The sound of birds trickled from the sound system making imagination come alive in Bentley 207 as each volunteer picked up their long-lost favorite animal, and searched their minds for the perfect name. “And when I ask you your animal’s name,” said Hypno Lorenzo. “You are going to give me the most ridiculous, outrageous, dirty name you can think of. You named it something nasty; that’s right. So, what kind of puppy is that? You can’t even tell me its name?” Covering their mouths, and snickering, a few volunteers were reluctant to speak the name, but they eventually gave in. From a simple suggestion, guests on stage came up with a bluebird named Little Pecker, a cat named Miss Puss, and a parrot named Dirty Sanchez to name a few of the pets that grew out of the imagination of each volunteer.

As Lorenzo tapped the microphone, these animals, invisible to everyone except the person who owned them, grew to enormous heights, too heavy to hold on to. Many of the hypnotized had to stand in order to continue petting their beloved creatures. Bigger, and bigger they grew, until a pleading cry made Hypno Lorenzo stop tapping. Little Pecker had become too big.

According to Lorenzo, for hypnosis to work, you have to let your mind and body relax, and be completely willing to be hypnotized. Passing a few suggestibility tests at the beginning of the show allowed these seven volunteers to see what they did.

“Okay, everyone put your arms out straight, left palm up, right palm down,” Lorenzo says. “Now, I need everyone to take a deep breath in, inhale, and as you exhale close your eyes. Now, eyes closed. We’re going to see how well you can use your imagination. I want you to imagine that on your left hand I put a 14-pound bowling ball, and that bowling ball is getting heavier, and heavier, and heavier, pulling that left arm lower, and lower, and lower. And imagine on that right wrist I’m tying a big bouquet of helium balloons, and those balloons are pulling that right arm higher and higher. The heavier that bowling ball gets, the lighter those balloons get…and now, everyone, freeze where you are, open your eyes, and look around.”

So, from the minds Lorenzo was able to take hold of during this simple exercise, the show emerged, and formed around the imagination of each volunteer. The best part of it is that while under hypnosis it is impossible to feel embarrassed, and Lorenzo would never ask anything personal. It’s only afterwards when you see the videos taken by friends that you may feel the heat rise to your face as it becomes red with awareness. Maybe you even end up remembering on your own what happened. What would you do if you remembered riding a horse in an imaginary race, or playing a piano with no keys?

“You are all part of a horse race. This is the final race of the evening, final race of the year as a matter of fact. There is a one million dollar prize for the fastest jockey on the fastest horse…who wants that one million dollars? Raise your hands.” Hands sprang up, and as the prize amount grew, those hands rose higher. Only the fastest horse would win, and in order for the horses to run faster, each jockey had to yell out his name, a name even worse than their little animal’s name. And they’re off to the races. They are neck and neck with everyone screaming at their horses to go faster, bouncing in their seats, and shaking the reigns. As they came into the final turn, the jockeys grew louder searching for the win. “Doggy Style was bringing up the rear… and the winner was: Puss Twister!”

Some people use hypnosis and the heightened state of consciousness it produces for clinical reasons, but in Hypno Lorenzo’s case it is used solely for entertainment purposes. Hypno Lorenzo is a certified hypnotist, registered with the Department of Consumer Protection and promises a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with his performance. Judging from the laughter that swelled in Bentley 207, JSC wasn’t disappointed.

All in all, the audience as well as confused volunteers left the show with laughter. It was a hilarious show, and the effects of the hypnosis wore off once the volunteers left the building. Sorry everyone, that means you can’t take advantage of them, unless you find one of the videos floating around school of the night’s events so that you can see what you missed.