Stage hypnosis performances leave a profound impression on the public. Certified Hypnotists [CH] who perform stage hypnosis, including the authors of this article, have been approached by show volunteers and audience members after performances that confessed they were skeptical about hypnosis before witnessing the demonstration of hypnotic phenomena onstage. These same audience members and show volunteers also expressed interest in learning more about how hypnotism could enhance their lives. The authors of this article enthusiastically advocate the notion that stage hypnosis performances are opportunities for the Certified Hypnotist [CH] to use entertainment to educate audiences about hypnotism and elevate the profession as a whole.

My journey into becoming a stage hypnotist might be a little different. I don’t come from a magic or comedy background and I never had a career before I became a hypnotist. My reason for becoming a hypnotist was to help people. During my first session something miraculous happened to me; I was able to let go of a lifelong depression. From that moment, it became my mission to go out and help as many people as possible with this incredible tool called hypnotherapy.

My name is Michael DeSchalit and I’m a magician and stage hypnotist… and the people sitting around the circle say, “Hi Michael.” Yup, I started my career as an entertainer as a dancer, but the music kept throwing off my rhythm, so I became a musician. But my audiences began to disappear. So, I became a magician, but then my audiences just fell asleep. So, I figured, why not just become a hypnotist?

Official Statement from the International Stage Hypnotists’ Association on the Human Bridge Technique in Entertainment Hypnotism Shows

Let me ask you a question, and think about it a moment: how safe is your hypnotist? 

What do you know about the person that is coming into your school, company event, home, club or fair?  What’s their background when it comes to dealing with your students, employees, or guests?  What is their training both in stage and consulting hypnosis? And equally important, what safety training do they have?  It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been performing, because as we know all too well, the horror stories often don’t come out until years later.

Hypnosis, an often misunderstood practice, has various forms ranging from entertainment to therapeutic applications. In this exploration, I aim to shed light on the compatibility of hypnosis with Christian beliefs, emphasizing responsible usage and aligning with one’s Christian faith.

One thing is for sure – Many of our shows are like our children and no one can say anything is wrong with them. Even when that child has missing front teeth and a lazy eye they are still beautiful to us! The goal of this article is simple – to get you to look at your show in a different way. A way that has different elements, different structure, and maybe even a different outcome.

A large part of what we do as entertainment hypnotists is improv and part of improv is character development over time. Improvising characters for a hypnosis show is live storytelling. It can be an exciting and engaging way to create an entertaining story for your audience. Here’s a guide for how to improvise characters during your hypnosis show.

Incorporating various elements such as drama, comedy, adventure, action, fantasy, romance, science fiction, and thriller into your show can make your show more engaging and appealing to a wider audience. Only having one of these elements is sorely failing your audience. Think about it: does Hollywood only make comedies? Of course not; they make movies for everyone, and that includes all genres.