Hypnotist Jay Shaw demonstrates that hypnosis is a natural reflex, not magic, by guiding an audience through a live induction. He shows how everyday moments like laughing at jokes are already hypnosis, then walks people through breathing, relaxation, and eye-fixation techniques to deepen trance. Willingness to lean into the process determines how deep you go.
One of the questions that I often get as a hypnotist is, do you think you can hypnotize me? And my response is always, absolutely. I view hypnosis the way that a doctor views checking your reflexes. Okay? The doctor isn't doing anything magical when he checks your reflexes. He just knows that if he taps in a specific spot, he should get a specific reaction. That's how I approach hypnosis. Okay. Okay, all animals are suggestible. Now, the more intelligent the animal, the higher the suggestibility. With humans being very, very, very intelligent animals, guess what? I mean that humans are very, very, very suggestible. When a human watches a sad movie, they don't have to try to feel sad; they just gotta watch the movie. If a human hears a funny joke, they don't have to try to laugh; they just have to process the joke. If you give me your undivided attention and I say, okay, when you're ready, take a slow, deep breath in. And as you exhale, allow your eyes to close. Now, with your eyes closed, I want you just to begin to allow your body to relax naturally. And not right now, but in a moment, I'm going to have you to take another really deep breath in, the deepest breath you've taken all day. Not right now. When I say take a deep breath in, You're going to take a really deep breath in, and as you do, you're going to think about everything that stresses you out. You're going to think about all the worries that you have in the world. But as you exhale, you're going to decide to let it all go, and you're going to sink down into a deep state of relaxation. Are you ready? Deep breath in now. Deep, deep, deep, deep breath. Think about all the things that stress you out. Think about all the things that cause your body to tense up. That's right. Now exhale. Let it go. And close your eyes. Now, with your eyes closed, listen to my voice. And as you listen to my voice, I want you to imagine and pretend that every word that I say causes you to relax deeper. And as you relax deeper, you can feel your eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. That's it. And as you feel that happening, I want you to think about the people you love. I want you to remember their faces. Remember the sounds of their voices. I want you to remember the feelings that you feel for these people. The love. Feel those emotions moving all throughout your body. And the stronger you feel those emotions, the stronger you remember those emotions, the tighter those eyelids stick. Imagine those eyelids are locking and sticking so tight that there's nothing you can do about it. And when you're 1,000% sure that those eyelids are locked shut, I want you to try to unstick them and notice that you can't. Notice that the harder you try, the tighter they stick. That's it. Keep trying. Don't give up. Keep trying to unstick them and find that they just get heavier and heavier and heavier till you decide to give up, let go, and just relax. 10 times deeper. Now, in a moment, I'll count from 1 to 5. Every number that I say, you'll feel yourself coming back into the room. When I say 5, I'll pop my fingers, you'll open your eyes and feel absolutely amazing. 1, forget to remember to remember to forget that anything that stresses you out, you can release it now. 2, feeling good, feeling great, feeling amazing. 3, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers. 4 and 5, eyes open, feeling absolutely recharged. Now, anybody who decides to really lean into that process, anybody who decides to hang on to those words and allow them to become their reality can have an experience. If you can watch a comedian and laugh, you can enjoy that experience. If you can watch a scary movie and get scared, you can enjoy that experience. Now, if you don't allow yourself to enjoy that experience, that doesn't mean that the doctor doesn't know how to check your reflexes. But if you're not willing to sit down on the table And let the doctor strike your knee. There's nothing the doctor can do about it. Nothing legal anyway. But yeah, that's what hypnosis is like. Let go, enjoy, and understand that you get hypnotized several times a day. If somebody offends you, they said something, you processed it, you feel different. Hypnosis. If somebody gives you flowers and you say, oh, you just made my day. Hypnosis. They did something, you processed it, your nervous system responds to it. As a result of a behavior that that person took, you're in a different state. That's hypnosis.
