To celebrate ‘World Hypnotism Day’ on January 4, 2010 at 8:30PM GMT, British hypnotist Chris Hughes plans to hypnotize a record number of the Twitterati and Facebookers by simply broadcasting his voice via Twitter and Facebook.
The so-called SocialTrance phenomenon is open to anyone over the age of 18, as long as they are not pregnant, suffering from a mental illness or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After all, such amazing feats have to be taken seriously.
In a half-hour session by the sound of his voice, Hughes claims his mind-control technique will force people to clasp their hands tightly and close their eyes. Hughes believes he will be able to hypnotize users of Facebook and Twitter into a state where they will “experience relaxation like (they have) never before”.
Although he hopes to set a world record, Guinness World Records spokesman Damian Field said the organization would not recognize the attempt. Field notes “all of our records have to be measurable," and "there is no way of proving that the participants are in a state of hypnosis.”
Hughes is a practicing hypnotist and has been a hypnotherapist for over 5 years specializing in helping people to stop smoking and lose weight. He conducts one-day hypnosis workshops for £250, (book early and receive a discount). The SocialTrance is free of charge for anyone with an Internet connection, good speakers and a Twitter and/or Facebook account. At the time of this posting, there were 4745 participants registered for the event. If you are so inclined, you can register here.
Hughes also has a Facebook fan page and you can follow him on Twitter, where he currently has amassed over 53,000 followers. There is also an audio file containing frequently-asked questions and answers here.
Does that also mean that Hughes will in essence bring the Twitterverse to a a crashing halt and stop Facebookers in their tracks? I don’t know. DDoS Attacks and the Iranian government have tried in the past unsuccessfully. Still not a believer? Well check out this 1 1/2 minute video and see if you are a good subject for hypnotism.
I bet I can make you look away at just the right moment…
