If you visit Roger Willard of the Willard Hypnosis Center in Conestoga, he won't ask you to look deep, deep into his eyes.
"Under hypnotism, the subject never loses control," he said. "It's not like in the movies, when Dracula mesmerizes someone.
"If I managed to hypnotize you, then asked for your ATM card, you'd get up and leave," Willard said. "You'd never do anything you wouldn't normally do."
As it turns out, hypnotists throughout the country and around the world have been trying to establish a World Hypnotism Day for years, hoping to better inform the public about what they do.
Mayor Rick Gray decided to help out by signing a proclamation making World Hypnotism Day official in Lancaster on Sunday.
Before he could be asked, Gray pointed out that he wasn't in a trance when he signed the proclamation.
"I wasn't hypnotized into signing, no," said Gray, chuckling. "As far as I know, I was in full control."
Willard, a former police officer, private investigator and bounty hunter who still offers his services as a forensic consultant, met Gray while on the job.
"Rick's a lawyer, and sometimes the firm asked me to find people — so that's how we met," Willard said.
Gray said that Willard gave him some literature on the subject of hypnotism and hypnotherapy and asked about the proclamation.
"He gave me a lot of stuff to read," Gray said. "Frankly, I've never been hypnotized, but I started to think about all the other proclamations that have been signed over the years, and I thought, well, why not this?
"You know, me and my wife, Gail, were one of the first couples to try Lamaze in this area when we were having a baby," he said. "At the time, that was considered an alternative approach to birth, so I'm open to those kinds of things."
And now that New Year's Day is just around the corner, some may be interested in hypnosis as a way of keeping their resolutions.
On Jan. 13, at Lancaster Host Resort, Willard will lead a "Stop Smoking With Hypnosis" fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association starting at 7 p.m.
Willard said hypnotism isn't like a Jedi mind trick, it's more about helping someone reach a wakeful state of focused attention.
"We take you into that state and help you make changes to your life," he said. "Sometimes we make direct suggestions or provide the motivation for someone to start exercising, for example. Sometimes we can help a stressed-out person relax more. If you're not open to the experience, then it may not work, of course.
"Actually, people find themselves in a state of mind similar to a hypnotic state every day," Willard added. "Were you ever listening to the car radio so closely that you missed your exit? It's kind of like that. Or you start reading a good book and suddenly realize it's 3 a.m. Where did the time go?"
The American Psychological Association defines hypnosis as a state that can bring about "changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior."
"Many psychiatrists have training in hypnotism," Willard said. "I'm a member of the American Guild of Hypnotists, but in the state of Pennsylvania, there's no licensing needed for practicing hypnotism. Other states are different."
Willard said he became fascinated with hypnotism at the same time he became interested in detective work.
"Oh, I loved those things since I was a kid and read magazines like Popular Science," he said. "I couldn't read enough about them."
As a professional, Willard doesn't relate to "stage hypnotists," who make their subjects cluck like chickens for entertainment.
"Stage shows have their place — but that's not what we do," he said. "There's no magic involved, we just put you in a relaxed state and talk to you. There's nothing magical about that."
Those interested in attending Roger Willard's "Stop Smoking With Hypnotism" fundraiser should call the Willard Hypnosis Center at 872-7561 for more information.
E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com