Hypnotist performs at Saint Mary’s College

The Saint Mary’s Student Activities Board (SAB) brought hypnotist Dr. Jim Wand to campus on Thursday. The free event was open to all students, including Notre Dame and Holy Cross students.

SAB president and senior Arianna Thelen said the group decided to book Wand because it wanted to host a different kind of performance.

"We decided to bring in Dr. Jim Wand because we were looking to bring something unique to SMC,” Thelen said. “We have not had a hypnotist come in years and thought it would be a great experience for SMC students.”

SAB vice president and junior Colleen Michael said Wand, who hypnotized about 30 students during the performance, is "highly qualified."

Thelen said Wand has performed for over 30 years and does over 200 performances each year. Wand has worked with celebrities such as Jay Leno, Conan O'Brian, Rascal Flatts, and Jeff Probst and has appeared on programs on Comedy Central, she said.

Thelen said once participants are hypnotized, the performance became a comedy show.

“Dr. Jim Wand does anything from having the students dance and sing to having them think they are supermodels,” Thelen said. “No matter how the students participate, the show will be very entertaining for everyone who comes.”

Junior Kaylee Titsworth said she did not remember most of the experience. She said being hypnotized felt like falling asleep, and the show, which ran about an hour an a half, felt like it was only five minutes long.

“I remember him telling people to go to sleep … but I don’t remember him doing it to me," she said.

Once she was told about things she had done onstage, Titsworth said she started to remember more.

Wand said anyone being hypnotized would wake up feeling re-energized, as if they had slept for up to eight hours.

“I was tired at the beginning of it,” Titsworth said. “... I feel more [energized], but I’m not hyper.”

Freshman Makena Henell, who was also hypnotized, said the show felt like it lasted over an hour, but her memories of what she did during that hour are spotty.

“I felt fuzzy in the head," she said. "…. I felt like I had to make him really happy, and I felt like I had to give the audience a show.”

The purpose of the event was to foster community, Michael said.

“It is an opportunity to have fun, laugh and create memories together," she said.

Thelen said SAB has hosted and will host several similar events throughout the year.

“We hope to accomplish many things by running these events such as offering relaxing breaks from academics, encouraging campus community and providing opportunities that students could only get from a college,” she said.