Invariably after each show someone comes up to me and asks me to essentially manipulate someone else for their benefit. They have just watched an amazing demonstration of focus and concentration packaged in a wild ride of hypnotic fun and want the same type of results in their personal life.

“Can you get my husband to give up the woman he is cheating with?”

“Can you convince my brother to sign over his inheritance to me?”

“Can you make my wife a nymphomaniac?”

I want to start by clearing up a misconception and that is that people do NOT do anything they do not want to do while in hypnotic trance. What you see on stage in terms of outrageous shenanigans happens because the volunteer wants it to.

When I get asked to manipulate someone  for the benefit of another person this approaches the territory of questionable ethics.

In addition to being cunning the person asking for the “trick” needs to examine their motives. Do we want someone to change because it comes from with them willingly or because they’ve been deceived into doing something they would not be inclined to do? What kind or relationship is that where people cannot be honest, cannot develop good problem solving skills or cannot  come from their own strength? It’s a discredit to both parties.