Hypnotist Paul Ramsay performed Wednesday Aug. 19 at Holmes Convocation Center at 8 p.m.

Ramsay, a two-time graduate of the University of New Hampshire has been performing since 2004. Ramsay has been a full time hypnotist for 10 years. This will be his fourth visit to ASU.

Prior to his hypnotism show, Ramsay was a high school English teacher.

“Hypnotism is the only art form that relies on perfect strangers to come up on stage and be the stars of the show,” Ramsay said. “No matter how good I’d like to think I am as a hypnotist, it is the creativity and imagination of the individuals who get hypnotized that make the show great, and you add to that this idea that some of the people who shine in any given show had no idea when they attended that night that they would be on stage.”

“There’s this wonderful relationship I have with the people on stage, and that’s different from other forms of entertainment.“

Ramsay’s show, Mind Games, is unique because he engages the audience by allowing them to control the show with remote controls and polling technology. The audience members are part of the show.

Ramsay will be able to hypnotize volunteers and have them perform acts such as making them believe they are Miley Cyrus performing at a concert.

Ramsay’s shows are booked primarily by high schools and universities to create a bonding experience for students during the beginning of the school year.

“I like Paul Ramsay because his show works.  People love it, it’s a good show and it’s fun,” Appalachian State Program Advisor Randy Kelly said.

“The energy of the audience, especially at places like ASU, is what keeps me doing this work,” Ramsay said. “I love sharing hypnosis with people, and I love the response it gets from the audience.”

Story by Samuel Ingles, Intern News Reporter