You don’t have to chase leprechauns to find something good in hypnosis

PAUL GOLDIN, the hypnotist who died this week, was greatly mourned by many people. I saw him perform in the early 1960s when I was still in secondary school. It was probably the funniest live show I ever attended.

I knew most of the people on stage and it seemed there was no way they would do such stupid things unless he was in control of their minds.

People in the know often insisted somebody can’t be hypnotised to do something he or she does not wish to do, but it seemed inconceivable that those people would wish to go around after the show telling people they were looking for leprechauns.