Columbian Hypnosis

(And Why Every Teacher Should Try It)

In my Teaching Artistry workshops, I sometimes tell teachers:

“You’re about to hypnotise each other.”

There’s always a pause.

Then laughter.

Then curiosity.

The activity is called Colombian Hypnosis, developed by Augusto Boal in Games for Actors and Non-Actors.

And in under 10 minutes, it reveals more about trust, control, and teacher identity than many theoretical discussions ever could. Watch a demo here:

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What Happens

One participant holds their hand 20–40 cm from their partner’s face.

Palm forward. Fingers upright.

The partner must keep their face the same distance from the hand at all times.

Where the hand moves, the face follows.

Up. Down. Sideways. Diagonal. Slow spirals. Sudden shifts.

The leader must never stop completely.
The follower must never lose alignment.

Very quickly:

• bodies bend into unusual shapes
• forgotten muscles wake up
• laughter mixes with discomfort
• concentration sharpens

Then they switch.

Leader becomes follower.

Control becomes surrender.

Later, both extend a hand at the same time — becoming leader and follower simultaneously.

And that’s where it gets interesting.

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What It’s Really About

On the surface, it’s a movement exercise.

In reality, it’s about:

• focus and presence
• spatial awareness
• non-verbal communication
• empathy
• responsibility
• power

It exposes how we relate to control.

Some participants love leading.

Others feel anxious holding responsibility for someone else’s body.

Some relax when following.

Others resist being directed.

In a few minutes, patterns emerge.

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The Questions That Matter

After the movement, I don’t analyse technique.

I ask:

• Which did you prefer — leading or being led?
• Why?
• Was it easy to trust your partner?
• What helped it work well?
• What made it difficult?

And then the deeper question:

How does this relate to how we teach?

Because teaching is a constant negotiation of:

• authority and agency
• guidance and autonomy
• control and trust

In classrooms, we lead.
We invite.
We structure.
We respond.

But do we always notice how much control we hold?

Or how much we struggle to release it?

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Why This Matters for Teachers

Colombian Hypnosis is not about theatre.

It’s about awareness.

It surfaces:

• our instinct to dominate or withdraw
• our comfort with vulnerability
• our ability to read others non-verbally
• our tolerance for uncertainty

And it reminds us that facilitation is embodied.

Before it’s a strategy, it’s a stance.

Before it’s a method, it’s a relationship.

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This Is the Kind of Work We Explore

Activities like this aren’t icebreakers.

They’re mirrors.

They help teachers reflect on presence, power, empathy, and responsibility — through experience, not lecture.

If this kind of embodied exploration resonates, you’re warmly invited to join our free Performative ELT community.

It’s a space where we share practical activities like this, unpack the theory behind them, and explore what it really means to teach with presence and artistry.

You can join us here:

👉 https://performativeelt.com/free-community-6779

Because sometimes the most important professional question isn’t:

“What method should I use?”

It’s:

When do I lead — and when do I let go?