Divas hypnotized

Last night was the Leduc and District Chamber of Commerce's "Divas L.A. Style" ladies-only party at the curling rink. Hypnotist Colin Christopher provided the entertainment and several ladies fell right under his spell.

I had never been in the audience for a hypnotism show, so it was pretty interesting to watch. Some of the ladies who volunteered to go up on stage didn't go under at all, while others seemed so out of it they flopped right over in their chairs like rag dolls (see above).

I volunteered to be hypnotized at a similar show at my campus pub a few years back. I don't remember much about it, but I do recall that I didn't really feel like I had surrendered my consciousness to the hypnotist. I simply felt I should go along with the act because hundreds of people were staring at me expecting, well, to see someone do silly stunts at the will of somebody else.

I remember that I had to pretend my chair was the sexiest man I'd ever laid orbs on and he was waiting for me to make the first move.

I've done a lot of improv in my life, so it wasn't hard to feign something like desire and wrap myself around the back of the chair. I could have dropped the act and walked off the stage anytime, though — I think.

So last night, watching the show unfold, I wondered how this whole hypnotism thing works. Are some of the subjects really at the mercy of the hypnotist, suspended in a dreamlike state between sleep and waking? Or does a hypnotism show work on the power of suggestion — everybody is thinking everybody else around them is really hypnotized so they'd better play along for the sake of the show?

I guess it's one of those things that only the hypnotist — like the magician who masters sleight of hand and optical illusion — really knows.