Princeton students experiment with hypnosis

NEW JERSEY — At Princeton University, a new club offers another outlet for student experimentation. Peter Hummon, a first-year computer science graduate student, recently founded the Princeton University Hypnosis workshop, according to an article in The Daily Princetonian.

As president of the hypnosis club, Hummon often finds himself challenging the stigma that hypnosis is often associated with. For instance, when he tells people at parties that he’s a hypnotist, they often, “cover their eyes, change the subject or dash across the room,” he said.

Hummon explained that, contrary to the notion that “once someone is hypnotized, they lose control, they lose their free will, ... a hypnotist could never force someone to do something they don’t want to do.”

Hypnosis, he said, makes the mind more alert and can help with habit formation, like breaking a cigarette addiction.

Hummon also noted that, while in a trance, people are able to get in touch with their subconscious, giving them a sharper memory and clearer insight.

In an interview with the Princetonian, Hummon talked about a client who worked in the movie industry and was dissatisfied with his job. After a hypnosis session conjured memories of his talent for media communications, he decided to pursue a degree in the subject. Now, he is much happier with his life.

“He is one of my biggest success stories,” Hummon said.

As far as practicing hypnosis on campus, Hummon said that college provides an ideal environment.

“When you are young in life and you are first in college and you first get to know yourself — you first kind of take those initial steps — you’re much more open-minded, you’re much more curious, you’re much more willing to take on things.”

Indonesian students host month-long culinary party

SUBRAYA — Students from Indonesia’s Ciputra University held a month-long food festival to develop their entrepreneurial skills and lure tourists with an appetite for exotic cuisine.

Departments ranging from visual design to psychology staffed food booths offering savory delicacies.

“This event is a good opportunity for students to exercise their entrepreneurship and show their skills in producing Surabaya’s unique food and snacks,” said Tony Antonio, the head of the university, at the fiesta’s opening ceremony.

Because of the rising demand for new jobs in the region, entrepreneurial classes are mandatory.

“The city is in need of skilled small and middle-scale enterprises to promote culinary tourism and generate new jobs to cope with the unemployment in the city,” Antonio said.

And what better way to combat unemployment than to throw a party?

Reach reporter Sara Grimes at news@dailyuw.com.