Students at Grand Valley State University cheered on hypnotist Tom DeLuca as he stepped out onto the stage Wednesday at the Spotlight Productions event.

“It’s all about your imagination,” DeLuca said to a full room. “We’re going to get your imagination to be extremely active. Nothing personal will happen, so even if you are a bad person, nobody will know.”

Twenty volunteers were chosen to participate in DeLuca’s show. He put them under a hypnotic state and counted to five, and the students slowly became overwhelmed with fits of laughter. He put them back into a sleep before making them think they were watching a horror movie.

“Think of a big movie screen,” DeLuca said. “It’s vampire rabbits from outer space. They’re coming right at you — they’re getting closer and closer.” The volunteers reacted with looks of horror, hiding in fear and even screaming.

Later in the show, DeLuca told one of the volunteers that she was from another planet and that she spoke in a different language. Another volunteer acted as her translator, and the two spoke with unintelligible sounds.

“You’ll suddenly realize you understand everything she says,” DeLuca had told him. “Don’t question it — you have a gift, son.”

Another highlight of the show included the volunteer who was convinced that fruits had feelings and at one point attempted to give CPR to an apple.

DeLuca performs events around the country at corporations, universities and talk shows. According to his website, he received his master’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois and worked as a therapist before performing hypnosis on stages throughout the Midwest.

He also has created programs such as the Power Napping Workshop for Less Stress and ImaginAction, which the website notes are programs that teach how to, “re-train your brain and focus your imagination.”

DeLuca has been performing at GVSU every year for more than 30 years.

The event was sponsored by the Spotlight Productions team, which has brought various performers to GVSU in the past, including comedians, musicians and magicians.