It attracts some of the strangest people…
I first began learning hypnosis in the summer of 1965, and ten years later, I turned professional.
Since most of my hypnosis skills were forged onstage over more than 40 years, I met thousands of nice people fascinated by what a hypnotist could do, when working with complete strangers. But some people were just plain weird.
Like The Shrugger, whom I met after a stage show at the Landmark Hotel in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
He was a pleasant enough guy who said he wanted to talk to me about hypnosis. I was in a bit of a rush to get back to my room and catch some sleep, but I agreed to answer a few questions before heading out of the nightclub.
He looked at me, turned his hands palms up, said, “So…” and shrugged.
I waited for him to continue, but he just stood there in an increasingly uncomfortable silence. Then he shrugged again.
I asked what he wanted to talk about.
“You know…” he replied, followed by another shrug.
I pride myself on my communication skills, but despite my best efforts to pry some actual words out of him, he just kept looking at me, spreading his arms and shrugging. After about ten fruitless minutes of this, I told him I had to go and turned toward the elevator.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” he pleaded.
“Because you don’t say anything!” I replied.
Nice guy, but there are definite limits to how many content-free shrugs a hypnotist can handle.
Then there was The Stop Sign Woman in Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
I was doing a corporate show in a rented nightclub with a dance floor. About 100 people were in the audience, chairs had been set up for the hypnosis show, and everything was going well as my hypnotized volunteers were shark fishing from the deck of a cabin cruiser.
Then, to their amazement, a woman came up from the audience, and walked across the surface of the imaginary water and shouted, “Stop right now! We don’t want to watch this show. We want to dance!”
I explained that the dance was scheduled for later and that I couldn’t stop because I was under contract to perform, but she kept ordering me to “Stop immediately!” until security finally intervened and dragged her off the dance floor.
On another occasion, I was booked for a company event at a resort in Northern Ontario. I arrived around 7:00 p.m., and my smiling corporate contact greeted me with these unforgettable words:
“They’re really ready for this! They’ve been drinking since two o’clock!”
Excellent.
What a perfect way to begin a show that required intelligence and concentration.
Against the odds, I actually got the hypnosis working, until a drunken moron climbed onto the stage and poured a full bottle of beer into the face of one of the volunteers lying on the floor. I brought the show to an immediate end.
And I still got paid.
In retrospect, the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto provided one of the strangest volunteers I’ve ever encountered.
He emerged from the wings and walked directly toward me instead of using the stairs like everyone else. He was wearing military fatigues and had what looked like a nasty knife scar running down one side of his face. But it was his eyes that were truly unsettling. He had the thousand-yard stare you sometimes notice in military veterans, who have seen, and perhaps done, far too much.
“I’ve come 400 miles for this…” was all he said unblinkingly, as he took his seat.
If we were playing Spot the Terrorist, the entire audience would have chosen him.
My friend and driver, Craig Tutton, quietly moved to the end of the stage nearest the man, and kept him under observation for the entire show, just in case. Fortunately, the show ended without incident, but he really creeped me out.
So yes, hypnosis attracts some very strange people, but it also attracts some of the nicest people in the world..
Our online training and our live Architecture of Hypnosis classes in Toronto draw from first-rate therapists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, and a host of other outstanding students.
Compared to the characters I met onstage, I’m sure you can guess which group I prefer…
- Mike Mandel
Ready to Master Hypnosis?
If you're serious about truly mastering hypnosis, you've just found the right place.
At the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy, we don’t rely on scripts. You'll learn the core principles that make hypnosis truly work—so you can adapt, improvise, and create lasting change with real confidence.
Whether you’re brand new to hypnosis or already a seasoned practitioner, you’ll gain the tools and deep understanding you need to take your hypnotic skills to the next level.
As a member, you’ll also unlock 24/7 access to our exclusive online practice rooms—a place where hypnotists from around the world meet to practice, experiment, and grow together in a supportive, feedback-rich environment.
Click here to join the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy today—and experience the difference between reading scripts and becoming a true hypnotist. Just $1 to get started.
