M. Russell Hausman, a professional stage hypnotist, Hausman visited Paint Branch on May 16th to explain and demonstrate the laws of hypnotism.

In his session with AP Psychology students, Hausman highlighted the power that comes from visualizing a desired reality. What is visualization, you may ask? According to Kristine Moe of BetterUp, it is described as “the practice of imagining what you want to achieve in the future. As if it were true today. It involves using all five senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. The process of visualizing directs your subconscious to be aware of the end goal you have in mind.” Hausman specializes in hypnosis for health, wellness, positive visualization, and exceptional living while promoting an entertaining image.

Hausman went into detail about his experiences as a hypnotist and shared a story about a time when a student approached him asking him to hypnotize a girl into liking him. Evidently, this would go against her own will, Hausman explained to the young man before adding that perhaps the girl didn’t show interest because he was the type of guy who wanted to put their crushes in a state against their will. He continued to highlight the importance of consensual hypnotism and how both parties should agree to what is being done.

For those wondering what it’s like to be hypnotized, Hausman provided an example as he led those in attendance on a visualization exercise.

At one point in his presentation, Hausman spoke about the power of visualization before asking the audience to close their eyes and put both of their arms out straight. He then asked everyone to visualize their right hand holding a bucket being filled with sand continuously and the left hand holding a bunch of balloons filled with helium. With their eyes still closed, the hypnotist told everyone to imagine the balloon being filled with more helium and the bucket filled with more sand, and after what seemed like an eternity were told to open their eyes. The left and right arms of the majority being hypnotized were no longer parallel to each other.

He then asked for volunteers in order to show students how hypnotism can put individuals into a state of complete relaxation if the instructions he gave were listened to accordingly. I was part of the group that volunteered. He gave us visualization directions while our eyes were closed that ranging from being on a cloud in the sky to soaring amongst the birds to being on a beach where we were asked to become calmer and calmer as the waves gently crashed against the shore. From my experience, I found it very calming. After the volunteers were put into a deep state of tranquility, he then went silent and instructed each volunteer to sleep. When it was my turn, I completely collapsed on the seat. My eyes felt as heavy as he said they would feel. It was like trying to lift a car with a finger. If I were given a blanket, I would have had a good nap.

From my perspective, being hypnotized was an intriguing experience. It was peculiar to go into a completely different state of mind and become almost renewed. It is easy to see how, as Hausman explained to the audience, when hypnotism is used for good intentions, it can help those struggling with personal issues pertaining to mental health and other ailments.