entire book 2006

Hypnotic Beginnings

By Andrew Laframboise Cht.

Brief references on hypnosis as

taught by Mike Mandel.

Jan 1, 2007

Resources Books: Collected papers of Milton Erickson M.D. (4 volumes), Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestion by D. Corydon Hammond PHD., Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman, Emotional Freedom by Gary Flynt, Monsters and Magical Sticks by Terry Stoole

Authors: E. Rossi, J. Zeig, Steven Gilligan ( on Ericksonian ) George Estabrooks (hypnotism), Konradi Leitner, Harry Arons, Leslie Lecron, Andre Weitzenhoffer, Kroger, Hilgard, Walberg, Van Pelt, Walter Gibson, Marlene Hunter, Dave Elman, Gill Boyne, and anything by John Grinder and Richard Bandler

Movies: My Dinner With Andre`

Web Resources: abe.com for books that are hard to get or out of print, nlpcanada.ca for up to date information and courses

Email addresses: [email protected] (Andrew Laframboise),

Music: Any music without words and that never had words, e.g., Wind Trance (Solitudes Series), Star Gazing by Dan Gibson.

Four E’s: Erickson, Elman, Esdale, Estabrooks Page 1

Chapter 1: Inductions

Before we start with the actual inductions we will cover some of the basic tools you should utilize before you begin an actual induction.

Position: Set up 2 chairs on a slight angle. You can name the chairs the Hypnosis

chair and the trance chair (see double bind page 20). Ask the subject to choose 1 of the chairs and to sit comfortably with his/her feet flat on the floor and palms flat down on his/her thighs. Ask the subject to relax his/her jaw (this will quiet any internal dialogue).

Do correct any crossed legs, arms or fingers. It is impossible to hypnotize a fidgeting subject. I recommend that the session be rescheduled if the subject cannot control him/herself. It is needless to say - no gum chewing.

Brief interview: Begin a brief interview to find out some of the subject’s interests and what they are interested in. You may want to do this interview as your first session to find out what they are interested in changing, stopping or whatever therapy they are interested in. Remember to take notes. Notes are very important when it comes to designing metaphors (chapter 7) and also will be really useful in your hypnotic language (chapter 4).

Three sets: Yes sets, no sets and compliant sets are very useful tools for pre-induction. This is how they work.

Yes set: Ask a subject 3 questions that will be answered with a yes. E.g., “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” or, “Are those leather boots?”. You get the idea - make small talk and get the subject to say 3 to 5 yes answers. This will set him/her up for positive suggestion.

Compliant sets: After a successful yes set, begin the compliant set. Ask the subject to perform 3 – 5 duties, e.g., “Put your feet flat on the floor.” Then, “Put your hands flat on your thighs.” After the subject has performed 3 – 5 commands all of his receptors are fired up to take hypnotic suggestions. Begin Trance Induction.

No sets: No sets are only used with difficult subjects. They may be rebellious or may be the types who claim they can’t be hypnotized. The purpose of the no set is to defuse the negativity of the subject. Simply ask the subject 3 – 5 questions that will be answered with a “no” response. E.g., “Do you believe you can by hypnotized?” Or if the weather is bad, “Is it nice out there today?” Once the negativity is defused you can begin the yes set, compliant set and move on with the induction.

Rapport: Build rapport through body position, e.g., blinking in pace, breathing and body position. Use the same language, tone, even say the same thing right back at them. You will notice good rapport all around you. It happens when 2 friends get talking at a restaurant table. It is the key to gaining the trust of the subjects and making them feel comfortable. Build digital (verbal) and analogue (body language) rapport to allow ease of inductions and any communication you may be engaged in. Page 2

Utilization: Use whatever the subject is doing as an aid for induction. E.g., “As you sit there you may begin to realize the comfort of your bottom sitting on the chair (run the sentence on) and as you breathe you will notice with each breath you are going deeper into relaxation as your breaths become deeper with each breath.” Incorporation: Use the environment to deepen trance. Preframe as you verbalize your induction. E.g., “As you sit there I want you to listen to all the sounds in this room and allow them to relax you even deeper than you are now and with each sound you hear outside this room you will double the depth of trance you are in at the time you hear it.” Or if you were doing a walking through the woods induction describing all the sounds, visions and feelings and the air conditioning kicks in “Ahhh!” just say, “And as you walk you will begin to notice the sound of a waterfall in the distance.” Saved! See how easy it is? Or maybe it sounds good to you depending on your primary sense. Psychodynamic process: Mention (preframe) a psychodynamic process while you are doing your yes sets and building rapport. E.g., “Forgetfulness is a natural part of being human, just yesterday I was looking for my keys and they were in my left hand.” If your goal was to induce amnesia this statement would have all the subject’s receptors all fired up to forget. Points to remember:

1. Anything that assumes trance causes trance. E.g., by asking the subject to close his/her eyes or to pretend his/her arm is on a shelf will cause catalepsy.

2. Remember that you are a great hypnotist and be completely congruent. 3. All subjects are great hypnotic subjects. 4. Offer possibilities that cannot fail. E.g., “You can lift your arm, or just leave it.”

Never use the word TRY; it presupposes failure. Only use try when you want a failed attempt. E.g., “Try to open your eyes.” Do not say DON’T, unless you want the person to do what follows don’t.

5. Use double binds. Give the subject 2 options that both suit your need. E.g., “Would you like to sit in the hypnosis chair or the trance chair?”

6. Talking should only be done in deeper trances. There is less chance of the subject coming out.

7. For stage hypnotism look for 5th row syndrome and people who are paying extreme attention.

Try new things: If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else. Be flexible and keep using different inductions. Calibration: Notice what analogue signals the subject is displaying. Calibrate your induction process to fit the signals. Pace with the subject’s breathing and slow down once trance starts. Use your peripheral noticing to detect body language; it is designed to detect movement. Page 3

Types of Inductions Ericksonian: Milton Erickson believed in occupying the conscious mind while he worked on the unconscious mind. His trances often were a result of his run on, ambiguous, vague language. He would leave so much of what he was saying up for interpretation that the subject’s conscious mind would be so busy that he/she would fall into a trance easily. He also used 4 tuples. (We’ll talk about this in greater detail in chapter 5.) He would have the subject fully experience a situation by asking them to visualize (V), hear/auditory (A), and feel/kinesthetic (K) which includes smell (olfactory) and taste (gustatory). If the subject begins experiencing the situation outside their primary sense, they will begin to go into trance. He also utilized confusion and tote interrupt inductions. (We’ll go into totes in chapter 5.) The theory is that when a subject is confused or surprised there is a brief window of opportunity to quickly put them into a trance. The first trance inductions we’ll go into are classic Ericksonian. We will then describe a few more that would be considered standard hypnotic trances. It is important to note that if you master the Ericksonian approach you will have a more flexible time with any trance you choose.

Induction List

1. Wrist hold 2. The little shelf 3. The handshake interrupt (tote interrupt) 4. Arm crank 5. Finger press 6. Verbal. 7. Kinesthetic ambiguity 8. Hand drop

Non Ericksonian Inductions: 1. The squeeze induction 2. Sledgehammer 3. Elman Induction 4. Esdale State 5. Glove Anesthesia 6. Self-hypnosis

Hold Wrist Induction

Always ask permission and forewarn the subject before you do anything or expect them to do anything.

Ask permission to hold the subject’s wrist. Just put your finger under his/her wrist and make sure his/her elbow is tucked right up against his/her side. You want the arm at about a 90-degree angle. Now pass your hand over the eyes in a downward motion and ask him/her to close his/her eyes. E.g., “Close your eyes now.” Use hypnotic language (chapter 4), ambiguity, run on sentences (“And as you sit there, and as you feel . . . “). You will ask the subject to visualize (V) something; bring in the auditory components (A) and the internal dialogue (Ad) as well as the feeling (K) of the experience. The idea is to have the conscious mind become overwhelmed with subjection, utilize all of it 7+/-2 chunks (chapter 3). Suggest that one of his/her arms may feel different, (Of course it does, it’s a different arm!) and that his/her arm remain in place “now” as you slowly pull your finger out from under his/her wrist. Remember anything that assumes trance causes trance. At this point the arm can remain cataleptic or fall down. If you notice the arm falling just say, “When your hand touches your lap you will fall deeper into trance, now.” You have now successfully initiated a trance state. You can use deepeners or you can work in this light state.

The Little Shelf

This induction is similar to the above. Hold the wrist from above, tuck the elbow in and close the eyes passing your hand down in front of the subject’s eyes. Now suggest that the subject’s arm is on a little shelf. Go into detail about this shelf and what it’s made of. Suggest how relaxed the arm is on this shelf and utilize hypnotic language to occupy the conscious mind. Then slowly let go of the wrist as you reinforce the reality of the little shelf. E.g., “Your arm will just stay on the shelf as you relax deeper into trance you will realize with your real eyes, the eyes of your unconscious that you are going deeper into trance now; that’s right, now.” You will almost always induce catalepsy with this technique.

Kinesthetic Ambiguity

This induction partially utilizes tote interrupt and surprise. It is important to utilize speed and accuracy in the beginning few seconds, but you must slow down your pace as you gracefully transition into the induction. Instigate a handshake. At the last moment, just before you touch hands, pull back your right hand and with your left hand reach over and grab the top of the subject’s wrist as you tuck his/her elbow in. Pass your hand down over his/her eyes as you tell him/her to close them. The goal here is to lightly move your finger all around the subject’s hand and wrist so that he/she doesn’t know if you are still holding on or not. Do this until you are confident that you can let go and the arm will remain cataleptic. Use hypnotic language to deepen the trance and than utilize fractionation to go even deeper. Deepen trance with fractionation: Forewarn the subject by saying, “In a moment I’m going to ask you to open your eyes and stare at my finger and then close your eyes again. When you close your eyes you will go deeper into trance.” This process causes the subject to have a false awakening. This always deepens a trance, by suggesting that it will deepen the trance, you will succeed in deepening the trance. Do this 3 to 5 times and as they focus in on your finger, move your finger down to their chest and say, “And just let it happen.” When your finger nears their chest, they should close their eyes. The goal is to achieve the head tilt. Now we will utilize the next deepener. Deepen with the shoulder press: Forewarn the subject that you are about to press down on their shoulders. Pace the subject’s breathing and press down from behind when he/she is breathing out and spread your hand across his/her shoulders and say, “And all the way down.” The goal is to relax all the tension out of his/her shoulders. You have achieved a deep trance and can do a lot of work now.

Hand Shake Interrupt (tote interrupt)

This is a full tote interrupt (Chapter 5) induction. You must be quick and accurate in the beginning, then pace flawlessly into a good trance pace using “the voice”. As you go to shake the subject’s hand reach with your left hand and gently redirect the subject’s hand towards his/her face, palm first. Say, “Focus in on the lines of your hand and as your hand moves towards your face, (Give the hand a little push.) You can close your eyes. When your hand touches your face you will go all the way down into trance.” At this point you can continue with deepeners and hypnotic language. The key here is to disrupt the automatic action of shaking hands. When the subject is confused, he is in a trance and is open to suggestion.

Finger Press This induction is a form of kinesthetic ambiguity. Begin by holding up the subject’s finger. Ask him/her to press down with his finger and allow the finger to go down. Now ask the subject to close his/her eyes and do it again. While they are pressing ask them to go lighter and lighter until the finger becomes cataleptic. Now say, “ As you sit there, you may notice that your finger is feeling very light. Let that feeling flow into your hand and up your arm. A beautiful warm feeling is flowing through your body allowing you to go deeper into trance; that’s right.” You can proceed to deepen the trance with deepeners.

Verbal Induction Ask the client to close his or her eyes. Now ask them to visualize a time and place using 4 tuples (chapter 5). Bring in the entire experience describing what they are seeing (V), hearing (A), and feeling (K). Be sure to utilize what is going on in the room so that they are not distracted. Remember to be vague in your language; let them fill in the blanks. You do not want to describe something that is not part of their experience. E.g., “As your feet feel the floor and your body finds comfort in the chair you can really concentrate on my voice and relax; that’s right. You may realize with your eyes of your mind, with your real eyes, that’s right, within your unconscious mind, and as you wonder about the unconscious, you can be comfortable, now knowing that you can learn so much at a deep unconscious level, remembering or forgetting half of it.” Be sure to be ambiguous and allow the conscious mind to be caught up filling in blanks; confuse it.

Hand Drop

This induction is for people who want to go into trance. Shake the right hand by

the thumb and drop it while saying, “Enter trance - now.” Do the same with the left hand and say, “Go twice as deep.” Deepen with shoulder press, then fractionate.

Arm Rotation Rotate arm (elbow tucked in). Use ambiguous language. Look for sighs (signs of

fatigue or automated behavior) and then let go of arm and say, “And just let it happen.” Very simple; good for stage hypnosis.

Traditional Induction Methods

Squeeze Induction

This is a great induction; it includes kinesthetic ambiguity, false awakenings and really convinces the subject he/she had a hypnotic experience. Start by asking the subject to squeeze 2 of your fingers as tight as he/she can. Ask him/her to close their eyes and squeeze tighter. Then ask him/her to release their grip just enough to let your fingers go. E.g., “ In a moment I’m going to ask you to relax your hand just enough to let my fingers go.” Focus on conversation about the hand as you do ambiguous touching for about 45 seconds. Say, “ Imagine your hand locking as you search for a problem. Let me know when you have found the problem by nodding your head for yes and locking your hand so that no matter how hard you try to open it, you just can’t. Now. That’s right.” Now have the subject find the solution and install it. E.g., say, “In a moment I want you to look for the solution to your problem and as you install the solution you can open your eyes. You can open your eyes and your hand will start to open only when you have fully installed the solution. Only when the solution is fully installed will you be able to open your hand. Begin now.” This is my favorite induction; often the subject will just look at his hand for several minutes. If he/she cannot open his/her hand, just ask them to pull it open with their other hand.

Sledgehammer Induction Be sure to build up the rapport and utilize the yes sets. You want the subject in a suggestible frame of mind; they don’t call this the sledgehammer for nothing. Have the subject sit down while you stand in front of them. Ask them to press down on your hand with their dominant hand while focusing on your left eye (if they are right handed) ask them to press harder and harder. Say, “ On the count of three go into trance: 1 2 3. Sleep.” At that moment let your hand drop as you gently guide them down into a hunched position. It is important to continue talking hypnotically using “the voice” and suggest they go deeper into trance as you guide them up into a more relaxing position. Say, “As I guide you up into a relaxing position, you can just go deeper into trance.”

The Elman Induction

This is the most important induction created by Dave Elman. It must be done exactly and every test must be passed fully. This induction takes you all the way down and is the 1st step to achieving the Esdale State, also known as “the basement”. This induction should take about 4 minutes and has a 90% success rate. It has rapport, yes sets and even the language is specific. Follow and pass each phase and you will succeed. Begin with the yes sets. Ask, “Can you imagine making a fist so tight that you couldn’t make it any tighter?” Get a yes from the subject on each question. Now ask, “And can you imagine the opposite? Relaxing your hand so much that you couldn’t possibly relax it any more?” Wait for the yes. Now say, “Well, that’s the kind of relaxation I want you to achieve. You see, I can relax the muscles around my eyes so much that as long as I hold that relaxation they just won’t work. (Demonstrate with your eyebrows, lifting them) Of course I can open them when I want to. But I want you to hold on to the relaxation and try to open them while keeping them shut.” Remember to use “in a moment” before you do anything new. Phase one: Raise your hand about 6-8 inches in front of the subject’s eyes while saying “Take a deep breathe and hold it a few seconds… now allow your eyes to close.” Pass your hand downward in front of their face. “Now relax the tiny muscles around your eyes so much that as long as you hold on to that relaxation you couldn’t open them if you tried. And when you have relaxed them so much that its impossible to relax them any more, give them a good test.” If they pop open say, “Congratulations; you proved that you are in control by opening your eyes. You do that every day. Now prove to yourself that you can relax your eyes and stay in control by not being able to open them as you hold onto that relaxation.” Now tell them to stop trying and allow a wave of that same quality of relaxation to flow from the top of their head to the bottom of their toes. “That’s right.” Fractionate to deepen the trance. Say, “We can deepen the relaxation much more. In a moment I’m going to ask you to open and close your eyes. When you close your eyes that’s your signal to let your feelings of relaxation become 10 times deeper (twice works). All you have to do is want it to happen and you can make it happen easily.” “Okay, now open your eyes (raise your hand in front of his/her face); now close your eyes (move hand down), and feel that wonderful relaxation flowing though your entire body as you go 10 times deeper into trance. In a moment I’m going to ask you to open your eyes and close them again and as you close them, just double the relaxation you have now. Okay open your eyes (hand up); now close them (hand down) and twice as deep, now.” Do this 5-6 times.

Phase 2 Muscle relaxation Now for the purpose of being less repetitive you will ensure that “in a moment”

will precede all commands. The first step to muscle relaxation is to do the hand drop. You will say, “In a moment I’m going to lift your right hand by the thumb and then drop it. If you have followed my instructions, your hand will be as limp as a wet washcloth; just let me do all the work so that when I let go, it will just drop down and you will allow yourself to go much deeper.” If the subject helps you lift it again say, “No. Let me do all the lifting. Let it be heavy and limp.” (Give the hand a shake by the thumb as you let it go.) Now explain how the subject is physically relaxed, “And now you are going to help yourself relax mentally to the same degree.” You must have unassisted hand drops to move to the next phase. Phase 3 Mental relaxation

This section is best described by what you say. “In a moment I’m going to ask you to begin counting backwards out loud from 100. With each number I want you double the relaxation. I want you to say it like this, 100… deeper relaxed, 99…deeper relaxed. Now if you do it like I say, by the time you reach 98 or maybe sooner there will be no numbers to say. You will have relaxed the numbers right out of your mind. Now realize you have to do this, I can’t do this for you, you’re the one who’s in control. Want it to happen. Will it to happen. Make it happen”. “Now say the first number and double your mental relaxation.” Subject says, “100 deeper relaxed.” You say, “That’s right, now double the relaxation and relax the numbers right out of your mind. Subject says, “99 deeper relaxed.” You say, “That’s right, they are already going; let them fade and relax them away as you double your mental relaxation, now.” When the subject stops counting, ask them if the numbers are gone. Get an answer; if “No” keep going. You must pass all tests before you proceed. You have completed the Elman Induction. Now lets go on to the Esdale state and then summarize everything into quick points.

Esdale State

The first thing in doing the Esdale state is to complete the Elman Induction exactly. The numbers must be gone before you proceed to the last phase.

Esdale phase:

Say, “In a moment I’m going to ask you to say ‘A’ and go to a level twice as deep as you are now. Say ‘A’ now. Subject says ‘A’. You say, “Twice as deep. In a moment I’m going to ask you to say ‘B’ and go twice as deep as you are now. Say ‘B’. Subject says ‘B’. You say, “Twice as deep. In a moment you are going to say ‘C’ and go to the very bottom level of relaxation. Go there now.” Subject may or may not say ‘C’ (he/she may be too relaxed to utter a sound). Tests:

You must test in order and all tests must pass. 1. General anesthesia without warning. Pinch hard or hit a nerve. There should be no

pain or even any reaction - a total lack of reaction. 2. Large muscle test without warning. Say, “Stand up!” No reaction. 3. Small muscle test without reaction. Say, “Open your eyes!” No reaction. 4. Full body catalepsy, unsuggested. Lift an appendage, give it a shake, then place it

in a position and let go. It should just stay there. A ratchet effect will occur when you move it.

Once all of these tests are successfully completed you can begin surgery. If he/she does not come out on suggestion (because they are enjoying the state so completely), here is an easy way to get them to come out of trance. Tell them that you are going to install programs that will prevent them from ever entering this state again (or that they have urinated in their pants). They will always come out on their own eventually.

Quick summary

1. Yes sets. Imagine your fist tight and then relaxed. 2. Eye muscle relaxation and test for eyelid catalepsy. 3. Fractionate 5 to 6 times to double the relaxation each time. 4. Hand drops, fully unassisted. 5. Mind relaxation, the numbers must be gone. 6. Add Esdale, A, B, C, doubling the relaxation right to the bottom. 7. Tests, Anesthesia, Large muscle, Small muscle and Full body catalepsy.

Every test must be passed before you proceed. You can do this to yourself.

Glove Anesthesia

I will describe this induction in quoted instruction. This induction is great for pain relief and dental work. Hypnotist (H): “Find a focal point high up and just stare at it. You will notice your eyes begin to fatigue and your blink reflex slows. And as your eyelids close, you will notice that they are stuck. It is as if they are coated in glue. They will just get stuck closed. Now.” Subject (S): Eyes are closed. H: “In a moment I want you to find a deeper level of relaxation. Now. Now go twice as deep as you are now, that’s right.”

S: Medium trance. H: “In a moment I’m going to pick up your right/left hand.” (Dominant hand) Pick it up and tuck in the elbow. S: Hand is cataleptic. H: “I want you to notice all the sensations – all those tingly and unusual sensations in your hand.” Story time! Tell a story about a frozen or sleepy hand. Use a sunny day if describing the frozen hand; I think it works well because of the high focal point usually being bright. Once you have set up the receptors begin to suggest numbness of the hand. “I want you to imagine putting your hand into snow and intensifying the sensation of numbness. Intensify the numbness with each breath.” Test with a pinch. Anesthesia is no pain and no sensation. Analgesia is no pain, but sensation. To compound the sensation, move it to the other hand and ask the subject to double the numbness. I found taking the time to really get a good numbness was important. You can compound this a few times and eventually end up on the spot you want to have numbed. You can suggest that the numbness travels in a stream or that it just moves quickly from spot to spot. .

Self Hypnosis

The most important thing you do in self-hypnosis is the set up: what you want to work on, how long you will be in trance, and how you are going to feel when you come out. E.g., say out loud, “I’m going into self hypnosis for 20 minutes to work on my immune system. When I come out I will feel sleepy and ready for bed.” This allows you to relax and let your unconscious mind do all the work

The Induction: Imagine a meter stick. See it with your eyes closed. Now imagine a glass slide on that meter stick. Ask yourself what level would be normal conscious behavior (about 80 is fine). Now ask what level would a deep trance be, (around 20). Ask yourself to go to 20. Visualize it; even imagine a high pitch sound getting lower as you go deep into trance. Do the Esdale on yourself. I find I can get a really deep trance using the Esdale. One problem with self-hypnosis is that you are disassociated. It is tough to be the hypnotist, the subject and the observer. This is why you do all the suggestion up front before you go into trance. Be confident that your unconscious mind knows what to do.

Chapter 3 Hypnosis

This section will define, describe and explain hypnosis. Many theories and principles will be explained. Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. Some say that all meditation is hypnosis but not all hypnosis is meditation. When you begin to look into yourself and use and imagine situations in full detail using all your senses you begin the first stage of induction. The 30 seconds to 3 minutes before and after sleep are trance periods. In these times you are open to suggestion. Methods: There are 2 methods of induction.

1. Direct, where the hypnotist instructs the subject into trance. H -> S = T 2. Indirect, the Ericksonian approach where the hypnotist and the subject work

together to induce a trance. H = T = S (circle diagram)

Signs of trance: 1. Eye flutter 2. Twitchy movement 3. Facial relaxation 4. Lower lip size appears larger 5. Eyes water (lacrimation) 6. Warmth to extremities 7. Slurred speech 8. Slow pulse 9. Hand drop (Like a wet dishcloth.) 10. Neck feels like ball bearings in olive oil 11. Catalepsy 12. Answers questions literally. E.g. If you ask, “Can you tell me your name?” They

will simply say, “Yes.” 13. Head tilt

The Critical Faculty: This is the area that separates the conscious mind from the unconscious mind. The critical faculty is the common sense or the reasoning part of the mind. E.g., If you as tell a 4 year old whose critical faculty has not developed yet to go out to the hall and get some candy from a dragon, he would believe you. You wouldn’t because your critical faculty can differentiate reality from make believe. Hypnosis sets the critical faculty aside and allows the hypnotist to talk directly to the unconscious mind. 7 +/- 2 Chunks: This represents how many bits of information that can be processed at one time by the conscious mind. If you occupy the conscious mind by using ambiguity (having the conscious mind interpret meanings), you can easily begin work on the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind processes 7.2 million chunks of information including all bodily functions and memory storage. It never forgets a single detail and is storing everything that you do or sense, even if you are not conscious of it.

Remember, there is no such thing as a bad subject. Just inflexible hypnotists. Be congruent and confident, never resist, and meet resistance with deflection. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The Top Six Prime Directives of the Unconscious Mind:

1. Self-preservation. Unconscious programs are always designed for positive motives. A subject cannot obey suggestions that go against his/her beliefs.

2. Responds like a robot, does not think things through. A hypnotist has to become more clear and direct as the subject goes deeper into trance.

3. Has a positive nature. May make mistakes and run antiquated programs. 4. All data is stored in 4 tuples using visual (V), auditory (A), Kinesthetic (K),

including Olfactory (O)(smell), Gustatory (G) (taste) Auditory digital (Ad)(Internal dialogue).

5. Is lazy and stuck in its ways. Will run old antiquated programs and behaviors that have no current relevant meaning, but may have had 10 years ago.

6. Stores data under many different categories/files (i.e., same info in several places).

Trance tests: 1. Hand Splat. (When dropped the hand will fall like a wet dishrag.) 2. Anesthesia or analgesia. 3. Facial relaxation, head tilt and hunch over. 4. Literal answers to questions. 5. Catalepsy. 6. Eye flutter, increased watering (lacrimation) and redness. 7. Reorientation after trance.

Hypnosis is: 1. A state of wakefulness. 2. A state of heightened awareness. 3. Internal focus. 4. An altered state. 5. A state of selective thinking. 6. A state of partial relaxation. 7. A means of accessing the unconscious resources. 8. A focusing of the imagination. (Imagine/pretend are often used in hypnotic

language). 9. A narrowing of thinking. 10. A set of procedures. 11. A state and process. 12. A state maintained by a process. 13. Naturally occurring. 14. A mind body connection. 15. A sophisticated form of communication. 16. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis is not: 1. Being asleep. 2. Being a gullible person. 3. Weak willed. 4. Losing control. 5. Unconscious. 6. Surrender of personality. 7. Acting against will. 8. Supernatural.

Types of suggestions and how to do clean work Continuance of suggestion: Suggest that the suggestion comes with them when they come out of trance. (Diagram to follow). Post hypnotic trance: Set up a trigger to fire off a suggestion later. (Diagram to follow). Hypnotic hangover: There is a 30 second to 3 minute time period just after trance when a subject is open to suggestion. You can sever a trance cleanly by saying, “Hi” and fully changing your voice to the non-hypnotic voice. It is also a good spot to throw in some suggestions. Suggesting amnesia is a perfect suggestion; you can even talk about a suggestion you never made, thus confusing the subject into thinking they forgot that. It is important that parents and authority figures are positive at this time and if unable to do so, should be kept away. They can undo everything with just a few words. (Diagram to follow). Clean work: Always do clean work. Sloppy work equals sloppy results. Always sever a trance. At the end of a trance be sure to say, “Hi” and fully change your voice. This will ensure that the conscious mind doesn’t have a chance to tamper with the unconscious mind. Make sure a subject’s eyes are closed before he/she comes out. (Diagram to follow). Do not bridge a trance. The subject will be vulnerable to negative suggestions that may be counter productive to the work you have done. (Diagram to follow). Ratify a trance: Use amnesia and time distortion. E.g., “ You may find it easy to discover how easy it is for time to fly.” E.g., “ You may notice that the harder you try to remember, the easier it is to forget. Try to remember. Don’t forget.”

Amnesia Amnesia is important when dealing with suggestion. The longer the conscious mind is kept away from the unconscious mind, the better the chance of successful installation. Keep the ever tampering conscious mind out of the loop; by the time it figures out what’s been done, it’s too late. Methods:

• Before the trance, talk about a particular subject. Continue where you left off when the subject is out of the trance. Use the exact same tone and body language. (Diagram)

• Suggest, “After you awaken I want you to tell me you weren’t in a trance.” • Sever the trance cleanly. Say, “Hi” in a non-hypnotic voice. • Never meet resistance head on. Distract: “Is that a bird on Mrs. Clearwater’s

roof?” • Talk about forgetfulness before the trance to fire off the receptors. Suggest it

when the subject is in trance. E.g., “ Remember to forget everything that has been suggested. Your unconscious mind will know what to do when the time is right. You can simply forget.” Or say, “Feel free to forget to remember half or all of whatever you wish.”

Hypnotizing the opposite sex and children:

Make sure you are always above board and seem to be above board. Have a witness if necessary. With kids always have a parent in the room. Be sure parents are aware of hypnotic hangover; they must be quiet during and after the trance and not make negative comments. Prestige hypnosis:

If someone is known as a great hypnotist or a parent, teacher or authority figure, they have the same power as a hypnotist. (Remember Mesmer). Good point:

It is not the responsibility of the hypnotist for change. Put the ball securely in the court of the subject.

Chapter 4 Hypnotic Language

Hypnotic Language is a very advanced form of communication. Some words carry a lot of power, both positive and negative. Here is a list of words that have a variety of different meanings.

1. Don’t. Basically whatever command follows will be exactly that - a command. I suggest that you tell your toddler to be careful with his milk, not, “Don’t spill your milk.” How many times have you said, “Don’t worry?”

2. Why. Is a poor word that only looks into causes of problems and not solutions. Use how or what as in, “What can I do to help?” or “How can you get over this hump?” How and what get the subject looking into how to get better.

3. Try. Try presupposes failure and should not be used unless you want an out or you want to give an out. If you ask someone to, “Try to open their eyes.” while under hypnosis, they probably won’t be able to. Do not allow someone to use it on you! It’s better to get a firm no than be left hanging.

4. Because. This is a wonderful word for getting what you want from people. Just give a firm direct command followed by because with a reason. Never say please. E.g. “Give me that shirt because it looks better on me.”

Ambiguous words: 1. That’s right. Use this sentence as an anchor when you notice positive hypnotic

behavior. When the subject begins to display analogue behavior (body language or behavior that you want to elicit) say, “That’s right.”

2. Really. As in, “How deep do you really want to go into a trance? Now.” 3. Now. Is a great command; it indicates that right now is the time to follow the

command. 4. And as. “And as you sit there you may notice one of your hands feeling

differently from the other”. No fooling! Of course one of your hands feels differently from the other. It’s a different hand! But this sentence will occupy the conscious mind and eventually you can completely put the subject into a trance.

Great one-liners: 1. “In a moment”. This is one of the most important sentences. It indicates what

you are about to do so that the subject is not surprised out of trance. 2. “Realize with your real eyes, the eyes of your unconscious”. Using words with

double meaning is great for occupying the unconscious mind. 3. “Realize how easy it is.” 4. “And as you . . .” 5. “Find a level that’s appropriate for you below the one you are at now.” 6. “Double the depth of your trance.” 7. “Pretend to pretend, then pretend you are not pretending any more.” This is

key for the subjects who say they can’t do something. 8. “Imagine yourself . . .” 9. “You can open your eyes as if you are awake.” Great for false awakenings. 10. “Go really limp and really relaxed.”

Quote and point: This is great for telling someone how you feel with out them knowing it’s coming from you. Simply make up a quote that has the message you intend to deliver to the person. Now tell the intended victim that some guy on the street was telling you and tell them the quote (as you point at him/her), “You such and such yada yada.” The victim will take the comment as if it was directed at them, but will not associate it with you. It’s a great way to tell off your boss. The double bind: This is a great sales tool. Offer two choices that are the same. E.g., If you want someone to go to bed say, “Would you like to go to bed now, or in five minutes?” Another example: “Would you like to go into a trance now, or take your time and go into a trance in the next moment or two?” Embedded messages: Embed a command into a sentence. “Now” is a great word for embedding commands. E.g. “ You can close your eyes now; you can sit there enjoying this experience.” Use voice tone to allow the “now” to be the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. “We are just beginning to scratch the surface; no one knows how much we are going to learn.” Scratch nose is the embedded command. Knows and nose sound the same and have different meanings and the unconscious hears literally. Be congruent: Ensure that you control your body language as you speak. If you are saying yes, but shaking your head no, you will send a confusing message to the subject. You can use it to your advantage and be aware of it in others (shows lack of congruency). Be aware of your body language and use it appropriately to suit your goals. Metaphors: We address an entire chapter to this subject. The first rule about metaphors is: never explain a metaphor. A metaphor is a story with an embedded message intended for the unconscious mind. It may be a moral, healing or learning message. Nominalizations: These are words that can have different meaning to each person. E.g., power, understanding, comfort and feeling. One person may define comfort as a nice hot bath, while another would describe milk and cookies as comfort. These words occupy the conscious mind and allow you to speak to the unconscious mind. Vague and ambiguous: Milton Erickson was famous for being vague and ambiguous. He would occupy your conscious mind so completely that subjects would go into a trance. Use up all of the 7+/-2 chunks of the conscious mind and your subject will go into a trance. Specific: Once a subject is in a trance you must be specific. The unconscious mind must be spoken to directly and simply. If you ask it, “Can you tell me your name?” it will hear the literal meaning and answer “Yes” rather than tell you the name.

1. Transparent waters = trance 2. Real eyes = realize 3. Hypnotizing hypnotist can be tricky. 4. Knows = nose

Learn to use double meaning words in your language as a way to occupy the conscious mind. Run on sentences: Allow your sentences to run on and blend them using key words like “now”, “realize” and as you read this you may begin to see with your real eyes, I mean real eyes*, and understand that a run on sentence can really run on and on as fast as a speeding boat on an ocean full of transparent water that has a way of dripping out of your tap slowly as you begin to realize you are slipping deeper into trance now. Hey I even fooled the spell checker. Head nod: If you ask someone to nod their head if they understand, they will unconsciously accept the suggestion. Body language: Future section. * = realize Page21

Chapter Five Psychology

In this chapter I will explain and define some psychological terms and behaviors. You can use these terms and behaviors to your advantage while inducing a trance and throughout the entire hypnotic process. Four tuple:

A four tuple is a complete experience including all four sensory perceptions. When describing a scenario to a subject, be sure to use the entire experience including all of the following senses. Everybody has a primary sense, once they imagine a sense other than their primary one (especially their least familiar), they begin to go into trance.

1. Visual (V) 2. Audio (A) 3. Kinesthetic (K), i.e., feeling, including physical touch and internal feelings like

sadness, joy as well as smell/Olfactory (O) and taste/Gustatory (G) 4. Audio digital (Ad), your internal voice

TOTE: (meaning Test, Operate, Test, Exit) Totes are micro processes that are completely unconscious. For example, when someone extends his/her hand out to you to shake your hand, your automatic response is to extend your hand out to shake his/hers. If you disturb a tote you automatically get a trance state. The moment where the subject’s tote is interrupted leaves him/her in a “What am I supposed to do now?” state. You can use this time to deepen the trance. The One In Five Club: One in five people cannot get over trauma in an appropriate amount of time. For example, a family member’s death should take two years or less. These 20% of people have a type of brain disorder that doesn’t allow them to let go of trauma. The good news is that you can linguistically “rewire” or program someone to shift their perception of the situation. See the NLP section for more detail. Beware of the Apex problem. Apex Problem: You can remove a problem so well that the subject will forget it completely, including all of the emotional baggage. You may miss a fee or two before you get wise and document the complaint with a signature from the subject. Have subjects pay up front. Symptom Prescription: If someone has a problem, you can ask him/her to amplify it, for example, for weight management you may ask him/her to gain 10 pounds, then lose it. They will realize they have control over their problem. Pay Lots Up Front: You will get a higher success rate. Incentive for success is invested, literally. If you do clear up a problem within the first 10 minutes of an hour session, spend the remaining time talking about the subject. You want to give the appearance of hard work to achieve this hard goal of theirs.

The Solution Is Always Outside The Problem: If the solution were inside the problem, the problem would be solved. So avoid why questions when assisting subjects. Use how or what questions. E.g., “How can we fix this?” or “ What can you do to get around this problem?” You will find a solution instead of opening up a can of worms.

(PS) present state. Congruent desired (DS) desired state.

You want to help guide the subject from his/her undesired present state to his/her desired state. If the subject can’t figure out his/her answers to how or what can be done, then ask them to pretend to know, “Well what if you did know, what it would be?” This will cause them to step outside and look into themselves for the answer. To solve a problem make sure it is.

1. Sensory based. 2. Achievable. 3. They must own it. 4. Timely, set up a time for its success. 5. Ecological

Congruent Desire: A client must have a congruent desire in his/her goal to go from (PS) to (DS). Especially for smokers, look for analogue and digital verification. For a smoker, get him/her to write down the top 10 reasons why they want to give it up. Then ask them to rip up the list and write down the real reasons. They have to prove to you their desire to go to (DS). Then all you have to do is suggest it in a trance. The subject did all the work. Where To Make The Suggestion: When the subject is down to the depth of trance you require. All of the resources that he/she has are available for access in the unconscious mind. You can have the subject access his/her past learnings or install new programs and learnings. (Diagram) Where To Install The Programs: Make sure you install the programs as the subject is coming out of his/her trance. Do not forget to install them. This is a major mistake made by hypnotists. You can suggest that all of the useful components will be available when required upon opening his/her eyes. Head Nod: Ask someone if they understand to nod their head. A head nod signifies an unconscious agreement. This is very powerful with children and adults. “If you understand nod your head.” Hypnogogic and Hypnopompic: Hypnogogic is the 30 seconds to 3 minutes before you fall asleep. You are in a suggestible state much like hypnosis. Hypnopompic is the same time frame but just before you awaken. It’s easier to identify the Hypnogogic stage; use it.

Psychogenic: (literally means “having mental origin) A symptom that stems from the mind, but the symptom is real. E.g., Crones and IBD (Irritable bowel syndrome). Idiomotor: Movement Idiosensor: Ideas Analgesia: No pain, but sensation (pressure) Anesthesia: No pain, no sensation Anchor: Anchors trigger states. E.g. Christmas carols, The Bee Gees Staying Alive sound track will trigger the 70’s era. You can set anchors with voice tone and body language. The little jingle you hear in a commercial ad is a good example of an anchor. Amnesia: It’s key to get the conscious mind to forget long enough after a hypnotic suggestion so that it cannot interfere with the therapy. Another method is doing the suggestion in the subject’s weakest sense. E.g. If the subject is primarily (V) and secondarily (K). Use (A) in the therapy. They will achieve amnesia. Hypnoidal: Awake state hypnosis. E.g., driving, time lapse and misplacing your keys when they are in your hand. Reticular system: This is the when you notice all kinds of ads advertising a camera you just bought. You become tuned to notice things you wouldn’t regularly notice. You can ask a subject to go out and notice problems similar to his/hers. They will show up now that you have suggested it. This is good for the art gallery prescription. True Age Regression: Signs to look for are language patterns that match the age, the Babinski reflex (infancy) and disassociation. Laughter In A Trance: It is dangerous to laugh while in a trance. A subject could have a laughing attack and loose his/her breathe.

The Erickson Approach:

1. Accept all responses. 2. Emphasize the positive. 3. Seek small changes, and then enlarge upon them. 4. Use metaphors. 5. No interpretation. 6. Encourage a response by frustration. E.g., by getting the subject to prove without

a doubt that they congruently and with passion have the desire to reach the desired state.

7. Encourage a response by relapse. E.g., when someone has profound results, they need to back off with the conscious involvement and allow the unconscious mind to fully absorb the new behavior.

Change Must Be Sensory Based: Use 4 tuples to describe change when doing hypnotic suggestion. Have the subject fully experience the change through (V), (A), (K) and (Ad). Brain Wire: The left hemisphere of the brain is the logical, conscious side. The right hemisphere is the artistic, creative side. The dominant hemisphere of the brain for a right-handed person is often on the left side which is the logical conscious side. The dominant hemisphere for a left-handed person is often the artistic creative side right side. When learning or studying use non-verbal music that has never had words to assist in bringing both sides of the brain to the learning environment. This will increase your learning ability. Important Note: Never work with recognized psychiatric problem subjects. Only help if they provide a doctor’s note. Always check to see if clients are on medication. Medication can impair hypnotic trance induction attempts.

Chapter 6 Prescriptions:

The Erickson Approach: Milton Erickson did a lot of content free therapy. He believed that the subject had

all of the necessary resources in his/her unconscious mind. In fact he didn’t even have to know what the problem was to help the subject find and install solutions. Points To Remember:

1. Always say, “And the hypnotherapy will continue as you sleep.” 2. “Each and every time you go into trance, you will go in faster and deeper.” This

will make the next session easier. 3. When doing multiple suggestions use the compounding effect. Make the most

important suggestion first, followed be the second most important and so on. Each time you add a suggestion the previous suggestion is doubled then tripled. (Diagram).

Immune System Boost:

After induction suggest, “Your immune system will grow stronger and respond appropriately and rapidly to all threats.” The hand squeeze induction is great; you can suggest that the hand does not open until installation is complete. Make sure you complete all installations. Sucking Thumbs And Other Annoying Habits:

Prescribe overload. Increase the activity and make it so difficult, tedious and irritating that the subject just gives up. Ask them to suck their other fingers and how about the other thumb; what about those toes? Do it 28 times every times; the subject will eventually give up. Remember the example of Erickson suggesting using floor wax to cure insomnia. Weight Loss:

Weight loss will take four sessions. Various scripts are available for each subject listed below.

1. To deal with metabolic rate 3. Self-esteem 2. Belief system 4. Food consumption

Headache And Migraines: You can allow the subject to have headaches, but each time he/she has one it will

be half as bad. Change the modality from (V) to (K) or (K) to (V). Then change the color or the sound. E.g., “I want you to visualize the head ache as the color red, and when you have fully visualized the color nod your head. (Nod.) Now change it to pink (or blue).” You can also have the subject describe the details of the headache. Have them break it down until they no longer have it.

The Art Gallery Therapy: Pick a trance induction and when the subject is in trance, start this process of

hunting for a solution to a problem or changing a memory by altering the protein code in the unconscious mind’s memory file.

Begin by saying, “My voice will go with you wherever you go and wherever you go my voice will go with you.” This will allow the subject to make sense of your voice in the context of the journey you are about to send him/her on.

1. Set up a journey in hypnotic language using 4 tuple descriptions. 2. “Go to room one and look for the problem.” Ask them to nod when they have

fully absorbed the problem. 3. “Go into room two and find the real problem.” Now ask them to fully absorb the

problem and nod. 4. “In room three you will find the solution, now, spend as much time as you need to

fully learn and install the solution to the problem and you can come out of the room when you have fully installed the solution and join me back in the conscious world.”

5. You can choose to have the subject change the modality of the problem from (V) to (K). E.g., take an (A) auditory script and change it to a picture, then frame the picture, change it to black and white and push it far away. This process changes the protein code and reduces the impact of the problem dramatically.

6. If the subject is having a hard time finding the problem, ask him/her to go to the art gallery or a museum and search for the problem. They will utilize the reticular system and be more tuned to finding the problem.

Retrograde Suggestion: Give a suggestion after trance, right in the hypnotic lag zone. Add, “And all the

suggestions will be installed now.” This will create confusion (trance) and amnesia. “And you will lock the box and hide the key deep in your unconscious mind.” (Diagram)

Setting Up A Firewall:

This exercise will strengthen the critical faculty. Begin with trance. If the subject is computer literate you can use terms like defragment, delete unnecessary files, speed up and install anti-virus programs. Know your subject and use the language that best matches their view of the world. Have the program run while they are sleeping at night. Say, “We are going to set up a firewall.” Not, “Make a firewall.” Remember the literal sense of the unconscious mind; we do not want to have a wall of fire burning in their mind, although that may be cool.

Fear Of Flying And Other Anxieties: Anxiety builds gradually before the flight, but once the plane is off the ground it begins to lessen, once the plane hits the ground the anxious feeling is gone. Take a typical flight and divide it into 5 sections. Put the subject into a light trance and run them through the five steps of the flight in reverse dissociated (looking at themselves). Then run it forward associated (in their body) making sure you hit the exact same five points and details of those points. Do it a few times, if necessary.

1. Induce light trance. 2. Describe them watching themselves at the luggage pickup in 4 tuple. 3. Rewind to watching the landing in full modality. 4. Rewind to mid flight, describe themselves watching the movie, or eating the meal. 5. Rewind to ¼ flight; see themselves taking off their seat belt. 6. Rewind to take off. 7. Rewind to ticket purchase. 8. Now run it forward fully associated in the exact order using the exact descriptions

of what was encountered when previously going in reverse dissociated.

The Control Panel: Have the subject go into trance and explain to the unconscious mind that it has a control panel that controls its body and mind. If it doesn’t, build one or pretend to build one until you’re not pretending anymore. Once the panel is discovered have them locate the dial for the immune system or the metabolic rate lever. Ask them what the setting is, then ask them to adjust it accordingly. Unconscious Properties:

1. It tends to run old, dated programs. 2. It always has the best, most positive intention. Even smoking is well intended. 3. It will choose a better option if presented with one. 4. It responds to direct, clear, literal statements. (Stimulus = response mechanism) 5. It stores data under multiple categories/files (i.e., same info in several places).

Pain Management: Do not do pain management without a doctor’s note. Do not call it pain. In a trance you feel less pain.

1. Use direct suggestion in deep trance. Use simple language. E.g., “ You feel better and better and more comfortable.”

2. Use continuance of suggestion or post hypnotic suggestion. 3. Reframe; turn pain into pressure. 4. Change the sub modalities. Change the feeling of pain into a picture and a sound,

then change the changed sub modality. 5. Distraction. Remember the tiger in the room, classic Erickson. 6. Dissociation. Have them imagine they are seeing it from outside themselves.

Have them move to another room, install a glass wall between the two of them. Than ask them to visualize a person that they know without the pain whispering the solution in their ear. Then break down the glass and have them join together.

7. Glove anesthesia. Move anesthesia to specific location of discomfort. 8. Time distortion. Have the subject feel the entire day of pain in 1 minute.

Chapter 7 Metaphors

Metaphors are stories with embedded messages intended for the unconscious mind. Never reveal the message to the subject; you will undo the embedded message if you do. The goal is to distract the conscious mind while delivering the intended message to the unconscious mind. Milton Erickson would ramble on and on using metaphors. People thought he was an old blubbering fool until a few weeks passed and they realized they had given up their undesirable behavior. There are three types of metaphors.

1. The simple metaphor: using one message inside a single story. 2. The isomorphism: a message specifically designed for a subject to deal with

his/her problem. 3. Nested loops metaphors: messages within messages using many stories inside

stories. Isomorphism: Design a story for a symptom. E.g., if the client has pink eye, design a story about an ice rink. Go into detail about how the Zamboni has to clean and renew the surface. Never reveal the hidden message, and never use subject matter that is too close to the person or problem. E.g., if the subject is an old man, use a younger woman as the character in the metaphor. Never be direct. Nested loops: There are a few golden rules for nested loops.

1. Have 5 loops. 2. Tell 80% of each loop, then move to the next story. 3. Always put the most important message last using direct language if the subject is

in trance. 4. Tie up the loops in reverse order. 5. You can finish by closing a loop you never opened. This will cause amnesia. 6. You can put loops inside loops within the 5 loops as long as you tie them up

before you continue down the chain.

• A: tell 80% of story • B: tell 80% • C: 80% • D: 80% • E: 100% with the most important message imbedded or a direct suggestion

if the subject is in trance. • D: tell the remaining 20% • C: 20% • B: 20% • A: 20% wrap up the story • Optional - tie up some loop you never opened.

entire book 2006

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