Albino hypnotist Fraser Penman: I hypnotised myself to become a headline act
A hypnotist born with the most severe form of albinism has gone from the depths of despair at his disability to headlining his own show.Fraser Penman, 30, was born with oculocutaneous albinism.The congenital disorder affects just one in 20,000 people and means he lacks pigment in his skin, hair and eyes as well as having a visual impairment.Growing up in East Kilbride, Fraser was bullied at school "because he was different", culminating in a violent gang attack when he was a teenager.He said: "The hate texts started when I was only eight years old. As I got older, it got much worse with rocks thrown at me before I was attacked by a gang of 15.His difficult school days led to him trying to cover up his condition."I was so tired of fitting out of society, I wanted to cover up and change my appearance," he said."From the age of 14, I wore make-up, fake tan and dyed my hair. "In my early 20s, I felt like I was living a double life and it gave me depression and anxiety. And it made me question if I wanted to be here at all."
Fraser's turning point came after a heart-to-heart with his older brother Ross. He encouraged Fraser to be anything in the world he wanted to be.Fraser - who had become a fan of well-known hypnotist and illusionist Derren Brown - said his only wish was to be a hypnotist."I was inspired by Derren Brown's storytelling and showmanship," said Fraser. "I must have watched a DVD about hypnosis a thousand times. I remember being in a barber shop and we were talking about hypnosis, and I said to the barber I had done this before."So, after my haircut, I hypnotised someone in the shop using the same language and pattens used in the DVD and the person just dropped unconscious and in a trance. I then started hypnotising my friends in the pub for fun."I had never done a live stage performance before and for the first time I was not worried about how I looked. It was total freedom, the feeling was incredible," he said.
Fraser wanted nothing else but to perform on stage, but knew he had to sort his own mind out first, so he tried the hypnosis techniques on himself."I used self-hypnosis to give myself one suggestion. The simple suggestion I gave myself was 'You Are Enough'," he said."When I woke up the next morning, I hated the fake tan and hair dye. I shaved off all my hair and it was the first time I had seen my hair so short and white since I was 14."I felt liberated and I walked through the supermarket in shorts and T-shirt, I was not worried at people seeing me."
Fraser completed a diploma in clinical hypnotherapy and during Covid worked with clients online in the US, UK and Germany. After the pandemic, he embarked on a tour of pubs and halls around the country to hone his craft.And he has just been announced as a headline act at the world's largest arts festival in Edinburgh.He has been tipped as one of the Fringe's rising stars after securing a 25-day slot at the Gilded Balloon in July and August.Fraser's show is a mix of hypnosis, mind reading and comedy which gives an insight into how the coping mechanism he initially used to deal with his limited sight has heightened his other senses, allowing him to perform stunts.He is determined to change the perception of those with albinism and hopes his stage show will act as an inspiration for people with the condition." If I hadn't gone through these struggles, I wouldn't have been inspired to make a difference now." Many people with albinism are confined to the house wearing dark glasses but I'm determined to change that perception, I'm going against the grain."
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