“I’m sorry, woah what happened there?!” he asked through laughter as my mouth hung open. 

It must have just slipped my mind.

That was the first time Matt hypnotised me, before doing it again on the Civic Centre stage that night.

It seems excessive when I say that now. Once, sure. Try anything once. Once is manageable, if a little nerve wracking.

Any more than that and surely I might be stuck in hypnosis forever? Believing my hand to be coated in a sticky substance, laughing eternally, unable to speak the name I was given at birth.

Going into the interview, I wasn’t sceptical. But I was scared.

Raised a God-fearing, scary-movie-snubbing girl with a healthy respect for the supernatural, I had to admit I had residual anxiety over giving my mind up to a strange force; even one as friendly as Matt Hale.

Permanent hypnosis is a common fear of first timers, Matt told me.

“People think all sorts of things, some people think it’s mind control, or ask things like ‘What if I get stuck in hypnosis forever?’ which is just a hilarious concept to me,” Matt said.

“Is it though?” I asked. “What about when you permanently fix someone’s smoking habit or eating issues?”

​And so the secret of hypnosis was unveiled. 

“It’s just getting people to imagine something so much that it starts to feel real in that moment,” Matt explained.

Matt assured me there was nothing freaky or spiritual going on, we were just about to experience the amazing power of the human mind; to relax, focus, and hone in on a thought before accepting it as Truth.

Matt begins the process with an exercise in focus.

And that’s when Esther’s iPhone ran out of memory – oh, the trials and tribulations of digital journalism!

Luckily I had another chance that night with 15 other people, on stage with an audience.

It’s a difficult thing to describe, and I have to agree with Matt when he assures the audience that participants are fully aware and conscious during the show.

It felt like being guided through a vivid theatre scene where the actions feel completely natural and normal, no matter how absurd.

I was made to laugh hysterically, play keyboards for the Muppets, sing ‘Highway to Hell’ in my dream car (pearl pink Mazda rx8 with gold trim), and translate for a timid wooki visiting the North West.

Aware the entire time and in control of my own body, I felt confident to create mental visualisations which became increasingly believable.

It was an exercise in openness and hilarity that left me feeling simultaneously relaxed and energised, just like Matt promised.

And as we departed the theatre, every time we heard the name ‘Matt Hale’, each one of us fools yelled triumphantly, “He’s the man!”

I can’t wait for the DVD to arrive so I can watch the ridiculousness unfold for myself.

I would love to hear from Mount Isa participants at Matt’s weight loss and smoking cessation sessions on Sunday, June 11 – if this was you, get in touch at esther.macintyre@fairfaxmedia.com and tell me how you got on.