Hypnotist cures people's fears of spiders and snakes at live event
A Lanarkshire hypnotist and mind reader who was inspired by Derren Brown to launch a stage career has helped people to cure their fear of exotic spiders and snakes.
Fraser Penman, from East Kilbride, delivers a unique brand of hypnosis, mind reading and comedy despite having impaired vision.
The 30-year-old recently teamed up with Amazonia, Scotland's indoor rainforest that is home to a range of exotic creatures, to perform the unique one-off live event.
Known as 'Penman: The Imaginator', he used innovative visualisation techniques to help members of the public to face their fears head on.
After spending just a few minutes with them, Penman performed rapid, instant hypnosis inductions to help them handle a royal python called Eva and a Chile rose tarantula named Val – creatures they were convinced they could never face.
The special event held at the Alona Hotel at M&D's Scotland's Theme Park, was one of a series of high-profile stunts that Penman will be doing around the country, ahead of his headline show at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Lewis Thomson, 32, from East Kilbride, who had a fear of snakes, was so excited when his fear disappeared that he said he felt like 'Ace Ventura', the Jim Carey pet detective in the hit Hollywood film. He said: 'When I was hypnotised it was so calming, it was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. You become the best version of yourself, and it gives you a renewed sense of confidence.
'I thought snakes were horrible and the thought of even going near one filled me with dread. I can't believe I had one around my neck.'
Wendy Gifford, Glasgow, 56, was unable to go even a few feet near the tarantula. However, after being hypnotised, she was brave enough to stroke the spider and now wants one as a pet.
She said: 'I was aware something was going on when I was hypnotised, it was like being in my own wee world and all I could hear was Fraser's voice.
'Even small spiders made me terrified, they made my skin crawl. I was always that person who was never going to be hypnotised. But after spending just a few minutes with Fraser my fears gradually disappeared and I'm now considering having a spider, such as a Tarantula, as a pet.'
Amazonia, based at Strathclyde Park, is a temperature-controlled tropical house, home to over 60 different species, including monkeys, parrots, snakes, frogs, tarantulas and scorpions.
Penman said: 'Using unique psychological techniques, I wanted to share with others the gift I have of being able to transfer your mindset like I did for myself to make life-changing outcomes.
'What better way to demonstrate my ability than to take exotic creatures most people have a fear of and seeing their shift in mindset go from panic to calm while holding these beautiful animals?
'Your mind is like a computer and the techniques I use is like giving it an update, such as you no longer have a fear of spiders or snakes.
'I've been exploring a bold, unconventional approach - something rarely attempted before to eliminate fear almost instantly. Using rapid, hypnosis inductions to bypass the slow descent into a deep trance, I can access the subconscious mind almost immediately - faster and more directly than traditional methods allow.
Amanda Gott, manager of Amazonia, said: 'I don't fancy being put to sleep myself. But it was amazing to watch Fraser's live performance, it's incredible that someone can be cured of their fears within just a few minutes.
'It was fascinating to see how calming Fraser was with those taking part and the sensitive way he dealt with the tarantula and royal python. Many people come to Amazonia with preconceptions that all the creatures here are scary and strange, but at our education sessions we try and combat that.'
Penman's Fringe show at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh gives a revealing insight into how the coping mechanism he initially used to deal with his limited sight has heightened his other senses, allowing him to perform numerous breathtaking stunts.
He was born with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) - the most severe form of the condition. 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.
Penman, who describes himself as a 'psychological influencer', has hypnotised Pop Star Callum Beattie, some of Scotland's top TikTok social media influencers and renowned Scottish comedian Gary Faulds.
With more than 2.5 million views on TikTok, he is determined to change the perception of those with albinism, and hopes his Fringe stage show will act as an inspiration for people with the condition.
Penman added: 'When I was training to be a primary teacher in my twenties I was inspired by Derren Brown's storytelling and showmanship, I must have watched a DVD about hypnosis a thousand times. Once I read a few books and looked into the neuroscience behind it I realised that I had the ability to hypnotise someone almost instantly. It was like having a superpower, I was blown away.
'I had a difficult childhood growing up with albinism, so having this gift has allowed me to turn around my life and chase my dreams of one day having my own residency at Vegas.
'Many people with albinism are confined to the house wearing dark glasses but I'm determined to change that perception. I want to inspire others to show they have more within them than they may realise.'
For the past six years, Penman has been holding down two jobs while honing his craft with performances at venues around the UK. His new Fringe show is the first time it will be performed before audiences in Scotland.
Penman said: 'The show takes the audience on an innovative journey through my life while delivering a Vegas-quality entertainment experience. If you think you've seen a hypnosis show, then think again. Expect summer anthems and countless moments of unbelievable, impossible possibilities live in front of your very eyes, with a very special message for the audience to take away to help inspire their own life."
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