Customer Reviews

The New Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a must buy encyclopedia not only for those who are interested in Stage Hypnotism!

The contents of this book are very rich as follows: 1. Part One is very helpful to all who want to know, understand, practice hypnotism. It helps you: a. understand hypnotism with its characteristics and theories. b. teaches how use the power of suggestion, its rules, timing, repetition, delivery & compounding. c. learn about the hypnotic powers of your body and its magnetic energy. And this part becomes a test for you to believe in yourself first before practicing on others! d. with full details of step by step 90+ methods of Hypnotism that includes pictures.

This part is very entertaining, easy to read and can be read according to your interests in each chapter's subject. And you do not need to have any idea about hypnotism to learn it. All of this comes in 278 pages.

2. But Part Two comes in 290 pages and is mainly for those who want to perform Hynotism in professional shows. And it includes several complete hypnotism shows, effects, entertainment, secrets, tips, openings, routines, ideas... of professional stage hypnotists.

After going through this rich book, I say the only key you need to make this book work for you is believing in yourself nothing more!

I cannot recommend renting this book, because you won't get enough from it that way. It's a must buy E N C Y C L O P E D I A for future reference.

Arguably Ormond McGill's magnum opus of hypnotism, this gargantuan tome includes information on every aspect of stage hypnosis. Everything is covered in great detail, including getting started, rapid inductions, stage setup, mass inductions, stage routines, publicity and show climaxes.

I purchased this book from Amazon.com out of curiosity only and got far more than I expected. I am not a hypnotist, but his "getting started" confidence-building exercises were easy to perform on a willing friend. After reading the book I now watch stage hypnotism performances and notice how much of the performer's material comes from (or at least is covered in) this book.

The first part of the book (around 270 pages) is dedicated to the mechanics of how to hypnotize, including details of over 100 standard inductions plus at least a dozen "rapid" inductions, so even if your interest in hypnotism isn't for stage use (such as hypnotherapy) you will most likely find value in this book. The second part is devoted to the art of stage hypnotism and the mechanics of putting on a show.

On the down side, Amazon.com had to order this one from the publisher in the UK, and it took a full 8 weeks to receive. Well worth the wait but instant gratification it isn't.

After reading many many books on hypnosis (most of which are long and boring and put you to sleep), I was a little skeptical about this one but after reading the reviews I thought I would give it a shot.

This book left me pleasantly surprised. I already had a basic understanding of how hypnosis worked and what was involved, based from my own experiences and my profession. But reading this truly gave me many more ideas.

This is not a book of scripts or inductions. Instead, it is a book of ideas on how to get someone hypnotized. For example - it might say - "Tell the person they are at the top of an elevator going down" or... "Tell the person to rotate their head slowly and talk to them very quietly" and that kind of thing.

I really like the easiness and usability of this book. It's one of those things that you can pick up in the middle of the book and not be confused. You can put it down, come back, try a different thing. A lot of them really DO work. Trust me on that.

I love this book and I should have gotten this way before the other hypno books.

Ormond McGill is truly the Dean of American Hypnotist. His knowledge about the subject is probably only matched by a rare few. The inside book jacket talks about this being "the most extensive and comprehensive work ever produced on stage hypnotism." I think this is an understatement. This a great work on the subject of hypnosis. One of the things that truly make Ormond McGill a leader in the field is his ability and desire to teach others. Having recently (last weekend) attended a lecture by him as well as reading his book, this man is truly incredible. At 88, he is still exploring new areas of hypnosis. While not intended as a manual for hypnotherapy, I am sure that many will continue to learn new things each time we read this book.

This is an outstanding guide to the performers, the techniques and the process involved in stage hypnotism which I bought to help my wife come to terms with my recent public disgrace. A word for the sceptics - take it from a man who has imitated a seal (barking, clapping my "flippers" and leaping for raw fish), dry-humped a microphone stand and bared his backside in front of 750 total stangers - hypnotism is genuine and this book is a sterling guide.

If you are reading this, you probably have noticed that there is a lot of variability in the ratings of books on hypnosis, particularly this one, and you will save time and money if you know why.

There is quite a difference between stage hypnotism and hypnotherapy or clinical hypnosis. The former accounts for books like these and the latter accounts for books with a greater deal of theoretical background information (and the like).

Personally I am not too fond of this book... it is rather expensive (being hard cover). HOWEVER, if you are interested in stage hypnotism for the sake of inducing hypnosis without really understanding what it is, how it works or why it works, than it is probably worth owning. I find this book has too much emphasis on inductions and not enough on theory or language. If you have a decent understanding of hypnotic language (Ericksonian language or ideally, the Milton Model) then literally thousands of different inductions can be used so why right them all down?

If you have a more analytical mind and are more interested in theory (like me) I would go with Patterns I and II by Richard Bandler and John Grinder --- they are much more difficult to read, (and complicated) but useful in understanding the what/why/how of hypnosis.

If you just want to learn a handful (100 or so) for hypnotizing some friends at parties and want to read a 600 page book in the process than this is the book for you. It is a fairly fast read in the mean time, just hold the book open in one hand while you hypnotize someone right next to you.

Perhaps you will find this review a little long winded, so let me summarize:
methods many
theory little

Truly encyclopedic in its scope, this book is THE book for anyone who wants the low-down on hypnosis. The first section is devoted to hypnotic-how-to (quite comprehensively), so even if your interest in hypnosis is as a therapist and not an entertainer, you'll come away from this book knowing more than you did when you got into it. All in all, it's impressive and worth more stars then I can give it here...

Ormond McGill writes from a lifetime of rich experience as one of the world's greatest stage hypnotists of the 20th Century. Already a highly respected author of numerous books, Dr. McGill covers both width and depth of essentials for anyone considering a career in stage hypnosis. If you are either a professional hypnotherapist OR a student of hypnosis who is considering performing stage hypnosis, THIS book is a MUST-HAVE! Consider the price to be a wise investment. Roy Hunter, Published Author Hypnosis Hall of Fame Inductee ("Author" category)

I attended a Stage Hypnosis Seminar given by Ormond McGill about 20 years ago and he impressed me then. This book though stands above all others written. I have been a hypnotist for over 20 years and have yet to find anything that comes close! Don't let it get away. The quality of the book itself is excellent and worth every dollar! Even retail!

This is the ultimate book of stage hypnosis, I have to say that in the past I studied hypnosis for about 6 years but never learn anything about stage hypnosis, 1 month after reading this book I made my first show, I was very impresed by the clear and logical instruction. 6 months later (June 2005) I have the honor to be in Las Vegas in one of the latest seminars that Ormond McGill presented and my learning curve was amazing thanks to this book.

Today I?m in the way to be a profesional stage hypnotist in my country, thanks Ormond McGill for everything.