Tim Shurr's students routinely zone out in class.

It's par for the course at the Hypnotism Academy of Indiana, the only school of its kind in the Hoosier state.

He was going to count to five, Shurr told a student during a recent lab. When he reached five, his pupil -- seemingly dozing in an overstuffed armchair -- would awaken from his trance.

"You're going to feel fantastic all day long," Shurr said soothingly.

"Take a nice deep breath ... you also will feel energized."

The lanky, tie-wearing teacher began counting, repeating that his pupil would feel "fantastic." Then he snapped his fingers. His subject's eyes blinked open.

"How do you feel?" asked Shurr, 38.

"Wonderful," said Tim Rodenberger, 48, of Indianapolis.

"I feel extremely relaxed, but I heard every word you said."

Not mainstream --- yet

Hypnosis -- from the Greek word for sleep -- is a trance-like state similar to daydreaming. The dreaminess is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.

The technique is employed often to curb sugar and tobacco cravings and manage pain related to stress and autoimmune disorders.

Though few statistics are available in the largely unregulated industry, studies suggest public responsiveness is growing, buoyed by rising health-care costs and interest in alternative therapies.

A survey by American Health Magazine reported the following recovery rates: Psychoanalysis, 38 percent recovery after 600 sessions; behavior therapy, 72 percent recovery after 22 sessions; hypnotherapy, 93 percent recovery after six sessions.

One of a kind

The state's only licensed hypnotist instructor, Shurr (pronounced sure) has studied the power of suggestion for two decades. He runs his school -- and a private practice dubbed "Shurr Success" -- from the Twin Towers complex in Merrillville.

The Hobart native debuted his academy last year in response to Indiana's passing the nation's strictest laws on the profession.

Forget you-are-getting-sleepy mantras. Would-be hypnotists must jump through a series of mental and written hoops to be licensed. Requirements include 500 hours of training at an accredited institution and passing an exam. The Medical Licensing Board oversees certification.

In Colorado, Connecticut and Washington, individuals just register with the state. Illinois and five other states have guidelines but don't require licenses.

Indiana's tough stance on the trance business evokes mixed reactions within the field.

"I personally like regulation, because there are guidelines," said Anthony De Marco, Ph.D., chairman of the Council of Professional Hypnosis Organizations, a group that represents 12,000 hypnotists. It also adds credibility to the positive-thinking profession.

On the other hand, many hypnotists opt for less regulated pastures.

"Indiana doesn't have many practicing hypnotists," De Marco noted. Only 53 practice in the Hoosier state.

From his standpoint, "Indiana is being pro-active," said John Marhenke, M.D., president of the Indiana State Medical Association. Smokers have embraced hypnosis for a quarter-century.

"You have to protect people," Marhenke said. "You can get into difficulty if you are not properly trained."

Mind over matter

Shurr views hypnotism as a natural tool to harness the subconscious.

"We want to get away from the idea that hypnotism is therapy," he said. "... All hypnosis does is focus your mind, getting it to a higher learning state and using the power of suggestion."

Shurr, who has trained six students to date, takes teaching seriously. His curriculum is tough. Rookies must study the history, techniques and ethics of the profession.

There are 26 textbooks on his reading list, and essay questions to answer. Students also must observe Shurr in action, which gives them a chance to hone their own chairside manners.

The instructor typically asks a client to focus on a fixed point. Then he gently urges them to relax, settle within the quiet of their minds, and mull ways to achieve their goals.

The swinging stopwatch-prop owes a debt to Hollywood. So does the myth that a hypnotist can "force" someone to act against their will.

"It's a team effort," Shurr said. The 10-month course costs about $6,400. Unlike most schools, Shurr's student body tends to be just that -- one student at a time, maybe two.

Rodenberger, a high-powered accountant, commutes from Indianapolis every Tuesday for an intense eight-hour session in Shurr's beige office/academy, with its shelves of motivational tapes and consulting rooms furnished with misty landscapes.

He eventually would like to start his own practice, seeing clients at night, Rodenberger said. His wife and three of his four daughters are supportive. Not his youngest, the 19-year-old, though, he said wryly.

"She says, 'Dad, keep out of my head,' " he said.

Office manger Cindy McKinley was a skeptic until a student -- under supervision -- hypnotized her last year after McKinley mentioned she suffered from a nagging shoulder pain.

"It went, just like that," she said, snapping her fingers.

Making of a hypnotist

Shurr was 18 when he gleaned the power of the subconscious while studying psychology at Indiana University Northwest. His interest deepened while pursing his master's at Valparaiso University and subsequent studies at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology.

He got "fed up" after teachers branded hypnosis "silly," while Shurr -- practicing on friends and relatives -- found it effective.

"I helped my dad quit smoking, me and the patch," he said.

He opened his own practice in 1995, treating clients in his Merrillville apartment. He completed his studies at the Midwest Training Institute of Hypnosis and the now-closed Hypnosis Institute of Indiana.

Shurr estimates he has hypnotized 35,000 people and gives frequent lectures at hospitals and to self-help groups.

Yes, he indulges in self-trances to relax and ease headaches, Shurr said.

The married father of two also aims a little reverse psychology at his two preschoolers. If they pout, "I say, 'Don't you smile!' And they do," he said. But wife Stacey is off-limits.

"I've only been able to hypnotize my wife once and that was when she said 'Yes' when we got married," he joked.

"Ever since then, I think she's had me in a trance."