Hypnotic Control is a raw and riveting memoir-meets-manifesto that dives into the eerie, absurd, and often unsettling world of stage hypnotism by combining autobiographical storytelling with cultural critique, historical digressions, and philosophical musings. Why was this an important book for you to write?

Literary sensibility has always been an essential component to my life. A decades-long career as a stage hypnotist gives me a unique subject on which to exercise it.

What is a common misconception you feel people have about hypnotic control?

That it’s an unseen force, like electricity, that comes out of one person and goes into another.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

The existence of a “hypnotic state” has always been problematic. Influence is not, yet they are the same. Influence staged on a mass scale is identical to what you see in the hypnotic demonstration where people are made to do “what they wouldn’t ordinarily do.” The flat screen is the ultimate example and has replaced the traditional mesmerist. The manipulation of electrons has coevolved with the manipulation of people. Electromagnetism and animal magnetism have merged. The result is a crazy show, not always good.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from your book?

That there is no limit to what people will believe, whether it’s a flower growing out of the hypnotist’s head, or genocide is right. “Reality” is everything you don’t believe in, but someone else does. As such, hypnotic influence is a design flaw of human consciousness, and there’s no limit to how it can be applied.

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