I AM watching a man being hypnotised, but there is no swinging watch.

There is no instruction to "look into my eyes".

And there is no sense at all that some kind of magic trick is under way.

It's far removed from the image of hypnosis I've become so accustomed to seeing on television.

It's as if the subject is being given psychological pep talk rather than being hypnotised.

While this is going on, a tattoo artist is preparing the ink and needles for barber Paul Brogan's leg tattoo.

Paul is the owner of Regent Studio in Glasgow, and he's not ashamed to admit he can't bear the pain of getting tattooed.

He has various tattoos, even some on his rib cage.

But the pain of getting his leg inked was the worst of all, he says.

"I got the outline for this tattoo done the other week, and I was screaming in agony," said the 37-year-old.

"When it was suggested I try hypnosis, I thought I'd give it a bash."

When the hypnosis process begins, I keep quiet, even though hypnotist Biodun Ogunyemi assures me I can behave as normal.

I'm terrified I might upset the balance and lock the poor man into a permanent trance if I open my big mouth.

Biodun is the man behind Optimind Method, a Glasgow-based clinical hypnotherapy centre. He talks to Paul for around 10 minutes in total, gently assuring him he won't feel any pain and contin-ually telling him he is in control of the process.

To my eyes, Paul seemed to be under hypnosis within seconds.

It's kind of spooky to watch, but Paul seems very relaxed. And when the buzzing needle first makes contact with his shin, Paul doesn't react at all. There's not even a twitch of his finger – nothing at all to suggest he is anything other than 100% calm.

Biodun said: "All the stuff you see on TV with clicking of the fingers and a watch on a chain, those are just props.

"There are no dark arts at work here, this is simply a case of people being put into a trance, much like human beings do every single day.

"All of us have been at a traffic light when the light turns green and you are so zoned out that you don't notice and cars behind you start hooting their horns.

"That's a trance state. The only difference here is that I'm directing Paul into that state and keeping him there for longer than normal. Paul is still feeling the tattoo gun on his skin, but there is no pain because he is in such a relaxed state of mind.

"He's completely aware of what is going on around him, but the pain is simply being ignored by his brain."

Biodun does not use the flowery language I expected to hear from a hypnotist.

Instead he talks about helping Paul to access a state of mind from his past when he was completely relaxed.

It is the same for the athletes he works with, taking them back to a time when they performed very well and helping them access that state of mind again and again.

This, he says, disassociates the person from the pain and anxiety that's holding them back.

Paul's tattoo is coming together, so I whisper that I'll be off. To my surprise, Paul sits up and says "see you later mate".

THIS is nothing like how I thought a hypnotised person would act.

On the way out, one of the barbers, Laura, tells me she heard his screams on the shop floor when he was getting the outline for the tattoo done earlier.

"Is he getting tattooed right now?," she asks. "I can't believe he's not screeching."

I speak to Paul a few days after the tattoo is completed and he confirms he didn't felt the slightest tinge of pain.

"It's really hard to explain," he says.

"I could feel the tattoo gun going into my skin and vibrating off my shin bone, but there was just no pain. It's incredible."

He's so impressed that his Regent Studio, in West Regent Street, is offering hypnosis for anyone who wants to be tattooed without the pain or anxiety.

I've never been hypnotised or tattooed – but I might just kill two birds with one stone after this.

stef.lach@heraldandtimes.co.uk

HYPNOTHERAPY has been used to help overcome all manner of fears and anxieties and has been successful in helping people to lose weight, stop nail biting or give up smoking.

Now one Glasgow tattoo parlour is offering hypnotherapy tattooing for customers with a needle fear or a low pain threshold.

Stef Lach watched while barber and tattoo shop owner Paul Brogan got inked.

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