(Photo from the Get Involved @ JCCC’s website)

Many know what a hypnotist is, but a mentalist may be the less commonly known mental trick. Brian Imbus, a world-renowned mentalist and hypnotist, will be performing in the Student Center on March 25 from 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. This year, he’ll be rolling out a brand new, unique show.

“The first year I performed at JCCC was about 10 years ago. They usually have me about once every two years,” Imbus said. “I’m super excited for the show. I always enjoy my shows at JCCC, so it’s definitely going to be an unforgettable experience for the folks who have never seen the show before, and for the folks who have seen the show before. I take specific notes on exactly what I did the last time I was on campus so I don’t repeat anything.”

But you may be asking yourself: what is a mentalist?

“I think like a magician, but someone who actually knows psychology,” JCCC student Daniel Cajamarca said. “Someone who knows breakthroughs about how to use your mind and your brain.”

Brian Imbus often hears misconceptions about hypnotism and mind reading, which he has been studying since high school.

“My definition of mentalism is the ability to present the illusion of reading someone’s mind,” Imbus said. “I don’t claim to possess psychic abilities, although some of the demonstrations you’re going to see at the show will look otherwise,”

Imbus has been interested in and performing magic since he was a child, but as he grew up, he realized that he wanted to perform without props and focus on audience interaction. In high school, he attended a hypnotist show with his friend. He was skeptical of it until his friend got hypnotized in the audience.

“Literally the next day, I checked out every book in the library on hypnosis and taught myself how to hypnotize people. Now I’ve been doing this for almost 28 years professionally.”

Every show Imbus performs is different based on the audience, and this show will be no different. All tricks will require audience volunteers.

“You can’t be hypnotized against your own will. I couldn’t hypnotize you if you didn’t want to be,” Imbus said. “You would never do anything in the state of hypnosis that you wouldn’t normally do.”

According to Imbus, one hour of hypnosis is equal to eight hours of sleep, so being hypnotized might not be the worst idea for those with busy school schedules and sleepless nights.

“The best part of being a hypnotist and mentalist is being on stage, that’s what it’s all about.”

Imbus isn’t trying to turn anyone into a believer, but he hopes students feel entertained by the event.

“I actually have two goals: one is to entertain the audience, and [the second] is to freak them out. So if I’ve done one or both of those things, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.”