'Everywhere I go people want me to hypnotize them': How Jason Cyrus became a world-renowned hypnotist

Minto, N.B., native Jason Cyrus will take the Imperial Theatre Stage Friday night in Saint John, N.B., for his final stage show of 2023.

Cyrus has been a processional hypnotist since 2006, and has travelled across North America with his act.

“My dad was a very popular country music singer, his name was Joey Knight,” Cyrus says. “He was up for the Canadian country music awards against Blue Rodeo so I came from the entertainment background. My dad showed me little magic tricks as a kid and I was in drama and always really enjoyed theatre arts.”

But Cyrus’ first love was hockey, with his skill level taking him to Ontario to play Junior A as a teenager.

“Well, I scored a lot of goals so maybe I hypnotized the goalies,” he laughs.

Jokes aside, he has hockey to thank for sparking his interest in hypnotism after a professional visited his team in grade 13.

“I went to the library the next day and got my first book on hypnotism,” Cyrus recalls. “That’s where I started to learn getting people’s hands locked…and the finger test. I was always the number one invite at parties.”

At the age of 25, Cyrus took part in his first professional hypnotist course. On Oct. 19, 2006, Cyrus took the stage for the first time in Sussex, N.B., and admits he almost turned around on the drive there.

“I got on the stage and it wasn’t the greatest show at that time, but it really made me feel alive.”

From there Cyrus’ act grew and grew into a family-friendly, laugh-out-loud, world-class show. In 2016 the Maritimer added keynote speaking to his portfolio.

“Of course everywhere I go people want me to hypnotize them,” says Cyrus, who notes hypnotism is still integrated in his keynote speaking. “I bring people up and of course we do funny bits but there is a message that comes with it. It’s all to do with the power of the mind and visualizations and making your dreams come true. Not just making your dreams come true but actually having action to go after your dreams.”

Keynote speaking has taken Cyrus as far as Bermuda and Savannah, GA, but one of his favourite memory on stage comes from a show in St. John’s, N.L.

“It was an opera bit and I selected a person and every time I did something they would stand up and sing opera,” the hypnotist fondly remembers. “If you looked at the person you would never think in a million years as the voice that came out of this person was absolutely incredible. He got like three or four standing ovations during the show, and the last I heard he actually had a manager of a promotion company that had reach out to him because he was at the show. That’s how special it was.”

And if he already didn’t do enough, Cyrus is also a professional hypnotherapist. He says he mostly works with athletes, but also helps those struggling with anxiety and weight loss among other things.

“Through fatigue of the nervous system we basically relax that part of the mind so I can have direct to unconscious,” Cyrus says, referring to the part of the brain that controls emotions and habits. “And once you have direct access to the unconscious and is given a suggestion it will become your reality.”

Through all his growing fame and success, Cyrus hasn’t forgotten his roots.

“I’m a hockey player from Minto, New Brunswick that started that first show in Sussex which started this belief which created that vision,” he says. “From there I grew a very strong growth mindset, it was all about learning and growing. Even now we always try and tweak our show but I am really proud of our show and what it has become.”

Even having done shows for more than 16 years, Cyrus admits he still gets butterflies before a performance.

“It’s not because I’m scared or I’m going to mess up or anything, but people pay good money to come see our show,” he says. “I want to give them so much. I want them to walk out of that theatre with a different perspective in life and be inspired. I get so many messages saying I have never laughed so hard with my mom or my family in so many years and that really makes me feel good. Every show I give it 100 per cent.”

“I don’t take it for granted. I am so grateful I am able to do it.”

Cyrus will have more Maritime show dates coming in spring of 2024.

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