Great Openers

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Perez on June 3, 2009 at 1:24pm

Open them by pacing whatever they are doing. I was at a sports bar and I walked outside and two girls were sitting on the hood of a car. The car had wide detailing stripes and for a moment I thought they had laid a towel on the hood to sit on. I mentioned that and once the conversation was going, I mentioned I was a hypnotist and one of them immediately asked me to hypnotize her. Her friend was a skeptic, but I hypnotized her, too.

Usually just mentioning you are a hypnotist is enough to get them engaged. You can spot potential by asking if they've ever been hypnotized and/or doing some suggestibility tests/convincers. Don't call them that, though. Just say: hey, do you want to try something fun that's hypnosis-related? I always carry a couple of homemade Chevreul pendulums with me--they work as a great convincer at places like bars, as long as you explain the process is a hypnosis-related one (and not a magic trick, occult phenomenon, etc). People are always amazed at ideomotor response--it's something they have very likely never encountered before.

Permalink Reply by Synapse on June 3, 2009 at 1:37pm

I like the idea of incorporating a pendulum. I hadn't thought of that one!
:o)

Permalink Reply by Sean Michael Andrews on June 4, 2009 at 4:00am

Great stuff, Dan!
Just to expand a little on the pendulum idea. I got this from Jerry Kein. While sitting at the bar, or at your table, pull out your pendulum and practice making it go in circles or up and down or sideways. People will ask you what you're doing and then you say, "I'm just practicing for my work." As soon as they ask you what SORT of work, the ice is broken! "Well, since you ask, I'm a hypnotist...."

Sean Michael Andrews
www.WorldsFastestHypnotist.com

Dan Perez said:

Open them by pacing whatever they are doing. I was at a sports bar and I walked outside and two girls were sitting on the hood of a car. The car had wide detailing stripes and for a moment I thought they had laid a towel on the hood to sit on. I mentioned that and once the conversation was going, I mentioned I was a hypnotist and one of them immediately asked me to hypnotize her. Her friend was a skeptic, but I hypnotized her, too.

Usually just mentioning you are a hypnotist is enough to get them engaged. You can spot potential by asking if they've ever been hypnotized and/or doing some suggestibility tests/convincers. Don't call them that, though. Just say: hey, do you want to try something fun that's hypnosis-related? I always carry a couple of homemade Chevreul pendulums with me--they work as a great convincer at places like bars, as long as you explain the process is a hypnosis-related one (and not a magic trick, occult phenomenon, etc). People are always amazed at ideomotor response--it's something they have very likely never encountered before.

Permalink Reply by Dan Perez on June 4, 2009 at 4:28am

Hi Sean--big fan of your work. Yeah, I got the pendulum idea from Jerry Kein, too. I make my own from polished stone beads and bulk chain I buy from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They're inexpensive to create and make great giveaways (along with your business card, natch). Best of all, they serve as a positive anchor (ta-da!) for you. I've heard reports back from people showing their friends and relatives how the pendulum works. Can't hurt!

Permalink Reply by Jim Sloan on June 7, 2009 at 11:36pm

I agree with Sean Michael Andrews. While abroad I was reading "Reality Is Plactic" by Anthony Jacquin. In Starbucks each day, I had many people asking me what the book was about. (there is a picture of a plastic gun on the cover which drew their attention) I explained that, being a "Master Hypnotist" , I was completing a review of the book . That gave me plenty of subjects to practice with. Please understand that I have NEVER hypnotised anyone ...but am in the process of training.
Yes, casually leaving a book or object on the table will "sucker" people in.
When THEY raise the issue it means that they do not feel that they have been pressurised into any situation.

Permalink Reply by Anthony Jacquin on July 8, 2009 at 2:51am

Great to hear the cover of my book has had that effect Jim. I might start carrying round a copy myself :)

Anthony

Permalink Reply by The Shadow on August 6, 2009 at 9:21am

I always start with some magic stuff , That get people interested get some loops and some mentalist stuff it never fails to impress people specially the cold reading but be carfull with that as it might upset some people. But if you do it right it has a very big impact and people trust you. Hope you have started doing some good stuff give us a follow up !

Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig - HypnosisAustin on August 11, 2009 at 5:34am

I just got back from a huge event where there were various entertainers busking. So I would go up to a table in the food court, put my hypnodisk down on the surface and say, "Who's ready to see some not-magic tricks?" I generally looked for tables that had some children, because they always agree.

Now, mostly I did ideomotor response stuff with them, not hypnosis. And at the end, they always tipped me, because I had a killer hat line.

Permalink Reply by William Reynolds on August 12, 2009 at 12:21pm

Sounds like a great area, James. I tried to do it at the food court in a mall a while back. I simply wrote "free hypnosis" on a white board and read a book. People came up to me and I hypnotized two before a security guard, who had been watching with quite some interest, told me I had to erase the sign because the mall "does not allow unapproved signs". Next time I'm at the mall I'll wear a free hypnosis shirt!