Tulsa World: Comic-hypnotist ready for the fair

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Comic-hypnotist ready for the fair

De'Anna Nunez is the HypnoChick, and she'll be on the Coke Stage during the Tulsa State Fair. Courtesy

By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
Published: 10/3/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 10/3/2009 4:27 AM

As HypnoChick, De'Anna Nunez is about empowering her audience to let go of inhibition and live well.

As the granddaughter of Okies, she's living up to her precepts by steeping herself in the state that made her grandmother an influential force in her life.

"I came to Oklahoma City (for a state fair) a few years ago, which was a really fun experience," she said by phone from her home in California, "but I haven't had an opportunity to explore my roots and see where she lived. So, I'm looking forward to being (in Tulsa).

"I've already joined the Tulsa Running Club."

A self-proclaimed fitness fanatic, she plans to run with the locals and make friends when she isn't hypnotizing people at one of her comedy hypnotist shows during the fair's run (through Oct. 11).

Nunez said she is trained to take willing people into a state of mind bringing them closer to the subconscious level. There, they can rethink how they feel about themselves and their lives to heal from the fears that keep them from meeting their goals.

While some comic hypnotists have people clucking like chickens on stage, Nunez encourages people through hypnosis to quit smoking, lose weight, go for the job they've always wanted and to feel better about themselves — all while having fun.

Hypnosis, she insists, is not mind control, and Nunez is no more than a guide through the process.

"When you watch a person go through the process," she said, "their facial expressions look more relaxed. They breathe easier. They open their eyes at the end looking like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders. It's an amazing process."

She's excited about returning to the state her grandparents Winfield and Irene Dermid called home before they moved to California. Both are from the panhandle region. Irene Dermid was raised in a sod house with a grass roof and dirt floor in a community called Cleo Springs, about 30 miles west of Enid.

When her grandmother was in her late 20s, "she wanted to have a regular floor underneath her feet," so she went to cosmetology school. The Dermids soon moved to California with barely a nickel between them. That would change.

"My grandmother died a millionaire at 102. I think I have it instilled in me," said Nunez, who was inspired to move beyond her own self-esteem and weight issues through Irene Dermid's strength once she was introduced to hypnosis as a young stage assistant.

Hypnochick

When: 3, 7 and 9 p.m. every day of the Tulsa State Fair (7 and 9 pm. on Saturdays and Sundays)

Where: Coke Stage

Cost: The show is free with fair admission.

Karen Shade 581-8334
karen.shade@tulsaworld.com By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer

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Man Behind the Curtain, (10/3/2009 7:11:44 PM)

A hot chick that hypnotize you, Literally!
Not that's SCARY!

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