Never-before-seen: 24-hour hypnosis marathon with 100 people in hypnosis

ASSENDELFT - Whether it was from Borculo, Best, Bocholtz, Yerseke, Vaals or Julianadorp, participants in the 24-hour hypnosis marathon on Wednesday, March 26 were more than happy to drive the distance. From all provinces in the Netherlands one hundred enthusiasts came to Assendelft for a hypnotic session with Edwin Selij, director of Europe's largest hypnosis institute.

The very first participant walked into the Industrieweg at Hypnose Instituut Nederland (HIN) a little after seven in the morning. "My biggest desire was to once be hypnotized one-on-one by Edwin Selij," says Rob Verdoold (45) from Kaatsheuvel, who drove an hour and a half to Assendelft. "So a little bit exciting I think." One of his challenges was "keeping control. "I would just like to experience a little more freedom."

Selij is director of the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands, has been in the business for 20 years. At the HIN, he and his team of trainers train hundreds of hypnotherapists each year.

In groups of six, hypnotherapist Selij explained his 3-minute reset method each time. Then he put them into hypnosis and had the participants "work through their problem. Selij, laughing, "And actually I get them out of the hypnosis they call their problem."

Trainers Simone, Anneke and Farah did a hypnotic meditation in the short breaks during the 24-hour hypnosis marathon.

The "why" of the 24-hour marathon

Why Selij organized the marathon is obvious to him: "I want to break the taboo. People often think of Rasti Rostelli states when they think of hypnosis or hypnotherapy, but that's show hypnosis. And meanwhile, hypnotherapy has been used successfully in 70 hospitals in the Netherlands for years." It doesn't work for everyone, Selij also knows. "But with fear of flying or driving, fear of spiders, psychosomatic complaints, allergies, that's where hypnotherapy can help."

Hypnotherapy is not a holy grail, according to the director. "Some problems, unfortunately, cannot be solved with this method. Therefore, I am critical of who we as hypnotherapists do or do not help. For example, when people are on heavy medication, we cannot always help them." Selij therefore also believes in working well with doctors. "When phasing out medication, patients can experience severe side effects, such as anxiety and panic. With hypnotherapy, we can minimize those side effects. That way we can ease that winding down process.''

"I feel calm again."

Back to the 24-hour hypnosis marathon. Another participant, Linda van Veen (age 39), participated in the 6 p.m. session. How she experienced it? "Even though there were six of us in the session, Edwin showed genuine interest. I liked that. I feel calm again now, and that's one of the things I wanted to achieve with the session. And," adds Van Veen, "I am confident that the rest will develop over time."

And how is it for Rob Verdoold, the day after the hypnosis session? "Better! I have become much more aware of myself and how to experience freedom."

About the 24-hour hypnosis marathon.
Selij began its 24-hour hypnosis marathon on Wednesday, March 26, starting at 8 a.m. in the morning. A livestream allowed everyone to follow the marathon. He continued: "In three minutes you can start to feel completely different and experience a breakthrough, a new start."
During the livestream, viewers could also win a training course worth 4,995 euros. Trainer Farah Lutvica shared four riddles during the 24 hours during the short breaks where Selij recharged for the next session. "The correct answer was 333," Lutvica explains. Selij: "And although the intention was to have one winner, we chose to make two viewers of the livestream happy. Because that too is an achievement: following the livestream for 24 hours and then coming up with a solution!" The winners are Anouk Meeuwissen and Jet Eisank.

Book launch during marathon

During the marathon, Selij also launched his latest book , *The Three Minute Reset*, in which he describes his fastest method. “It’s the last self-help book you’ll ever need,” he concludes. It will be available starting Wednesday, March 26, at local bookstores or via www.the3minutereset.nl. Until Sunday, March 30, there are also all kinds of bonuses available with the purchase of one or more books.

Participants Lieke (pictured left) and Olaf (pictured right) received a hypnotic experience from Edwin at 4:30. As a thank you, they also received Edwin Edwin Selij's latest book.

Text: Linda Graanoogst