thedrifter
09-10-04, 06:35 AM
Hypnotist adds reality to safety stand down
Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification #: 200499133340
Story by Cpl. Shawn Vincent
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Sept. 9, 2004) -- “And they’re off!” the hypnotist shouted at the group of Marines as they jumped out of their chairs shouting encouragement for the horse they desperately wanted to win.
“Go number five! Come on, you can make it!” one girl shouted as she stared off into a crowd of laughing Marines who she thought was her horse.
Thinking they had all bet money on a non-existent horse, they all had faces of shock and disappointment when they heard that their horse did not win.
“How much did you bet?” the hypnotist asked to one girl. “All of my money,” she said as she sobbed.
During a safety stand down at Little Hall Sept. 2, retired Master Sgt. Bryan A. McDaniel, currently a business development manager at Science Application International Corporation, hypnotized 19 Marines as part of a safety presentation.
During the presentation that lasted for almost an hour and 10 minutes, the Marines were hypnotized to believe they were hot, then cold; believed they were four years old again and went trick-or-treating in the audience; performed the Y.M.C.A. dance; and wanted to dance with the hypnotist.
The hypnotized Marines who did not get a chance to dance with the hypnotist became insanely jealous and started throwing candy at the dancers.
The last performance the hypnotist performed on the mesmerized Marines took place at an imaginary party.
McDaniel gave each Marine as many imaginary alcoholic drinks as they could handle, leading them to believe they were intoxicated.
While some Marines refused to drink after their first taste of the powerful substance, others asked the hypnotist for a “double.”
McDaniel then told the Marines there were more drinks at a party, and that someone would have to drive to get there.
Drunk and looking for more alcohol, several Marines grabbed their chairs to bring to the center of the stage as their “car” and took off to join the party.
“You’re going 40 miles per hour, everything’s smooth, you’re going 50, you’re fine,” McDaniel told the Marines. “You’re going 80 miles per hour.”
Suddenly, McDaniel told them the car had crashed. Just as the Marines hit another imaginary car, they all fell out of their seats, believing they had just been in a car accident.
Four Marines were then woken up and told they were not drunk and to lie down with their hands folded on their chest.
The remaining Marine, the driver of the imaginary car, was told that he had killed the other four Marines while driving under the influence.
“I didn’t think I was that drunk,” the Marine said holding back tears. “I’m sorry!”
McDaniel said that because the Marine truly believed he had killed four people and were therefore emotionally traumatized, he only lets them believe it for a few minutes before bringing them out of that state of mind.
“If I would have been the driver, I would have just broken down,” said Lance Cpl. Humberto A. Perez, videographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “It was an awesome experience knowing that I might have helped someone to not drink and drive during a holiday weekend – even if I looked like a fool.”
Although a couple Marines fell out of hypnosis after being distracted, the 19 remaining Marines performed almost any task the hypnotist ordered.
McDaniel said that even under deep hypnosis, participants cannot be forced to do something that is against their moral or ethical beliefs.
“To be hypnotized is an experience,” said Lance Cpl. Casey N. Thurston, photographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “You find yourself skeptical of the idea of it being possible, then you act crazy sometimes in front of hundreds of strangers.”
McDaniel, who has been performing magic for 15 years and has been hypnotizing crowds for seven years, learned his skill of hypnotism at the Dakota School of Hypnosis.
“I saw someone doing a stage hypnosis show in 1990 at [Marine Corps Air Station] Cherry Point and I was intrigued,” he said.
McDaniel said that he had been performing safety stand down stage performances for almost seven years, and that he had performed it on more than 50,000 Marines.
“The most powerful reaction I ever got from a Marine who I made believe was a drunk driver who killed other Marines was a sergeant military policeman (from MCAS Yuma, Ariz.),” he said. “He just stood in silence, bit his lip and cried.”
McDaniel said that he made his safety presentation cater to Marines to be something they can enjoy while still getting a message out.
“It’s entertaining,” he said. “But it’s also something that will hopefully stick in their mind while they go out for a night of drinking.”
While a typical safety brief before a holiday weekend consists of a senior Marine using the lecture method to tell Marines what to be careful of, and to not drink and drive, many Marines believed this form of a safety brief was more effective.
“At first I thought this brief was going to be just another boring safety brief,” said Cpl. Thomas Schaeffer, videographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “It was a very original way to get the point across about drunk driving – it definitely opened my eyes.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200499134128/$file/HYP_lowres.jpg
Retired Master Sgt. Bryan A. McDaniel walks down the row of Marines, placing each under hypnosis during the hypnotist's safety stand down performance Sept. 2. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Christopher Roberts
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/49DB8848782B6FFD85256F0A006077A2?opendocument
Ellie
Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification #: 200499133340
Story by Cpl. Shawn Vincent
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Sept. 9, 2004) -- “And they’re off!” the hypnotist shouted at the group of Marines as they jumped out of their chairs shouting encouragement for the horse they desperately wanted to win.
“Go number five! Come on, you can make it!” one girl shouted as she stared off into a crowd of laughing Marines who she thought was her horse.
Thinking they had all bet money on a non-existent horse, they all had faces of shock and disappointment when they heard that their horse did not win.
“How much did you bet?” the hypnotist asked to one girl. “All of my money,” she said as she sobbed.
During a safety stand down at Little Hall Sept. 2, retired Master Sgt. Bryan A. McDaniel, currently a business development manager at Science Application International Corporation, hypnotized 19 Marines as part of a safety presentation.
During the presentation that lasted for almost an hour and 10 minutes, the Marines were hypnotized to believe they were hot, then cold; believed they were four years old again and went trick-or-treating in the audience; performed the Y.M.C.A. dance; and wanted to dance with the hypnotist.
The hypnotized Marines who did not get a chance to dance with the hypnotist became insanely jealous and started throwing candy at the dancers.
The last performance the hypnotist performed on the mesmerized Marines took place at an imaginary party.
McDaniel gave each Marine as many imaginary alcoholic drinks as they could handle, leading them to believe they were intoxicated.
While some Marines refused to drink after their first taste of the powerful substance, others asked the hypnotist for a “double.”
McDaniel then told the Marines there were more drinks at a party, and that someone would have to drive to get there.
Drunk and looking for more alcohol, several Marines grabbed their chairs to bring to the center of the stage as their “car” and took off to join the party.
“You’re going 40 miles per hour, everything’s smooth, you’re going 50, you’re fine,” McDaniel told the Marines. “You’re going 80 miles per hour.”
Suddenly, McDaniel told them the car had crashed. Just as the Marines hit another imaginary car, they all fell out of their seats, believing they had just been in a car accident.
Four Marines were then woken up and told they were not drunk and to lie down with their hands folded on their chest.
The remaining Marine, the driver of the imaginary car, was told that he had killed the other four Marines while driving under the influence.
“I didn’t think I was that drunk,” the Marine said holding back tears. “I’m sorry!”
McDaniel said that because the Marine truly believed he had killed four people and were therefore emotionally traumatized, he only lets them believe it for a few minutes before bringing them out of that state of mind.
“If I would have been the driver, I would have just broken down,” said Lance Cpl. Humberto A. Perez, videographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “It was an awesome experience knowing that I might have helped someone to not drink and drive during a holiday weekend – even if I looked like a fool.”
Although a couple Marines fell out of hypnosis after being distracted, the 19 remaining Marines performed almost any task the hypnotist ordered.
McDaniel said that even under deep hypnosis, participants cannot be forced to do something that is against their moral or ethical beliefs.
“To be hypnotized is an experience,” said Lance Cpl. Casey N. Thurston, photographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “You find yourself skeptical of the idea of it being possible, then you act crazy sometimes in front of hundreds of strangers.”
McDaniel, who has been performing magic for 15 years and has been hypnotizing crowds for seven years, learned his skill of hypnotism at the Dakota School of Hypnosis.
“I saw someone doing a stage hypnosis show in 1990 at [Marine Corps Air Station] Cherry Point and I was intrigued,” he said.
McDaniel said that he had been performing safety stand down stage performances for almost seven years, and that he had performed it on more than 50,000 Marines.
“The most powerful reaction I ever got from a Marine who I made believe was a drunk driver who killed other Marines was a sergeant military policeman (from MCAS Yuma, Ariz.),” he said. “He just stood in silence, bit his lip and cried.”
McDaniel said that he made his safety presentation cater to Marines to be something they can enjoy while still getting a message out.
“It’s entertaining,” he said. “But it’s also something that will hopefully stick in their mind while they go out for a night of drinking.”
While a typical safety brief before a holiday weekend consists of a senior Marine using the lecture method to tell Marines what to be careful of, and to not drink and drive, many Marines believed this form of a safety brief was more effective.
“At first I thought this brief was going to be just another boring safety brief,” said Cpl. Thomas Schaeffer, videographer, Headquarters and Service Battalion. “It was a very original way to get the point across about drunk driving – it definitely opened my eyes.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200499134128/$file/HYP_lowres.jpg
Retired Master Sgt. Bryan A. McDaniel walks down the row of Marines, placing each under hypnosis during the hypnotist's safety stand down performance Sept. 2. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Christopher Roberts
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/49DB8848782B6FFD85256F0A006077A2?opendocument
Ellie