I don't hang around magicians much at all. I keep my material private, and the magicians world is one that doesn't quite fit me. But that's not my point. I met a magician...and was deeply troubled by what he said. He mentioned that he had started doing hypnosis shows. A friend of his had written him a script, and he followed it. And he was doing a few shows with it "It works great. I'm not sure why it works, but it works! I don't know all the mind stuff about how hypnosis works, but the script does a great job." Yikes! What will this person do when a participant starts shaking uncontrollably? (It can happen.) What will this person do when a participant freaks out and hallucinates? (It can happen.) What will this person do when a participant has a massive headache after the show? (It can happen.) What will this person do when a participant has a flashback to an abusive memory in their childhood? (It can happen.) The fact is this: If someone is doing hypnosis by mimicking someone's verbage, without any training or certification in hypnosis/hypnotherapy, he or she should not be doing it at all. Please watch out for the safety of your audience when you hire a hypnotist. Make sure the hypnotist is certified and fully insured. Bad reactions are rare, but they do occur from time to time. Just ask those of us who do shows on a regular basis. Be safe. Now that Post-Prom parties are over, the Graduation Season is upon us! Grad Parties come in all shapes and sizes. Some schools have all-night lock-ins for the graduating class. Families get together to celebrate that special day with lots of friends, food and entertainment. But what kind of entertainment? Honestly, it's entirely up to you! There are so many possibilities out there, and I know that a mind reading or hypnosis show is only one of them. Consider this: You want a party that is going to be memorable, fun and talked about for years to come. Experience has shown that hypnosis shows and mindreading shows fill that need rather nicely. The shows I do for Grad Parties, whether for schools or for smaller celebrations, offer variety, fun and lots of good clean fun! And the price is always right...I don't charge $1,000 for a family party; that's just crazy. And I make it as stress-free as possible, which is a plus for you! Are you stuck about what to offer? Down to the wire, and still don't know? Contact us, and explore the possibilities! You'll be glad you did! If your sister or best friend is holding a bachelorette party, try something new, different and original. What happens? It's full 90-minute program, including Don’s unique telepathy skills, for an entertaining, revealing and surprise-filled celebration. He will read the girls’ minds, and even answer those burning questions about the future! The evening creates a warm, intimate atmosphere and is filled with fun and laughter. The bride is naturally the center of attention with sections especially personalized for this once-in-a-lifetime evening, and at the end she receives a surprise gift! And there's even more... But why give away all the secrets here? The best way to find out is to contact Don and experience for yourself his unique brand of fun and totally original entertainment. Be ahead of your friends, because for sure when word gets around they will all want the Metro Monk for their bachelorette parties! One word answer: No. Longer answer: My specialty is working with the mind, influencing the mind, reading people, and helping people have a fun time! I was performing for a corporate event a few months ago, and i heard one of the skeptics in the crowd tell the person next to him, "He's just a magician doing tricks." After the show, he changed his opinion. And had a great time! My job is to entertain you, and demonstrate the power of connection in its many forms. Is it real? "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't believe, no explanation will satisfy." (St. Thomas Aquinas) The rest is up to you. I often get the question: "What does your show look like?"
Well, that depends on what you ask for. Every show if fun and unique, and geared towards the interest of the group, corporation or organization that hires me. Everything happens using natural abilities we all possess; I just use them in an extra-special way! The MINDREADING SHOW is exactly that. I work with various participants from the audience, doing fun experiments with thought-reading, and even reading the entire audience's thoughts they are projecting to me. Volunteers also experience the Power of Influence, fully awake and amazed! My HYPNOSIS SHOW is different than any other hypnosis show around. I always start with mindreading, to help build a good strong connection with the audience. I work with random participants, doing fun experiments with thoughts they try to project to me. After that, I transition to hypnosis, where people experience the Power of Suggestion in a fun and interactive way, without anything embarrassing. (I've had people tell me the things they've been subjected to with other hypnotists...things they're very embarrassed about. So I've made it my duty NOT to do anything like that!) PSYCHIC CABARET is a blend of amazing experiences and mini-readings, that people always love to see. This isn't so much mind-reading, as reading personalities and lives. In addition to Crystal Ball readings, I also project energy across the room, which is experienced by volunteers, demonstrate Contact Mindreading, as well as do Real-Time Mindreading: reading a person's thoughts while they are thinking them! GALLERY READINGS/GROUP READINGS are an experience of reading participants I feel drawn to in the group. It is entertaining, as well as helpful for people. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, and enjoy. When hiring a hypnotist for your high school post prom or grad night, there's more to consider than cost! Right now, I'm getting inquiries for high school post prom and graduation parties. A number of them come from online booking sites, which can often mislead committees to think that cost is the most important factor when hiring a hypnotist or other entertainer for students. What should you look for when hiring a hypnotist for your event? For many planning committees, cost is the deciding factor. This is understandable, since most have limited budgets. This is why I always ask about budget restrictions when making a quote. On one hand, pizza and bottles of water are pretty much the same, so seeking the lowest price probably won't make much of a difference. But hiring a hypnotist is another matter. This person will be working with the students' minds. The number one thing to look for is maturity. A number of the hypnotists on the online sites are inexperienced and have little education. Most might have taken a "stage hypnosis" class, have no hypnotherapy, counseling and/or psychology training, are uninsured, and will usually work for a fraction of the experienced and mature hypnotists, just to be on-stage. And some of their hypnosis skits will show the maturity level. They might be hysterical to the high school audience, but deemed completely inappropriate by the adult chaperones. In fact, inappropriate skits are the number one complaint I hear from prospective clients. "Last year's hypnotist did so and so, the kids laughed but the parents were appalled!" That's why you need to ask what skits they do, or at least what movie-rating they would give their show. So, this year, when hiring a hypnotist for your event try to get a feel for the maturity of the person you're about to hire. Do they really understand their craft? What do they do when something goes wrong? Don't be fooled by a super-cheap price, it may reflect a new hypnotist and an inappropriate show! You want to hire me for your event, and the first thing you want to know is “how much is it going to cost me/the company?” I get that question frequently, so I want to address it directly. Remember, though, I'm not a discount store! However, I do take entertainment budgets into account, so that I don't "break the bank" for my shows. Fees for entertainment can be as varied and diverse as entertainers themselves. However, most of us set up our fees based on a number of elements that apply to most events/programs. Below are some questions you might be prepared to answer to get a solid quote for your next event: 1. What type of program is it? (Private party, after dinner corporate event, charity fundraiser, etc.) As a guideline, I recommend having a budgeted amount for your event. I always ask potential clients what they've budgeted, and work from there. My goal is a good experience, not to rob you blind! My fee is always inclusive, so there are no hidden costs or "extras" that would suddenly appear.
Many professional performers have a bare minimum fee of $300 or more for any single event (private or corporate), while more famous entertainers fetch fees of $5,000 or more per event. If you are having a small private party of only 10-20 adults, I still recommend budgeting between $200-300. (Once again here, I’m speaking about adult party entertainment, and not children’s birthday party entertainment.) If any of these numbers seem way out of your budget, not to worry; we can talk about the possibilities! The video (above) is from a recent show where I did Handwriting Analysis (Graphology) as part of the show. I don't do this at many shows, but this group seemed just right for it! Of course, the analysis is very light, with a little comedy added. It truly is amazing how much of someone's personality comes through in their handwriting. I've been analyzing handwriting for over 20 years, and it never fails to amaze! And about handwriting... Handwriting is a sort of "brainwriting," in which the mind of the writer reveals significant characteristics of themselves through micromuscle movements in the hand. The way that letters and numbers are shaped are interpreted by the graphologist (that's me!) as indicators of personality, as well as potential action. Over 1500 U.S. companies use Graphology to screen job applicants or solve employee problems. Police officers, lawyers, and judges use it to assess the character of witnesses and determine the origin of written documents. Some agencies even use it to uncover the motivations and identities of hostile individuals. I use it often, and I love it! You are about to read something that will either be a game-changer for you....or a waste of time. Are you up for it? I haven't written a blog post for several months. We have moved, adjusted to a new house, and my traveling schedule for shows and parties has been very busy. But that's not the only reason why I haven't written. Truth: I have nothing negative, sensational or overtly critical or falsely profound to say. I finally realized that I was comparing myself to so much else around (95% of it being blah), and forgetting what was in front of me And that makes this a dumb post. Why? As I see the Facebook feeds, read the news and talk with so many people every day during their readings and hypnosis sessions, I have discovered that ordinary life is suddenly perceived by the majority of the population as a curse. I want you to re-think that for a moment. Ordinary life is an incredible blessing. Yes, it is the world of work, home/family life, crashing at the end of the day into a sleep that opens the door for another round of the same. But it's beautiful. It makes life possible. The ancient monks had a word - ACEDIA - for the symptom of profound boredom. It was (still is!) a demon that could rob you of joy and passion, suggesting there are better things to do with your time, more productive ways of living, other living situations that would better suit your superior skills and aptitudes. The demon had to be eradicated. Otherwise, you would be on an endless quest for the new, the better, the perfect. And once you found it, you would be affected by acedia again, and search for even more new, better and perfect things to do. A vicious cycle of what becomes a fruitless pursuit in a self-centered universe. And we can't live on such a "high" all the time; it only leads to a greater let-down in the end. The answer? Get to work! The truth of life is simply this: what is in front of you RIGHT NOW is the most important thing you can do. Scrubbing a toilet? It's important for hygiene. Typing that ridiculous email? It's important for a longer chain of communication. It's not all glitz and glamour, and being "in the know." It's about being human, contributing to the human community in a constructive, positive and life-giving way. Facebook can wait. The latest news item can chill for a bit (after all, it wasn't that long ago that we only heard the news a couple of times a day!). Getting worried about global-level, really-can't-do-anything-about-it stuff all the time can only distract and depress. Life is calling you right now. Here and now. Put some actual love in what you're doing. And if you don't love what you're doing, do it with love for the people who will eventually benefit from it. (Getting to that job change is important, but right now you have something to do.) Find meaning in the ordinary. It doesn't always have to be world-shaking. “Just be yourself.” Hmmm. I see a problem here. If I’m always myself, how can I become better? Humans can be selfish, and I can be selfish. I get defensive sometimes. I can wallow in self-pity. I can get hyper-opinionated. Heck, I can worry better than most people! In other words, being myself only works when I’m looking at the “bright side” of my personality. I have another idea: Don’t be yourself. Be the version of the person you want to be. Just do things according to your better version. Imagine your life as a movie, and see yourself doing whatever that version of the person you want to be is doing. Then, go and do likewise. When you want to do something like get defensive, make comparisons, or even wallow in self-pity, look at the version of the person you want to be. How would that person act? This works because you’re getting out of your ego and the ego-centered universe you live in. You’re thinking clearly and realistically about who you want to be. And your life gets better. And everyone else’s life gets better, too. After all, your life affects everyone else’s. Your choices impact everyone around you. You’re not some isolated individual; you’re in a living, breathing biosphere of community, whether you like it or not. There’s enough anger and criticism to darken the world seven times over. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone worked on this? Be the version of the person you want to be. Or not. It’s up to you. |
AuthorDon Marlette, Archives
February 2024
Categories |