Many people doubt whether hypnotism is real or not.
But Ball State students got to experience it first-hand Jan. 14 when Frederick Winters performed in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
University Program Board put on the show to give students an event to look forward to as a way to help ease “boredom,” UPB members said.
UPB introduced Frederick Winters as one of the most famous campus acts in history. He has done more than 4,000 shows across the country. Winters said he was first introduced to the profession when he saw his first hypnosis show his freshman year of college.
“On Halloween night, they brought this hypnotist in. I was 18 years old, I was a psychology major, and it blew me away,” Winters said. “I could not believe this guy hypnotizing my friends.”
Winters said after the show he asked the hypnotist to teach him — and he got just that. Through the hypnotist’s guidance, Winters gained his life-long career.
See a gallery from the show here.
“If I did not go to that show, my life would be completely different right now," he said. "I have no idea what I’d be doing."
To those who are skeptical of hypnosis, Winters said some people tend to be more susceptible to it than others.
“It’s what you do when you day dream — it’s just that I do it for you," Winters said. "I slow down the part of [a person’s] brain that thinks too much. Over the years, I think it’s a pretty common ideal that if people are creative, if they’re outgoing, if they’re trusting, they are easy to hypnotize.”
An analogy for hypnotism can be described as watching a movie, according to an article by The Guardian.
“You don't decide to react emotionally to the on-screen story, but you can choose to turn away or disengage at any time," the article said. "In other words, the effects of the film, just like hypnosis, require your active participation.”
Freshman psychology major Hannah Huff said she volunteered to be hypnotized because she felt strongly that the practice was real and that there was no point to the skepticism it receives.
“I think its super cool because my major is psychology, so obviously I know you can do different things with the brain, and I think its totally real,” she said. “I think [the skeptics] are wrong because it's biological. … You’re very capable of hypnotizing someone and being hypnotized through the body.”
She also said after the show that she remembered very little from the performance, but was glad she participated because she had a great time.
Students roared with laughter and applause at the performance and appeared to believe the participants were hypnotized. Winters said believing is all based on knowledge.
“If you understand what hypnotism is, then it's all very real," he said.
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