Michael C. Anthony, a hypnotist, entrances student volunteers at the Harper Auditorium. The crowd watches in amusement as volunteers are hypnotized during this Homecoming Week tradition.
Inside Harper Auditorium, Michael C. Anthony performed his third annual hypnotist show for Creighton’s Homecoming Week, hosted by the Creighton Students Union (CSU) Program Board on Sept. 11.
“[The point of] organizing these fun, free events is to help undergraduate students grow their community and make new friends,” Lauren Pittenger, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and entertainment coordinator for the CSU Program Board, said.
While some students claimed they attended for extra credit in their psychology classes, most were just interested in experiencing the science of hypnotism for themselves.
“I don’t believe in hypnotism, but I hope tonight changes my mind,” Sienna McClutchey, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
Anthony began the show by diving straight into an amusing card trick. His pace was as quick as his wit.
When it came time for the main event, Anthony invited anyone who wanted to be hypnotized up to the stage. Many students leapt out of their seats and joined Anthony on stage, eager to lose their minds.
He began his hypnosis by asking the volunteers to close their eyes and consciously ignore distractions. He then gave them suggestions with rhythmic inflection.
The hypnotist asked them to interlock their hands and, after a time, pull them apart. Most volunteers found themselves unable to wrench their hands apart, as Anthony suggested that their hands would squeeze tighter as they separated their arms.
During the first exercises, he weeded out the volunteers who did not appear genuinely hypnotized, until there was one for every seat across the stage.
The next hour was filled with various acts of hypnosis.
While on a mental Bahamas getaway, the temperature in the room seemed to fluctuate by the second for the volunteers. A harmless leather belt transformed into a hissing snake before the volunteers’ eyes. McClutchey became a human seatbelt, encouraged to leap across as many laps as possible whenever the hypnotist said “safety.” An urgent, competitive scenario threw the volunteers into a high-stakes dance-off.
“[I] liked experiencing how a hypnotist works on the unconscious mind, and seeing how the conscious mind reacts,” Rose Reddig, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
Reddig, a volunteer for the show, had the number six wiped clean from her memory because of a few counting exercises.
Mason Lytle, another freshman, was made to believe he was dancing with the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen, while engaged in a slow dance with a broom.
Throughout the performance, the audience and participants regarded Anthony with rapt attention and quiet wonder.
After the performance, Anthony shared that his uncle was a stage hypnotist, which was how he became fascinated with the craft. Although he performs across the world, from Vegas to Dubai, Anthony said he cannot wait to come back to Creighton.