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On Mar. 2, students of Saint Leo University gathered in the boardrooms to be entertained and amazed by the works of Hypnosis and Mentalist David Hall at a brand new event, “Cards Against Hypnosis.”
David has been performing his hypnosis act for approximately 12 years. Before each show, he ensures to have a small meal, then find a quiet place to himself, to clear his mind and relax. He’s been to over 35 states and hopes to someday perform his act on international television.
Though not all attendees were not as taken by the reality of hypnosis, they still came out to gain some kind of proof/logic to the act.
For the main show persons from the crowd volunteered to be in the act. Hall, in the beginning, made it very clear that if persons were not willing to or did not allow themselves to be hypnotized then they won’t be; it’s all about will. Throughout the acts, persons were simply asked to step down and join the crowd, as they were no longer allowing themselves to be manipulated.
Volunteers were put to sleep, made to believe they were on a beach in the Bahamas, back up dancers for Beyonce, won a million dollars, rock star performers, magicians and even that their shoe was a phone, among other things.
“Prior to the show, I did not know much about hypnosis but decided to have an open mind and see what it was all about. I still don’t know exactly how to feel about it but I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It definitely piqued my curiosity and hopefully, I’ll be able to attend similar shows to learn more about this phenomenon,” said junior and Biology: Health Medical Sciences Major Michayne Stoney
Another non-believer, Junior and Computer Science major, Romario Williams found the show “funny and entertaining.” However, he himself admits to still being skeptical about the concept behind hypnosis. Accounts major Haley Knowles, was in agreement. The show did not change her views on hypnosis, especially because not everyone was hypnotized and some were faking it, but she still found the show very interesting.
“Mind-blowing!” said Celine-Deon Palmer, a sophomore and Honors student. This Political Science major was not afraid to admit her belief in hypnotism and so, rather than being discouraged, she was blown away by the act.
“It’s a mental state just as any other,” said Eric Beechen, one of the volunteers. “So, as long as I want it to be real, is it.”
Hall explained that, at the end of the show, the volunteers would feel as if they just had six hours of sleep. On the contrary, Junior and Computer Science major, Patrick Brown, a rock star of the show, said that he felt really tired both during and after the act. His first time being hypnotized, he felt so tired, he described being out of breath at some point. His performance of the alphabet in a rock star format, may have been the reason for this.
Unlike Brown, Beechen felt rather relaxed both during and after the show, and even recalled every moment of it. Eric volunteered to better understand hypnosis and use his experience to cover in the book he is currently writing.
The University’s CAB Traditional Committee Head Jessica Weaver led preparations for this event. Discovering David at the annual National Association for Campus Activities, Weaver thought it would be a great idea for him to come and perform for the first time at Saint Leo University, and that it would be a great way to kick of Spring Fling events.
In preparation for the show, Weaver and her team worked with Plant Ops and Postal Media Service to set up the venue in a certain configuration. Weaver had been planning this event and been in communication with David since late November.
Though not as many persons came out as anticipated, the crowd that attended gave an overall good feedback through constant mouth drops, laughter and applause.
