Over spring break, three of my friends and I went to Hilton Head in South Carolina. I loved the pleasant weather, the beautiful nature, our Airbnb with one of the comfiest beds I’ve ever slept in, and, of course, being able to travel by bike to (almost) anywhere we needed. It was a delightful experience, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering going.
Going to the airport in Savannah, Georgia, from the Airbnb would only be an hour’s drive. We were leaving for the airport at around 3 PM and were well-rested from the night before, so we didn’t even consider the possibility of falling asleep on the way. Getting a ride to the airport was more complicated than we expected. We tried to get an Uber multiple times, but the app kept crashing. Almost immediately after switching to Lyft, we found an offer cheaper than what we were expecting. Our future driver had given over 3,000 rides and had a perfect 5-star rating. All comments were about the ride being extremely smooth and relaxing, so this seemed like the ideal option.
Our driver seemed like a pretty regular guy. We could feel how comfortable the seats of his car were and felt the smoothness of the ride the comments mentioned. A few minutes after some small talk, the driver told us that most people leave his car more sleepy than when they came in. The rest of the ride was a haze.
I fell into the music he was playing, which was the most relaxing combination of soft rock and blues I’d heard. Again, I didn’t intend to sleep during this ride, and I wasn’t even feeling sleepy in any way, but I began drifting into sleep without realizing it until later. After seemingly a few seconds of this, Ashley (Chen) tapped my shoulder to let me know she could finally remember an important username she forgot while she felt herself falling asleep. We were surprised and joked about this briefly but returned to our own zones a few moments later. I don’t even remember falling asleep, and I have never been able to fall asleep sitting up straight. All I remember is listening closely to the music, feeling immersed, and eventually reaching a state of enlightenment. I wish I was kidding about the enlightenment part, but I genuinely felt all my fears for life washing away on a level I had never experienced before. At some point, I woke up and saw we were 10 minutes away from the airport. For some reason, I felt extremely relaxed and well-rested after this short nap. We got to the airport, and all were confused about what that ride was.
All four of us discussed the situation once we left the car. Apparently, we all fell asleep at around the same time, all having a specific memory about the last song we heard, and we all woke up at the same time, as in 10 minutes away from our destination. In addition, we all felt well-rested, almost like we got a whole night’s rest, and were weirdly giggly right after. So yes, this was not good and could’ve ended so badly. I am so shocked that we didn’t get kidnapped since literally all four of us were asleep.
What really got me was when Ashley, who had constantly said throughout the trip that she could never fall asleep in a car or plane, literally fell asleep next to us. Also, she told us she was actively trying to stay awake to ensure we were safe, even following the directions on her phone to confirm the Lyft was taking us to the right place. Even then, she fell asleep.
At this point, I almost entirely believed we were hypnotized, and after the hypnosis show today, Ashley and I were wholly convinced. Hypnosis usually occurs when an expectation is set about how you will feel. This action was in effect when the driver told us most people feel more sleepy after the ride. Also, hypnosis can help you uncover memories you didn’t know you had and shift core beliefs. In this case, Ashley could remember her login information, and I felt clarity in my fears. We all fell into this trance and snapped out of it simultaneously without a clear cue, and we all felt recharged after. Music supports hypnosis greatly, allowing different brain parts to be activated. The songs the driver played definitely played a significant component in whatever trance we entered because we all came out distinctly remembering what we were listening to.
If you want to get a taste of the songs our driver played for us, Ashley found two of them: Harvest Moon by Lord Huron and Carolina in My Mind by James Taylor. Anyways, I hope I’m wrong about everything, and we actually weren’t hypnotized in a Lyft in South Carolina because if we were, that would be crazy, right?
Woah, Ria, I almost got hypnotized there! It’s super cool that you were able to plan such a fun trip with your friends (and the trip being able to make it out of the group chat). I have been to South Carolina once on a road trip and the scenery is just so nice. There’s a lot of diversity and pretty beaches. I’ll have to write down Hilton Head on my bucketlist now. I have never used Lyft or Uber in my life, but I can totally understand your frustration and relief when finding this one driver. I’m not sure if I’m extremely sleep deprived or just lazy, but I can fall asleep almost anywhere. If this driver can work his magic, he definitely deserves those 5 stars. I remember learning about hypnosis in AP Psych a few weeks ago and how it’s actually real. It’s crazy to think that going through mindful meditation or sleep can have amazing benefits (like remembering your username). Maybe this is a sign for everyone to sleep earlier. Thanks for the blog, Ria! It was nice hearing about your vacation.
Hi Ria!
Your setup to this story made the entire ordeal all the more eerie and interesting to read about. The way Uber wasn’t working and the way the Lyft was just perfect for you guys is honestly pretty creepy, considering the way you guys reacted in his car. Your blog post kind of felt like reading one of those creepy-pasta stories in 2016.
I’m honestly jealous at the amount of relaxation you felt in the Lyft, it really makes me want to experience something like that myself. I listened to some of the music after reading your blog, and I definitely understand how you guys might have fallen asleep. It really is kind of like the perfect combination of jazz and meditation music. It’s peaceful enough to put you at ease, but not too monotonous to where you get bored. Reading about Ashley’s diligence to stay awake, but still falling asleep, really makes the whole experience feel a lot more mystical, and I’m really glad that everything ended up alright. I also agree that the driver’s statement about sleepy rides was a cue to make you much more prone to actually feeling sleepy. After participating in the show, did you end up feeling the same way that you did in the Uber?
Hi Ria! Honestly what a coincidence that I stumbled across your blog in my feed, because I recall Ashley telling me about this experience too. We were working together at the Bavarian Lodge and she turns to me and goes: “I lowkey got hypnotized in South Carolina.” Which prompted me to go: “what, how?” Which then led to a very intriguing story on the relaxing powers of a Lyft Driver.
I honestly haven’t traveled by bike in a long time so I’m a little jealous of your experience. I don’t think I’ve biked since middle school but I remember biking being one of the most calming activities ever since you could just enjoy the breeze while going moderately fast.
It’s so weird how this Lyft driver seemed like the only option you guys could take… Which is a little suspicious considering the events that happened… Like what if the Lyft driver had manipulated the Uber app to crash so that he was your only option? Just a thought.
Ashley had also told me that she never falls asleep on cars and this was one of the first times it has ever happened. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a little weary of this driver…
Hey Ria. Before the hypnotist assembly, I thought hypnotism would never work on me, but after seeing it I’ve changed my mind. I don’t know for what exact reason, but I must secretly believe in hypnotism deep down. So, when you talk about being hypnotized, I’m going to have to believe you. I have a similar experience that requires a little backstory to have this make sense. My sister graduated in 2019 and at her grad party, she catered this Mexican restaurant in Aurora. My family friend and I really liked the quesadillas from there, so one day a few summers ago we decided to drive to the restaurant so that we can eat them again. On the way there, the drive took maybe 30ish minutes, but on the way home, we left around 1 and didn’t get home until 2:30/3. It would make sense if we maybe took a wrong turn or stopped somewhere, but when we look back on it, neither of us remembers what we were doing on the drive home, so we have both come to the conclusion that we were like abducted by aliens or, in your case, hypnotized. Everytime we’ve gone back, it’s only taken us 30 minutes there and back so that will be one of the moments I won’t understand. Anyway, I’m glad that you didn’t like die or anything on that lyft ride. Maybe if nothing bad happened and you even felt well rested after, he is a good hypnotist.
Hi Ria.
I’m a little shocked that you were able to write a seven hundred word blog post about a Lyft ride. But mostly, I’m impressed. It takes a lot of creativity to write this much about an experience I would literally not bat an eye at.
I’m not going to lie, even with the assembly, I’m still a little skeptical about the possibility of hypnotism. Because of this, I have my doubts about whether or not you guys were really hypnotized in your Lyft. I’m a chronic cynic, hater, and disbeliever though so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I’m just more inclined to think that you all felt sleepy because your driver was a good one and because there’s a great deal of fatigue that comes with traveling.
But even though I’m still skeptical, because of what I saw at the assembly, I’m more inclined to believe that hypnosis is a possible explanation. I haven’t had the chance to talk to you about the assembly specifically, but I had a blast watching everyone–specifically you and Gloria. Thank you guys for putting yourselves on the line for everyone’s entertainment, it’s really appreciated. Since I watched all of you guys do things I wouldn’t be caught dead partaking in, I’ll leave my mind open about whether or not you really got hypnotized in that Lyft.
Thanks for sharing.
Ria,
This blog was not at all what I was expecting. I thought you would talk about your hypnotizing experience at school, not done by a stranger driving you around in your Lyft. It sounds so surreal and scary! The fact that all four of you fell asleep definitely indicates that somehow the music and the driver’s comments combined to create a hypnotic effect. I was curious and wanted to listen to the songs you mentioned in your post but I’m lowkey afraid to do so. I wonder if the driver somehow has a background in hypnotism and uses the music to ensure 5 star reviews on the Lyft app. To me that seems excessive and borderline illegal so I feel like someone should survey the people who’ve taken his Lyft and see if they experienced similar things. If so, I honestly feel like someone should report him or at least warn his passengers. Maybe he uses hypnotism for 5 star reviews but someone else could easily use it for kidnapping like you mentioned. I’m glad you made it out safely. And now that you’ve had a safe hypnotizing experience at school, I’m glad it helped you recognize what happened in your Lyft.
Hi Ria!! First of all, I’m glad to hear that you had a wonderful spring break. South Carolina sounded like a BLAST and I’m jealous that I can never experience the comfy bed. Uber needs to get it together gosh. I’m not going to lie, the Lyft situation sounds a little sketchy but maybe it’s just me. It’s so fascinating that all of you fell asleep even though you all were well-rested. Maybe the Lyft driver was a sorcerer and just didn’t tell you guys. I guess I am also intrigued and would like to find the same exact driver so I could test the sleepability of his car & feel the same “enlightenment” as you did. Also about the hypnosis show on Thursday, I swear it was so much fun to watch as an audience member but I’m sure it was way more fun being actually hypnotized. I was actually going to sign up to do it but then I realized that I’m too paranoid to actually let myself undergo hypnosis, so I decided not to. I’m hoping that you did indeed give the driver 5 stars because it just sounded like the most calming ride ever, and again, I’m glad you had fun!
I genuinely think you are just built for hypnosis, you got double whammed in less than a week. What I remember about that car ride is getting in so so awake and getting my airpods out to scroll through tik tok for the next hour. However, after a few minutes, I could feel myself becoming drowsy. I didn’t think much of this because I literally love sleep so much that I will fall asleep anywhere and everywhere. A nice air-conditioned car ride for an hour is indeed the perfect environment to sleep, so I allowed myself to doze off. When I woke up, I first checked to see how far we were from the airport – only five minutes away! I was surprised at myself, that I managed to wake up at the exact time I should have. But what was truly weird was when I looked to my side, I saw Ashley and you also wake up just a few seconds after me. I saw Louisa wake up in the front just a few seconds after that. The craziest part is, none of us made any noise or movements. We all just happened to wake up one right after another at the time we should have. There are quite a few mysterious. Maybe it was the perfect blend of music, air conditioning, the highway and such a smooth car. Maybe we all woke up because the car slowed down when we got off the highway. We will never know. All I know is I am glad I went on that trip with you and I am glad we chose the perfect ride back home. The perfect ending to a perfect trip!
Hi Ria! I knew that I had to respond to your blog this week because first of all, I’ve heard about this story, and second, GOOD LUCK AT BPA. The most comfortable bed and being able to travel by bike seems like a dream come true. I got chills when you were describing how you felt after the increment of you “falling asleep”. A state of enlightenment? All your fears washing away? Well rwped? Melting into the music? I cannot believe it. That sounds extremely nice, but also extremely creepy. I feel like I would like to get hypnotized. day. I know that you were hypnotized at the hypnotist assembly, so I wonder if it got the same? Also, what if you guys were actually doing things hypnotized, but couldn’t remember. Hypnosis seems quite powerful, the way that you told the story makes it seem very immersive. HAving heard this a few times told in person, this description gives me a better understanding of the experience . That shows a lot of trust in the Lyft driver. Honestly, I am pretty convinced that you all were hypnotized. Harvest Moon and Carolina on My Mind are both really nice songs and I am completely shocked about their hypnosis powers. I wonder, did the driver say anything?