Into the body: lecture and guided hypnosis experience by Michele Occelli
This is not simply a lecture about hypnosis, but an invitation to experience it. Alongside the talk, participants will be guided through a series of live hypnosis experiences.
Across cultures, trance has long been used to shift perception, regulate the nervous system, and open new ways of inhabiting the mind and body. During the evening we will explore some of the history, science, and philosophy of hypnosis, looking at how attention, imagination, and suggestion can alter experience and reshape our sense of self.
But understanding hypnosis conceptually is only part of the picture.
Throughout the talk you will be guided through a series of hypnotic processes, allowing you to directly experience how awareness can shift, deepen, and reorganise when attention turns inward. These guided experiences are not simply demonstrations, they are opportunities to access some of the beneficial effects of hypnosis: greater regulation, insight, emotional release, and a deeper connection between mind and body.
The aim is to combine understanding with experience, offering hypnosis as a practical way to expand awareness and cultivate a more embodied way of sensing, thinking, and navigating inner life.
No previous experience is required.
This event is open to people of all genders and backgrounds. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward xenophobia, homophobia, ableism, or any form of discrimination. The venue is fully accessible and includes an accessible bathroom, cloakroom, and changing room. There is a sober bar.
This event is part of Stück cultural programme curated by Lidia Ravviso.
Bio
For over a decade, Michele Occelli has led workshops and classes combining hypnotherapy with creative disciplines—including performance, dance, fine art, and architecture—to explore the mind–body connection. He has presented this work at leading institutions including the Serpentine Gallery, Barbican Centre, Camden Art Centre, and the Architectural Association, as well as internationally at Creamcake Berlin, ICA Los Angeles, Between Bridges Berlin, and FMAV Modena. Trained by pioneers of modern hypnosis such as Dr. Ernest Rossi and Dr. Stephen Gilligan, Michele integrates Ericksonian and clinical hypnotherapy with somatic therapy and mindfulness. With over 15 years of experience, he works with individuals and groups online and from his private practice in London. He was commissioned as performer and hypnosis consultant for Lewis Walker’s Bornsick (Serpentine Gallery Live Production, 2025), designing and delivering live hypnosis as a core conceptual and performative element, and developed hypnosis as a choreographic development process for Bullyache’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find, winner of the Venice Biennale Danza 2025.
micheleoccelli.com
