Let go at Rockingham hypnosis show

Volunteering to be hypnotised during a show on his 21st birthday changed Matthew Hale's life.

His fascination with the power of the mind intensified and he became determined to learn the craft.

More than 20 years on, Hale is travelling the world with his own unique style of hypnosis comedy, which he will deliver during a one-off show at the Leisure Inn this month.

He said developing the skills he needed for success came easily.

"It's a learned craft," Hale said.

"You have to have an innate talent to become successful but the skills are essentially learnable, yet complex - some people study for years and still are unable to do it.

"I've always been fascinated with the mind.

"Originally, it was more of an unusual party trick.

"But I took to it very easy - I just had the right traits to do it."

Hale practises hypnotherapy to help people conquer phobias, quit smoking and lose weight, plus athletes wanting to improve their game or professionals needing bravado before addressing a crowd. But it is his shows that keep him the busiest, performing each year across Australia, UK, Thailand, Indonesia and aboard cruise ships.

He's done shows for 12 accountants in a boardroom to crowds of more than 1000.

"I never get tired of it," he said.

"One of the beauties of the show is that people's reactions are always different.

"I never know what the participant is going to say or do - I laugh as much as the audience."

He guarantees his shows are "100 per cent chicken-free" and Hale said embarrassing people was not his intention.

"I want people to leave my show thinking it's the best experience they have ever had," he said.

"I want the volunteers on stage to have just as many good memories as the people in the crowd."

Hale paints various scenes for his volunteers, including getting people to believe they are from another planet and watching a bizarre movie.

Hale said the only requirement for volunteers was "a sense of fun and a willingness to be hypnotised".

Pre-sale tickets cost $20 and are available from www.heatseeker.oztix.com.au .

Tickets at the door cost $25.

Narelle Butcher