Hypnotist Eric Mina mesmerizes and entertains students

By Christian McCarville

The experience of being hypnotized is one like no other. Hypnotism is a condition in which one is entranced by a hypnotist and experiences heightened focus and high susceptibility to suggestion. Eric Mina is a hypnotist who has mastered his craft and now performs at many different venues across the country.

Mina is described as a comedic international hypnotist. He uses his ability to hypnotize people in order to entertain and draw a laugh from crowds. While this can be embarrassing for some participants, the curiosity to experience hypnosis is so entrancing that people are almost always willing to try it.

On March 6, Mina came to Rider to showcase his talent for hypnotism. This event was hosted by the Student Entertainment Council (SEC). While there have been several hypnotists that have come to Rider, Mina certainly stands out from the others.

“[Mina] is such a dynamic hypnotist that has performed at college campuses all over the country, and it was really a pleasure to welcome him to Rider for the first time.

Eric’s positive energy makes for a truly spirited show – both for the participants and the audience,” said Associate Dean of Campus Life Nick Barbati.

Mina began with a few volunteers on stage. Viewers in the audience were also welcomed to attempt to be hypnotized from their seats.

Freshman broadcast journalism major Danielle Tyson was one of those who attended and got to experience the hypnotism.

“It was really funny… kind of like a dream,” Tyson said. “It was an out-of-body experience. I felt like I didn’t have control of myself. But it was also fun, I didn’t feel like I was in danger or anything.”

As he talked, the student volunteers clearly began to fall under his trance. Several audience members were also visibly hypnotized and following Mina’s command.

Mina then told the students on stage to play an instrument. They pretended to play an assortment of instruments including the air-guitar and non-existent drums. The hypnotized audience members were then asked to come and join their fellow students on stage.

He also asked the participants to do various dances in front of the crowd. The song ‘Thriller’ played and all of the hypnotized students danced along. The audience burst into laughter when Mina then told his participants to twerk. He then told them to belly dance which also gained a comical reaction from the crowd.

Another hypnosis trick performed by Mina involved him changing the temperature of his participants. He told them that the room was over 100 degrees and the hypnotized students began to cough and react to immense heat. He also told them the room was freezing which resulted in several participants huddling for warmth.

“I cuddled with some random kid I never met before because we thought we were cold,” said Tyson.

Towards the end of the event, Mina had the participants snapped out of their hypnosis. They were all evidently confused once they had snapped back into reality.

“I was a little confused, I didn’t remember what happened until [Mina] told me. I’m honestly still a little fuzzy now,” said Tyson.

Mina concluded his show with some very positive advice to the audience. He explained that his hypnosis techniques can be applied to one’s daily schedule by repeating positive affirmations before bed. This would result in better quality sleep and an overall more positive mindset.

This event was entertaining and insightful for everyone involved. Mina’s comedic and positive twist on hypnotism will surely leave a lasting impression on his audience.