It all started when sophomore Cameron Williams was at cross country camp in the 10th grade. As a breathing exercise, one of his coaches hypnotized the team. Williams was intrigued and decided to do some research of his own.
Since then, he has learned more about hypnosis through Internet research and practice.
“Hypnosis is the kind of thing you learn by doing,” Williams said.
And for Williams, Elon University was a place to practice his skills.
April 25, sophomore Cameron Williams posted an ad on E-Net that read: “Stress relief through hypnosis.”
Juniors Bryn Bair, Annie Fuller and Deirdre Loftus read his post on E-Net and decided to take him up on the offer.
“We weren’t quite sure what to expect because none of us had ever been hypnotized before,” Bair said.
They were skeptical, but found that his techniques worked for them.
“Cameron definitely helped to relieve our stress,” Bair said. “We felt much more relaxed afterward. We were very focused and calm for the rest of the night.”
Loftus was similarly soothed by the experience.
“I didn’t really know what I was expecting,” said Loftus. “I guess for someone to come and make me do things while I was under a trance, which I was a bit nervous about. I definitely felt really relaxed and at ease when he was done. It was like my legs had turned to jelly and I didn’t want to get up because I thought it would ruin it.”
Before posting on E-Net, Williams practiced on friends and family members. Once he convinced his brother that he was a bar of steel through hypnosis. Williams then proceeded to jump on top of his brother, who suffered no injuries.
At Elon, Williams is completing his degree in entrepreneurship.
“Both of my parents are small business owners,” Williams said. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
His father is an electrical contractor and his mother runs a consulting firm. His idea of a small business may be more eccentric than that of his parents, but that does not bother him. After graduation, he plans to find a place where there is a need for alternative medicine and set up a hypnosis clinic. Until then, he hopes that Elon students will let him practice on them.