Students Experience Hypnotism

The Office Student Affairs (OSA), along with the Campus Activities Board (CAB), organized a week full of entertainment for all Texas A&M International University students as a welcome week in order to engage them in campus activities. On Aug. 28, The Bridge attended the Hypnotist Show in the Recital Hall located at the Fine and Performing Arts Building.

By 7:30 p.m. half of the recital hall was full of students, and many of them received TAMIU shirts from the CAB association. The Dustdevil spirit was present even before the show started. While waiting for the hypnotist, some TAMIU students went on stage and sang the fight song along with the rest of the audience. Jackelyne Briseño, a TAMIU student, interacted with the hypnotist backstage and really enjoyed it. As a result, Jacky and her friend decided that as soon as Sailesh asked for volunteers they would run on stage. Once the show began, Sailesh interacted with audience members, who were quick to participate. The chairs on stage were quickly filled with students. Adrianne Rocha Perez, student orientation and involvement coordinator, stated, "We've also seen that students do not attend a hypnotist show to see the hypnotist, students attend the show to see their friends [get] hypnotized."

The public could not stop laughing throughout the show, which lasted about two hours. Sailesh presented the "astronaut show," which made the hypnotized individual feel like they were a real space traveler, as well as "the snake," which was one of the participant's belt in reality. Also, the
"TV show" was an everyday human activity watching several shows and changing channels from a comedy and sad story, to a passionate show; the "Rated R scenes" included an imaginary naked human in front of them. At last, participants had their "5 minutes of fame" with a concert where their bodies and somebody else's body were musical instruments, and then they danced. The hypnotized students also had the ability to read the minds of the public and had the opportunity of being the opposite sex. To conclude the show, Sailesh relaxed the students participating. Jackelyne, one of the volunteers, stated, "I felt very very relaxed, like if I had just woken up from the greatest sleep ever." They received a CD as reward for their contribution and more likely because they were in the show.

Sailesh has performed various shows throughout the world and was nominated "Entertainer of the Year." Sailesh has helped students to have a better memory, lose weight, control their smoking or drinking habits, and more through hypnotherapy. He stated, "The hypnotist's job is knowing how to get you there and keep you there, hypnotist state of mind is in your mind, is your subconscious state."

According to student affairs, this might have been the most popular event of the week, with  about 750 students in attendance. OSA and CAB organize events for the students before stressful times, such as the beginning of the school year, midterms, and finals. They collaborate once a week in order to come up with events that might interest the TAMIU community, making the program better than in past years.

For more information, visit the Office of Student Affairs webpage or contact them at (956) 326-2280. If you wish to be a part of CAB, you may also attend their weekly meetings on Fridays at SC 226. Sailesh may be contacted at sailesh.ca@gmail.com or you may like his Facebook Page. Jackelyne K. Briseño may be reached at jackelynebriseño@dusty.tamiu.edu  

(Sandy Lugo may be reached at sandylugoespinoza@tamiu.edu )