Task #32: Attend a Hypnotist Show (Kim and Rachael)

32.  Attend a Hypnotist Show

Hypnotist and mentalist Ronny Romm visited Norwalk High School, and Rachael and I decided it would be interesting to attend the event to learn about hypnosis and be entertained.  Hypnosis is all about the power of suggestion.  We wanted to decide for ourselves what to believe.  Ronny Romm asked for volunteers, and these are the brave people who volunteered from Norwalk High School.

First, Ronny Romm demonstrated his powers of ESP.  He asked several volunteers specific details about their dream vacation, including the location, price, flight number, and airline.  He showed that prior to the show, he had written down exactly what they said.  This didn't exactly have me convinced because I figured he could have written it down some other way.

I thought the show became most interesting when he began the first phase of hypnosis - induction.  After speaking to the volunteers, periodically snapping his fingers, and asking the volunteers to focus on his voice, Ronny Romm asked them to stick their hands together.  After a lengthy description of the feeling of their hands being stuck, he told them that they would not be able to get their hands unstuck.  Sure enough, some of the volunteers could not get their hands unstuck.

From the stage, the show looked believable.  For the most part, those under hypnosis followed Ronny Romm's instructions.  However, I asked a few participants how they felt about it afterwards, and a few claimed they did not feel anything.  Whether or not the hypnosis was effective, it was an interesting show and entertaining to watch.  

Here is Ronny Romm putting the volunteers under hypnosis and a few of their actions during the experience: