HYPNOSIS COOKBOOK
The New Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism – Ormond McGill
I’ve relished the prospect of reading The New Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism by hypno-legend Ormond McGill since I first went round Kev’s old house in late 2017.
As well as being newly and deeply in love, I also planned to plunder Kev’s bookshelf. And this is one of those key (but pricey) books people recommend as essential reading.
It’s taken me a while to get around to this tome, but I figured this was no bad thing. I’ve now read enough retro and niche books to compare and contrast THE encyclopaedia on all things stage hypnosis – I was intrigued by what McGill considered the staples of stage hypnosis, as well as by what was new to me and what was, perhaps, missing.
Ormond McGill (1913-2005) was a renowned stage hypnotist, magician and hypnosis instructor who earned the moniker of the ‘Dean of American Hypnotists’. He was a prolific author, writing about hypnosis and magic as well as such diverse subjects as Indian Mysticism, meditation, hypnotic regression and the occult.
McGill was aged 83 when The New Encyclopedia was published in 1996. I imagine his reputation for having an ‘encyclopaedic knowledge’ is what gave the book its title, because the first thing that struck me was: this is not an encyclopaedia..?
(No, actually, the very first thing that struck me was the impressively intimidating contents section, running at a whopping 12 pages!)
I’d instead describe this book as a compendium of McGill’s best and (partly) latest theories and thinking, and the ‘greatest hits’ of his techniques and ideas. Also included are contributions from other notable stage hypnotists, from Gil Boyne to Paul McKenna.
A lot (and I do mean *a lot*) of the content of this book is what I call ‘hypnosis-cookbook’ content. This is where the author/creator, unwittingly or wittingly, lists any and all novel ideas they’ve ever cooked up as to how to use suggestion/hypnosis, as if they are all individually branded Things.
For instance, let’s say they once or thrice utilised a spoon or a Space Hopper in an ‘induction’. Rather than the realisation that they and/or the reader could just as easily use a fork or a Penny Farthing bike or what-have-you, this then becomes: The Spoon Induction Method™; or The Space Hopper Induction Method™.
McGill’s detailed ‘recipes’ for such Things make for long and, IMO, superfluous reading. But I can appreciate the value to some of gaining an exhaustive insight into whatever McGill used and valued in his work (and the work of selected contributors).
McGill’s explanations of hypnosis don’t stand up (it’s like electricity, trance, out-dated sciency stuff, etc), but I enjoyed his eclectic references: magic, ESP, Eastern religions, and mesmerism all get a look-in! I’m certainly fascinated by McGill as a character.
There’s some superb content in this book. ‘Entertaining with Hypnotism’ is a standout chapter, with plenty of pearls of wisdom still relevant today. McGill makes a convincing case as to the special demands of being a stage hypnotist compared to being a magician or any other performer: that you must create and perform two shows, one for the audience and one for the participants; and have “nothing for support but for a group of empty chairs”.
Other points of interest include mechanical aids to hypnosis: wand, flashlight, a ‘hypnograph’ button, a hypnotic spiral, and many more contraptions I hadn’t come across before. We also learn how to hypnotise frogs, lobsters, chickens and rabbits, and how to do ‘hypnotrix’ via physiological effects sold as hypnosis or thanks to fun with dangerous chemicals.
I particularly valued the section on the business of hypnosis, but purely from a historical perspective. McGill instructs in detail on press advertising and stories, radio, and the ‘window stunt’ of putting someone to sleep in a shop window for 24 hours before a show. He’s even included top tips on not getting sued and dodging requests for hypnotherapy.
But there’s no dodging, however, that I found this book a hard and frustrating read due to the volume of ‘cookbook’ filler content.
Kev came downstairs from work to find me huffing and swearing at the thousandth *slight* variation on an induction or stage skit, and had to subdue me with alcohol. I thought he was being nice to me, but, in between finishing the book and writing this post, it turned out he found my annoyance so amusing that he trolled me by buying five – FIVE! – more McGill books. The bastard.
