WITH VIDEO: Jim Hoke gives hypnotic presentation Tuesday as part of Suicide Prevention Week
Jim Hoke has one motto — “If you’re gonna be alive, then do life.”
About 150 people gathered Tuesday night in Anspach 161 to watch and participate in Upgrading Your Emotional Software, a show put on by Hoke, a hypnotist.
Hoke’s presentation was part of Suicide Prevention Week at Central Michigan University. Hoke previously appeared on shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Good Morning America."
David Opalewski, teacher education and professional development adjunct faculty and coordinator of the week’s events, said the show was aimed at mind design and positive thinking.
“Jim’s presentation is about looking into ourselves and finding the positive things in life,” Opalewski said. “With this event, like the rest of the week, we want to make a positive difference and show that CMU really does care about its students.”
Opalewski said Hoke exceeded his expectations during his two-hour show.
“(My goal) is to make people want to live because life is more fun than anything,” Hoke said. “Life is about creating happenings, and it’s your life, so do what you choose.”
Hoke appealed to humor for most of his show and said he believes people take things too seriously.
He discussed the fallacies behind offensive words and mocked the lack of knowledge by those who use them offensively. He said there are no bad words, only bad intentions.
The audience was also able to participate in a relaxation exercise. Hoke used one of his techniques to put participants in a sleep-like state, centered on creating harmony in the mind. As people reached their zones, he emphasized the feeling of confidence.
“This is all about changing how you feel, not how you think,” Hoke said.
Throughout the show, Hoke selected random audience members to demonstrate hypnotic abilities. He explained while participants appeared asleep, they were conscious of their surroundings. Hypnosis is like a “mental back rub,” he said.
The grand finale came when Hoke selected 10 students to come on stage after a preliminary “hypnotic exercise,” where audience members were made to think their fists were stuck together.
For about 30 minutes Hoke entertained the audience by putting hypnotized students in scenarios that led to different actions, unique to each individual.
For example, he would say it was cold and students would look to cuddle with one another. He also used the sound of a horn as an indicator to make students believe their neighbor was pinching their butt.
Canton freshman Parker Pakula said he felt "out of it" after the show, but was glad he was able to be hypnotized.
“I’ve wanted to do it since my senior party and it was crazy,” Pakula said. “I felt like he was in control the whole time and I didn’t care what anyone thought when I was up on stage.”
Using these students’ quick changes to his posed scenarios, Hoke posed the question, “If you believe your mind can change that quick, why would you die?”
