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Introduction
How long has it been
since you had an analytical resister in your office?
Virtually all
experienced hypnotists occasionally hear a client say, “I didn’t feel
hypnotized; I heard every word you said…” More often than not, these words come
from the lips of an analytical resister.
If we accept the
opportunity, the analytical resister can help us sharpen our skills in the art
of hypnosis from start to finish. Regardless of the analytical client’s goal,
our secondary goal should be to help him/her believe that trance was
obtained…and that starts with how we explain and employ suggestibility tests.
Utilizing
Suggestibility Tests
Words
have impact subconsciously as well as consciously, even when a person is in a
fully conscious state of awareness. Any experienced professional sales person
knows this, as should every experienced hypnotherapist. If we tell a client
that we are going to test their suggestibility, some clients will equate
suggestibility with gullibility, and be less likely to respond. Others might
have test anxiety, and be afraid of “failing” the test. My words are as follows:
“I’m going to give you an opportunity to discover the
power of your imagination…”
First,
some people fear giving up control…and the above wording eases that fear. Whose
power is it? The client has the power, right inside the imagination. Through effective
use of a suggestibility test, we can help the client find that power and
understand the role it plays in our lives. We are artists, and our job is to
say the right words.
There
are numerous suggestibility tests to choose from, and we need to use as many as
it takes to elicit a client response. The one I use the most is the arm
levitation, with an imaginary bucket in one hand and
imaginary helium balloons in the other one. Once the response becomes evident,
I say:
“Hold your arms where they are, and open your eyes. Your
arms did NOT move because I told them to, but because you imagined the bucket
or the balloons. What this demonstrates is IMAGINATION is the LANGUAGE of the
subconscious.”
With
an analytical person, I often have to use two or three suggestibility tests to
elicit a response; but this becomes very important later. Prior to hypnosis, I
refer back to the “demonstration of imagination” and remind the client that
he/she must imagine a peaceful place when asked to do so. Also, if I suggest imagining
the benefits of being a nonsmoker but they imagine lighting up, what will the
subconscious buy? This puts responsibility back on the client to participate in
the process. Additionally, I remind the client that the mind can think faster
than the spoken voice, so it is important to imagine the things I suggest.
When
I know in advance that the client is analytical (or if a previous inducted
failed to work), I employ a mental confusion induction.
Mental
Confusion Induction
Any
technique designed to confuse the conscious mind can induce the hypnotic state
once the critical faculty is bypassed, or the moment of passivity occurs. This
type of induction is called mental confusion. While the conscious mind is
trying to find the logic in what is being said or done, suggestions are given
to the subconscious mind to deepen the state of hypnosis.
Charles
Tebbetts taught two examples of mental confusion.
The
first involved instructing the client to close his/her eyes on even numbers and
open them on odd numbers (or vice versa) as the hypnotist counts either
forwards or backwards. As you start counting, watch for watering or redness in
the whites of the eyes. When either of these begins, start pausing longer when
the eyes are closed, and hastening when the eyes should be open. You may add
words such as:
"It becomes easy to forget, difficult to remember,
whether your eyes should be open or closed…and as you remember to forget, or
forget to remember, open or closed, odd or even, you just find yourself going
deeper into hypnosis...and you can double the hypnosis or triple the
trance."
At
the first sign of hesitation, start skipping some numbers. This helps create
more mental confusion.
The
other mental confusion technique that Charlie taught involved having the client
count out loud backwards from 100, one number per breath. We may then suggest
that the client simply "relax the numbers right out of your mind."
The client's conscious mind gets occupied with saying the numbers verbally
while the subconscious is simultaneously hearing hypnotic suggestions.
“As the numbers get smaller, they signal your
subconscious or your inner mind to allow you to drift deeper in hypnosis,
either gradually or quickly. Soon you can either forget to remember the next
number, or remember to forget the one that followed before…or the one that came
afterward. And any time you forget a number, or repeat a number, or skip a
number, or say two numbers in the same breath, or take two breaths between
numbers, you DOUBLE the hypnosis or
TRIPLE the trance…” etc.
Also,
it's quite probable that the above technique evolved from a similar technique
described by Dr. John Hughes as "John Hartland's Eye‑Fixation
with Distraction Induction" (pages 74‑75 of Hypnosis: the
Induction of Conviction), which incorporates eye‑fixation
as well.
Once
trance is achieved, it becomes important to utilize one or more suggestions
that help validate the hypnotic state. Tebbetts
called these suggestions “convincers.” The scientific community referred to
them as challenge suggestions.
Employ
a Convincer
If
you hypnotize an analytical resister and fail to give at least one convincer,
your chances are very high that the client will leave your office believing
that hypnosis did not occur. Although I use one convincer on every client’s
first session, I often employ two or three of them with the analytical client.
There are many available. The one I use with almost everyone is eye catalepsy.
I say:
“Remember that in your imagination you can do anything
you wish. Just imagine the sensation of total drowsiness, as though your
eyelids are so heavy, droopy, and drowsy, that they just want to relax. Imagine
they are so relaxed that they are locking shut…and even if you try to open
them, you find they just want to stay shut. Stop trying and go deeper.”
Choose
at least one more convincer with the analytical client. Also, I reserve a third
one for use just before awakening: arm
levitation. I ask the client to imagine one arm is getting lighter, as
though it is floating or being held up by helium balloons…and the other arm is
getting heavier, as though it is made out of lead. I continue with the imagery
for two or three minutes. Then, IMMEDIATELY after the formal awakening, I say:
“Good stuff…isn’t it? What was easier to imagine: the
light arm or the heavy arm?”
Notice
the either/or choice. Even the most analytical of clients will almost always
give me an answer. Regardless of whether it was light, heavy, or both, I
continue…
“Was the difference between your two arms slight,
moderate, or very noticeable?”
Regardless
of which choice the client makes, I continue…
“In a deep state, there is a very noticeable difference,
and the light arm might even feel as though it is floating up all by itself. In
a medium state, there is a moderate difference between the two arms. In a light
state of hypnosis, there is little or no difference…however, ANY difference of
feeling is proof that you were in hypnosis!”
This
often convinces the analytical client who might otherwise try to explain away
the convincers that he/she responded to during trance. Note that any obvious
response to a convincer during trance will often be concluded with a suggestion
such as, “As you feel your arm floating up weightlessly (etc.), you go deeper,
totally convinced that you are experiencing hypnosis!”
Time
Distortion
With analytical
clients, I like to use as many tools as possible to validate their trance
journeys. I endeavor to keep them in hypnosis for at least 30 minutes and then
give a time distortion suggestion just before awakening, either before or after
the light/heavy arm:
“Now it doesn’t matter whether your trance time felt
like only five or ten minutes, or more like 15 minutes…you can be pleasantly
surprised upon awakening…”
On occasion time
distortion suggestions have been effective with an analytical client who
otherwise tried to explain away all other convincers. We may never know for
sure which convincer will have the best effect with any one analytical client;
so why not use them all?
You may find various
induction techniques in my book, The Art
of Hypnosis (Kendall/Hunt Publishing), available here at my website. This
text also has a chapter devoted to convincers. Also I have a DVD on inductions
as well as a DVD with convincers. Mention this article and receive a free CD
with your order of any DVD.
Professional
Recommendation
Sometimes hypnosis
professionals tend to like a particular induction so much that they try to fit
all their clients to it. While mental confusion inductions are great for
analytical people, clients with short attention spans may find a mental
confusion induction annoying. Employ a faster induction for anyone with a short
attention span.
Good luck!
******************
NOTE:
The above article is based on information covered in
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******************
Roy
Hunter practices hypnotherapy near Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest region of
the USA. He also worked part time for the Franciscan Hospice facilitating
hypnotherapy for terminal patients for seven years, and teaches a 9-month
professional hypnotherapy training course based on the teachings of Charles Tebbetts. Roy is the recipient of numerous awards, including
awards from three different organizations for lifetime achievement in the
hypnosis profession. You may see Roy’s numerous awards at: http://www.royhunter.com/hunter.htm
Roy
is available for mentoring and coaching.
For more info, visit: http://www.royhunter.com/consulting.htm
You
may purchase
http://www.royhunter.com/hypnosis_books.htm
Last
updated: February 9, 2011
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Originally Posted December 4,
2007