There are few students at Harding who are not familiar with hypnotism. One of the first events incoming freshmen have the chance to attend is the hypnotist Dale K. Watching friends make complete fools of themselves on stage becomes a first of many memories to be made at Harding. Still, hypnotism can go far beyond the first week at Harding, because the student body has some hypnotists of its own.
“It started out as kind of a joke,” senior Connor Merry, said. “My friends and I were talking about how neat hypnotism was and I told them that by that same time next week, I would be able to hypnotize someone.”
Merry said that although his first hypnotism was a little shaky, he continued to get better the more he tried.
Although hypnosis is a good way to get friends laughing, it can also be used for other reasons.
“It’s so entertaining to get a group together after curfew,” Merry said. “It’s great for a few laughs but also can help people sleep and study.”
According to Merry, on a few occasions students will need that extra boost to help them focus on a task like finishing homework.
“Everyone is familiar with, especially in college, going to bed with their mind racing,” Merry said. “It’s a good way to help them unwind and help them relax and go to sleep.
The idea of hypnosis can be seen as almost a dark and mystical talent, but junior Sydni Sansom also uses hypnosis and thinks otherwise.
“People think that you’re under someone’s control, and that’s really not what it is,” Sansom said. “It’s more like you’re hypnotizing yourself and I am just sort of guiding you. You really have more control than you think. If a person being hypnotized is told to sing, but they don’t like singing, most of the time they will change the prompt and say that they will be the drummer instead.”
Sansom explained that whoever is being hypnotized will simply be an “amplified version” of who they already are. She said a hypnotized person will never do anything that they themselves would not want to do. Although hypnosis can be seen as harmless and fun, there is definitely a power to hypnotism that is similar to the reality that dreams sometimes carry.
“There was one time that I was being hypnotized, and the trigger that my friend had chosen to wake us up was to use a gun,” Sansom said. “Now, I am not necessarily afraid of guns, but I have always been aware of them. But when she pointed it at me to wake me up, it absolutely terrified me.
Sansom explained that whenever she is about to hypnotize a group, she asks them if there is anything to avoid for their sake. Both Merry and Sansom share the same interest in hypnotism and have had several humorous experiences. Both continue to practice and improve their talent often.
