Charles Manson Once Hypnotized Danny Trejo While They Were In Jail Together, And The Story Is Pretty Chilling

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Disclaimer: This post mentions drug addiction and graphic drug use ideation.

So, this is Danny Trejo.

But throughout the '60s, before Danny became this widely renowned action star, he was in and out of prisons like San Quentin, Folsom, and Soledad.

In his new memoir, Trejo, Danny talks about the time he met Charles Manson in jail and got hypnotized by him.

Back in 1961, when Danny was only 17, he was arrested and brought to the Los Angeles County Jail, where Manson was also being held.

Danny Trejo
Miikka Skaffari / Getty Images, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

Danny recalled, "He was so poor, he didn't have a belt, and instead used a piece of string to keep his pants up."

Charles Manson being escorted into prison

"I felt sorry for him. It was clear the only shower the man was ever going to have was the one he was going to get in jail."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

He continued, "When we first met him, it was before all that [Manson family] stuff, okay? He was like a 5-foot, slick little wimp. He wasn’t a bully. Wasn’t a thug. But he had the jargon of prison and jail."

Charles Manson being escorted into prison
John Malmin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Danny shared that in exchange for protection, Manson told his jail mates that he would take them through a guided meditation that would get them high without actually using any drugs.

Charles Manson is escorted by several Los Angeles County sheriffs to a police van
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

So, they sat down, closed their eyes, and the meditation began. "For 15 minutes, in great detail, he walked us through the process of copping the dope, finding a place to fix, cooking the heroin in a spoon, drawing it into a needle, and sticking it in our veins."

<div><p>"Even before I fake-fixed, I could taste it in my mouth. Any junkie knows what that is like. By the time he described it hitting my bloodstream, I felt the warmth flowing through my body."</p></div><span> Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images</span>

"Even before I fake-fixed, I could taste it in my mouth. Any junkie knows what that is like. By the time he described it hitting my bloodstream, I felt the warmth flowing through my body."

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Danny, who's been sober since 1969, ended with, "If that white boy wasn't a career criminal, he could have been a professional hypnotist."

You can read the rest of Danny's life story in his memoir, Trejo, which is out now.