ULM was treated to one of its most interesting shows of the last couple years when Sailesh, the hypnotist, found his way onto the bayou.
Sailesh is a world-renowned entertainer often dubbed the “world’s best hypnotist.”
“I kind of fell into it. I worked with a hypnotist a year and a half, and traveled the world with him. I did my first show as a fundraiser and it snowballed from there,” said Sailesh, regarding his introduction into the world of hypnosis.
Last week, Sailesh hypnotized over 15 ULM students on stage and even some in the audience.
Those under Sailesh’s influence saw a belt turn into a snake, Sailesh as the sexiest man alive and themselves as astronauts headed to Mars. The audience at the event was baffled by his “magic.”
Terri Honore, a senior social work major, was among those hypnotized-on stage. While hypnotized she played an imaginary keyboard, became a superhero and interviewed for a job as a kindergarten teacher all to the audience’s delight.
Last semester, newly elected Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) officers went to the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) in Boston, Massachusetts, where they were introduced to Sailesh and his performance.
“He entertained a crowd upwards of a thousand. This gave us an idea of how he might be a great entertainer for ULM,” said Sarthak Neupane, CAB president.
Another highlight of Sailesh’s performance was his imaginary “sleep gun.”
With his gun, Sailesh claimed he could put any of his victims to sleep by shooting them.
The gun and the nerf bullets associated with it weren’t real, but you couldn’t tell that to those on stage affected by it.
According to Honore, she was skeptical at first but intrigued by the idea that she showed up an hour early to get a better chance at being hypnotized.
“It basically felt like a lucid dream, like my brain and body were no longer communicating with each other because he was my brain,” Honore added.
Sailesh left his audience with gifts at the end. According to Sailesh, he’d leave them a life-long hypnosis where they’d be more self-confident and in love with who they are.
Honore said that’s been the case days after her hypnosis.