When asked to speak at a conference for stage hypnotists in 2018, I framed my presentation right away from a perspective that was bound to make some people in the room uncomfortable, but it's important that we be honest about what's going on in our profession: there's a serious lack of innovation.

Stage hypnotism has a long tradition, going back over a century. What it doesn't have is an emphasis on innovation. I took that issue on directly in my presentation.

One sad reality of our profession is that trainers are often taking a cookie cutter approach to teaching stage hypnotism. They teach the basic skills, the general outline of a show, and then peripheral issues like contracts, riders, marketing. Few stage hypnotism trainers really dig into the medium itself and coach students through the development of show concepts.

Training in the skills of stage hypnotism simply isn't enough. You must also receive guidance and mentorship. Make sure you ask about this when you consider what training program you sign up for.