By Olivia Burger, Opinion Editor

Last Saturday, Jan. 24, seniors Ryan Kirdahy, Lance Neuscheler, Nick Rumzie, Garrett Zuver, and junior Nick Monico volunteered to enter a hypnotic state through the talents of traveling comedy hypnotist, Erick Kand. When asking for volunteers, all the students quickly walked upon stage and joined Kand on the Academy Theater stage, located in Meadville Pa. After attempting to be entranced through a series of initiation rituals, the students were asked to do numerous humorous actions such as pretending to be an oak tree, belly dancer, and pregnant woman.

Two of the students, Monico and Zuver, believe that they were under full hypnotic spell for a large duration of the show. “Oh yeah I was hypnotized. 100 percent. I didn’t act at all, it was all real,” Zuver said. “I remember all of it.”

The rest of the participants, Kirdahy, Neuscheler, and Rumzie, believe that they were not under full hypnotic spell, but were simply in a relaxed state of mind. “I don’t think I was hypnotized, but I also don’t think I would do some of that stuff if I wasn’t,” Kirdahy said. “It was really relaxing, and I remember it all.”

Rumzie said, “I don’t know what I was. I would not normally do something like act like a belly dancer in normal life if someone told be too. It was weird.”

Although the experience was different, all the students agree that they would go to a hypnotism show again. “I definitely will go again. I want to achieve a greater level of hypnosis. It was a lot of fun.”

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