan Law Phillips at lorraine@briandavidphillips.com.
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