One of your friends has invited you to go to a hypnosis show. You’re not sure if you believe in it though. Is stage hypnosis real?

The answer is yes. Stage hypnosis is real. While some participants try to fake it and their extreme behavior seems staged, it’s not a bunch of hooey like you think. Almost anyone can be hypnotized as long as they aren’t pushed to do something that’s against their morals.

For some, seeing is believing however which is why we’re here to walk you through the entire process. Here is everything that you can expect when you attend a hypnosis show.

1. Selecting the Participants

When the show starts the hypnotist will pick their participants. This being said there is a careful selection process when they are choosing audience members to undergo hypnosis.

If you seem too shy, are being forced into it by friends, or seem like you’ll fight against hypnosis, the hypnotist will avoid choosing you to participate. They want to work with easy subjects which, you can’t blame them.

They’re trying to entertain a crowd so they don’t want to work with a participant who is going to put a damper on the show.

2. Is Hypnosis Real?

The answer here is yes, hypnosis is real. Hypnosis is a state of mind. Rather you know it or not, you’ve most likely been hypnotized at some point in your life without the help of a professional.

Before the subject can undergo hypnosis they have to be comfortable. Meaning that they need to feel safe and relaxed. Despite what Hollywood has told us if a hypnotist tries to get a subject to do something against their morals they will snap out of it.

There are some people who are easier to hypnotize than others. In the case of shows, a lot of the participants feel pressured to focus on what the hypnotist is telling them to do so it’s not so hard to hypnotize them.

3. Are the Participants in On it?

There is a common misconception that the participants are in on it. Many go as far as to believe that the hypnotist pays them to pretend that they’re hypnotized.

If that were true, that’s a lot of people for the performer to pay. Way too many to be reasonable.

If you don’t believe us then volunteer to participate or ask a friend to. You’ll be disappointed at the end of the night when you don’t get a paycheck but you’ll be able to see first hand that it isn’t staged.

4. Are Things Setup Ahead of Time?

Some skeptics believe that things are set up ahead of time before the audience members are allowed in. This also isn’t true. If it were then that would mean that the hypnotist would have to go around and recruit a bunch of people who are going to be at the show.

It would also mean that those recruited would have to be sworn to secrecy. As you can see, it wouldn’t be a practical way of doing things.

For the most part, hypnotists arrive at the theater only an hour or so before the show starts. They don’t have time to talk to a bunch of people before going on stage to perform.

5. Do People Fake it?

The truth is that yes, some people do fake being hypnotized or at least try to. This isn’t a common enough occurrence to be an issue. In large groups, you’ll be hardpressed to find someone who has to fake it.

When it does happen, these participants aren’t on stage for too long because they aren’t sneaky about it.

6. Building Compliance

When the show starts the hypnotist will start directing the participants by giving them a series of steps to perform. Each step is simple to do and blends well into the one before it. It makes it easy for the participants to mindlessly go through the motions.

As long as they aren’t asked to do something too outlandish like murder someone the participants will keep complying through the entire show.

7. Do the Subjects Know They Are Being Hypnotised?

Hollywood tells us when someone is hypnotized they become almost robotic. They look like brainless, empty shelled zombies. This isn’t true.

You may not know that you’re being hypnotized unless you can tell that you’ve entered a new state of mind. Otherwise, you may leave the show feeling a little confused. You won’t know if you were hypnotized or not.

8. Does it Feel Strange?

It’s almost like an out of body experience. You can see and feel yourself doing the things the hypnotist tells you to do but you can’t make yourself stop. You could probably snap out of it but you can’t bring yourself to.

There are some people who say that they knew they were hypnotized. It’s rare but some participants have no memory at all of what the hypnotist had them do. So in other words, it may feel strange but it’s relaxing.

Is Stage Hypnosis Real? Tell Us What You Think

Are you heading to a hypnosis show with a group of friends and are wondering is stage hypnosis real? The truth is that as outlandish and staged as it seems, it is real. Participants are hypnotized, nobody is being paid to pretend they are and nothing is set up ahead of time.

While you may still remain skeptical until you experience hypnosis for yourself, we hope this article has helped you throw some of it away so you can enjoy the show.

Do you want to bring the show to your home by hiring a private hypnotist? Go here to book your appointment today!