The former financial planner has been a professional hypnotist for eight years, after his own positive experience with hypnotherapy.

“I had a really bad experience with depression,” Mr Donnelly said.

“I got referred to guy who specialised in men who had hit the wall. Three or four sessions later I had made quite a good recovery and I continued to use hypnotherapy to improve my life.”

After the global financial crisis forced him to look at a new career, Mr Donnelly decided to give hypnotherapy a crack.

“I like helping people, so this was the thing for me,” he said.

Initially, Mr Donnelly helped people get over phobias, quit smoking and lose weight – and while he still does that, he began his own one-man comedy show five years ago.

“It’s a lot of laughs – you’ll see some people do some weird and funny stuff,” he said, chuckling.

“It’s really funny, you’ll go in and people know you’re the hypnotist by the way you’re dressed, and they’ll go ‘don’t look at me in my eyes’ – you get it every time.

“And then there is the cynics, the ones who say it’s all bah humbug, and then you’ve got the people who believe.

“The cynics usually turn, because they know I don’t know everyone on stage.”

Mr Donnelly’s show will be at West Diggers on Friday night, 8pm. Tickets are $25.