Comic/Hypnotist Flip Orley

Flip Orley is a comic hypnotist whose one-man show has set comedy club attendance records across North America. He has appeared on "Entertainment Tonight," "The Today Show," "The Martin Short Show," "Comic Strip Live," "The Ricki Lake Show," "Maury Povich," and "Space Ghost Coast To Coast." The Los Angeles Times notes that "the beauty of Orley's show is that most of the humor comes from the volunteers, and no two performances are alike."

The two-hour show combines stand-up comedy with audience hypnosis. Orley delivers a stand-up set before working with volunteers, whose subconscious imaginations drive the rest of the performance. Subjects may find themselves forgetting their own names, being regressed to age 5, or taking part in an original version of "The Newlywed Game." Orley is deliberate about treating volunteers with respect rather than embarrassing them.

Orley studied psychology at the University of Arizona with the intention of becoming a clinical hypnotist, and later merged that background with stand-up comedy. Beyond performance, he has developed seminars, workshops, and self-help recordings addressing stress management, weight control, smoking cessation, and sleep disorders. Medical professionals have also called on his hypnosis techniques, including for patients unable to use anesthesia.