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Mikenosis shows hypnosis is safe and entertaining

By Barbara Brown
Mike Colucci wants to make one thing clear: His talent at hypnosis has nothing to do with controlling others.
Colucci, whose stage name is Mikenosis ñ a combination of his name and hypnosis ñ uses his ability to lull people into a feeling of unconscious action is for entertainment for others.
Colucciís interest in hypnosis began four years ago when he went to see another hypnotist perform.
ìAfter that show I looked at my family and I said ëThatís what I want to do. Thatís what Iím going to do,íî he said in an interview at his Harris home last week.
However, Colucciís desire to be in the spotlight started long ago.
He said he has always sought the center of attention and enjoyed hosting parties and fund raising events at his house for causes like the Alzheimerís and cancer research.
For about 11 years, Colucci studied martial arts and often would demonstrate those talents during the parties.
ìIíve always had entertaining in my blood,î Colucci said, ìbut I didnít know exactly what Iíd be good at until I tried hypnosis.î
He said when he went to see a Seattle-based hypnotist at a local venue, he was enthralled.
He immediately began reading books and researching hypnosis.
He started taking classes through the National Guild of Hypnotists and attended seminars in Las Vegas.
Colucci became a certified master hypnotist in just a few months, he said.
The first show Colucci hosted that was open to the public was Feb. 23, 2002, at JJís Bowl in North Branch.
The event raised $300 for the Family Pathways food shelf.
Since then, Colucciís reputation for an entertaining show and quality performance has earned him shows in Park Rapids, Pequot Lakes, Ham Lake, Big Lake, Coon Rapids and Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., among other places.
Most recently, Colucci held a three-hour show at the North Branch High School all night graduation party where he had 25 students on stage at one time under hypnosis.
Hypnosis is defined as a natural phenomena that manifests in a deep state of relaxation. The conscious and subconscious minds become distant and detached.
The hypnotic state is neither sleep nor unconsciousness but an altered state of awareness, often referred to as the ìhypnotic trance.î
Colucci said his ability to send people into that hypnotic trance is not for control over others.
He said when people go into a hypnotic state, their subconscious is open to suggestions, but the mind will not allow the person to participate if the suggestion goes against long-past learned morals and ethics.
Colucci said he can ask anyone to do anything when they are in a hypnotic trance, but most often, they only will participate in the things they feel comfortable with.
For example, Colucci often suggests to people under hypnotic trances to do silly stunts like pretend their shoes are telephones and they are receiving a weird call.
He also has asked people to sniff each others shoes on stage and suggested that they try to talk while he pretends to ìpullî their tongues to a distance of two feet.
Humor and entertainment are Colucciís main focuses on stage.
ìI think of my show as a way for the audience to get some therapy themselves,î he said. ìItís a way for them to escape their every day cares and concerns and relax and have fun for three hours.î
The feeling, Colucci said, is similar to what he calls ìhighway hypnosisî when a driver will arrive at his or her destination by car and not really remember how they got there.
He said if a subjectís subconscious mind does not agree with a suggestion, they simply will not respond.
He said the best subjects usually are people in their teens and early 20s, although any one of any age can be susceptible to hypnosis.
Colucci said he learns something new each time he hosts a show, including just how much people will agree to do.
ìI had one woman in hypnosis and told her that when she came out she would give her husband the most passionate kiss ever.
ìWhen she came out she didnít do anything,î Colucci said. ìShe didnít think in her subconscious that it was all right to do that in public, so she didnít.
ìWeíve even had people smack each other on the faces at some shows,î he said.
Colucci said if someone under hypnosis is startled they will be released from hypnosis.
Hypnosis has another side, too, Colucci said. He said his partner Tim Dixon focuses on the medical side of hypnosis, called hypnotherapy.
That technique is used to help people break vices and habits.
Colucci said some people have even used hypnosis in place of anesthetics during medical procedures, including child birth and surgery.
Each month, Colucci reinforces what he has learned already and extends his expertise in the art of hypnosis with a required two hour training session.
Colucci is scheduled to appear Sept. 26 and 27 at the Forest Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars for one show each day.
For information, e-mail mikenosis@aol.com.

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