‘It’s all Dr Who and Johnny Ball’s fault. I wanted to be the Master and
take over the world and Johnny Ball showed me how to do it......’
An open-minded conversation with hypnotist and actor Paul
Dawkins, the real-life inspiration behind the character ‘Mr
Millennium’ in my book ‘Pepper’s Ghost’....
Paul is a man of many parts – a professional hypnotist,
hypnotherapist, actor and martial arts instructor who somehow still finds time to run five day training courses in
hypnosis - but how does he see himself?
‘I see myself as an edu-tainer,’
he laughs down the line from his Swindon home. ‘A mixture of educator and entertainer.’
.....Perhaps we’d better start at the beginning. How did his
interest in hypnotism start?
‘It’s that Dr Who’s fault,’ he reminisces. ‘I was about 11
and therefore smaller than most people about me so I suppose I felt helpless.
And then this marvellous character turned up on the show.
‘His name was the Master and through his hypnotic powers and
malevolent stare –
(Actor’s note: A digression; the show I saw, Logopolis,
featured the third actor to play the part, Anthony Ainley. But then I
discovered videotape and the original and arguably best portrayer of the role, Roger Delgado, who had
a superb stare...)
.....he was able to turn people into his helpless puppets
for his schemes to take over the world. That was it. I was hooked. I was going
to be a hypnotist and take over the world.’
Didn’t the fact that the
Dr’s arch enemy was always beaten by the forces of good put him off a little?
‘Not at all. He always bounced back. I had found my calling.
I was going to be a hypnotist.’
And how did he begin his diabolical scheme?
‘....I went to the
library,’ he confesses. ‘And then to every second-hand bookshop and jumble sale
I could find and soon amassed probably the best library on hypnotism to be
found in the whole of Swindon.’
And what did Paul do with his new-found abilities?
‘After a lot of research and looking in the mirror,’ another
laugh, ‘I was finally able at the age of 12 to find someone who was willing to
let me experiment on him. He was a school pal and it worked. Of course, the flaw
in my method quickly became apparent.’
Which was..?
‘I had done the classic pilot’s mistake. I had learned how
to take off – but hadn’t learned how to land.’
Oh dear...
‘Luckily, when I told him to wake up he did. And after my
heart started beating again I decided there and then I needed to really study my chosen craft...’
Was that the beginning of your own educational leanings?
‘That and Johnny Ball,’ he laughs winningly. ‘More BBC. Dr
Who got me hooked and then Johnny Ball made things that I found difficult –
like maths and that – interesting by making them entertaining. He showed tricks
with numbers that I still use today. That’s what we’re trying to do with our
courses. Educate through fun.
But there is a serious side to this, naturally. With our
course we teach the basics of hypnosis and top of that list is safety. We make
sure that our students go out there as fully trained hypnotists and able to
handle all eventualities.’
Hmm. This might be the right time to ask Paul what he thinks
hypnotism actually is?
He goes silent for a while, then, ‘Hypnotism is a means of changing
your belief system. Adapting your core
beliefs, shall we say. For instance, in my stage act often I will do things
like putting a twenty pound note in your hand – and then telling you that you
can’t close it. If you can close it the money is yours.’
Paul specialises in treating phobias – and pushing people to
their limits....
‘Ah! Now we are talking some of my major interests. I
specialisise in peak performance.’
Pardon? I didn’t know Mr. D was into cra...., er, cult 1990’s TV shows?
‘Ha. Peak Performance
in our parlance is taking what you
have and making you awesome at it. Let’s take stage fright. It’s a common
problem that often stops good actors reaching the heights of their abilities.
It’s a psychological thing. We sit down and I would gently talk their core beliefs
around and remove the mental barriers that are causing the trouble. Basically,
people get in their own way a lot and I help them around it.’
Are we on to phobias now?
‘Exactly! In many ways phobias are learned – don’t go near
that edge, watch out for that dog, it’ll bite you, etc. What I do is go in and
change your mind. I engage your imagination and make you look at your fear
differently, rationalise it.’
So he could help my chronic fear of heights then?
‘Oh yes. I would take you to the core of why and when you started being scared and then work from there. The
commonest thing I treat is smoking. I help you lose your emotional – it’s a
combination of physical, but mostly emotional - reliance on the weed.’
Is there any truth to the old saw that there are certain
people that can’t be hypnotised?
He shakes his head, which is a bit silly as I can’t see him.
He tells me what he’s done then goes on...
‘My personal conviction is that anyone can be hypnotised but not every hypnotist can hypnotise
everyone. But hopefully with the number of students passing through my course
there will be someone out there for everyone....’
And speaking of something for everyone, how was Paul
infected by the acting bug?
‘Actually it goes back to school again and being talked into
a school play, at which I discovered that a,
I could actually do it, and b, there
was something at last I was actually good at! Drama club, here I come!’
And from there onward and upward?
‘You might say that! I ended up in the lead of a school
play, the eponymous Gregory in ‘Gregory’s Girl.’ And from there to various
local drama groups, but still no formal training.’
So back to the first question, how does our multi-talented Thesp./Mesmerist see himself in the er,
final analysis? As a hypnotist or as an actor?
‘An entertainer. Hypnotism is just part of me now. I don’t
even think about it anymore, I just am.
Acting I’m still learning, martial arts is on-going, so entertainer is good
enough for me.’
And one last
question. Why the sinister-looking beard? Is it the Master's diabolical influence again?
‘For a show, for a show, I don’t normally look this scruffy!
I'm currently understudying Fagin in the current SALOS ( that's Swindon’s
premier musical theatre company) production of the Lionel Bart musical
Oliver.
Seats at all prices!
Oh, and there’re
some film roles I can’t discuss,’ he suddenly remembers with a twinkle in his
eye.
You know, some people can just be too darn talented....
.....
If you want more
information on Paul or his courses, his website is
www.pauldawkins.com
....and tell them sinner not saint
sent you!
Photographs by Lisa Coleman @ www.puttyfoot.com
