What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis which includes relaxation through the use of suggestion. It is a guided approach with the help of another person, where the subject reacts to external wording or stimuli. All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis, which typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. 

The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion to trigger the imagination and lead a person to explore their mind on the sub-conscious level. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist or hypnotherapist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. Hypnosis is sometimes referred to as Power of Suggestion.

Stage hypnosis is a theatrical presentation that delivers a hilarious series of silly events achieved through powers of compliance. It is an educational presentation for entertainment purposes, achieved by quick dramatic response to suggestions.

In a show, some people were dismissed from the stage. Doesn't everyone "go under"?
Most people are susceptible to hypnosis and power of suggestion, however in a stage presentation for the sake of the show, volunteers that prove to be the best subjects in the shortest time are selected to remain on stage and participate in the routines.

Are the people hypnotized asleep?
The subject is normally not asleep, but extra aware, even though the word "sleep" is often used to equate the experience to a restful state. It stems from a Portuguese priest Abbe Faria who dramatically was the first to use the word to induce his subjects outside a monastery achieving a convincing and dramatic effect. The term hypnosis, however, originates from the Greek word "Hypnos", meaning sleep.

How do I know when I am hypnotized? 
What does it feel like?
Generally you do not feel any different, but are more suggestible. The hypnotist can include "convincers" that will prove to the subjects that the state has been altered. These may include suggestibility tests or imagery altering. Normally, the subject simply gives temporary control of their environment to the hypnotist. The level of awareness is the only real measure, since the hypnotist guides his subject to concentrate on their thoughts and body. External stimuli can trigger a desired response, as in a stage show to achieve hilarious results.

Is Stage Hypnosis Dangerous?
Stage hypnosis in itself is not dangerous. People hypnotized on a stage are not doing anything that is not already built into their own mental mechanisms. Stage hypnotists do not create anything new-we're only building from what the volunteers already know and do. I have heard many rumors on certain dangers of hypnosis, but after further investigation, they turn out to be false or overly exaggerated.

The most frequent one that I have heard is the volunteer's inability to come out of trance. This is simply not true. A person can come out of trance at any time he or she wants. It might be, though, that the person just is so relaxed or having so much fun or is liking the change of reality that he or she just doesn't want to come out of trance. The best suggestion to give to such a person is to say that at the count of three (or whatever cue you want to use) that person will become the prime example of a person who is wide "awake" as opposed to "you'll be wide awake by the count of three".