Hypnotist Chris Jones Captivates Campus
by Mary Wheeler
On Saturday night, the Student Activities Council hosted hypnotist Chris Jones on campus.
Jones started out the night with a music playlist, encouraging excitement in the room before the show began. After several popular hits from artists like Katy Perry and Drake, Jones switched to soft music and instructed the audience to enter a state of relaxation. As he encouraged the audience to imagine tranquil scenes, several audience members became hypnotized.
The hypnotized students followed Jones’s instructions to perform acts such as imagining themselves as superheroes with made-up powers or forgetting how to pronounce their own names.
“[While hypnotized, y]ou didn’t have any sudden thoughts of ‘Oh this person might think I’m weird,’ or ‘Oh this is really awkward,’” said senior Nathanael Eaton, one of the people hypnotized. “I was just in a very neutral state of mind. It’s not really peaceful though, it’s a mystery.”
Many of the acts involved other students who were not “under the spell.”
“My favorite part was when Chris [Jones] had the people who had been hypnotized bring up another person from the audience,” said senior Christine Ruskamp. “Everyone had such different personalities, and watching the reactions from the other person they brought up was hilarious!”
According to Jones’s website, the Chicago native studied sociology and psychology in college. He first found his passion for hypnosis while working on his master’s degree in therapeutic recreation.
Jones was also a contestant on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
He analyzed his show to find a balance of conjuring, psychology, comedy and suggestion. Stand-up comedy is also woven into the shows he performs at high schools and colleges across the country.
SAC brings many entertainment events to campus to engage students in on-campus activities.
“After each event, the SAC team meets and debriefs the event,” said Izaak Wendorff, SAC co-chair. “We talk about what things could be improved and if we could recommend that event again. We also take into consideration the opinions of the students we are serving.”
SAC’s next event will be the Halloween Dance on Friday, Oct. 30, from 10 p.m. to midnight. It will feature music, games and a photo area, as well as a costume contest at 11 p.m.
