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This lecture is herepartly directed to the Management since I wasn't in a
lecturing frame of mind earlierpartly directed to Rigel because I promised
to wax didactic on the topickand partly directed to the peanut gallery
because you might be interested.
The Perridwyn School of Hypnosis presents ...
-HYPNOSIS 101-
Hypnosis is a state of focused awareness. It is something everyone has
experienced countless times; among instances of it are waking up or getting
absorbed in a good book. The characteristics of the state vary; it cannot
be pinpointed on an EEGand the experience is different for everyonethough
there are common elements. A person can be hypnotized and while
that state be having a great time at a party; no zombie eyesno intonations
of Yeesss Massterrno wandering about with arms outstreched. Hypnosis
does not have a unique and unmistakable insignia indicating its presence.
This is generally not the case with the PROCESS of hypnosis. Patterns
of hypnosis have been written up and used for decades. You can find books
depicting the process in bookstores and libraries. The process is
intended to create that state of focused awareness. It is this process
I wish to discuss in the remainder of this post. [Hypnosis and being
hypnotized will refer to the processshould there be any confusion.]
General Considerations
Hypnosis can be thought of as a game that is binding. The rules are
initially defined by the expectations of the subjectwhich encompasses all
their experiences with iteverything they've seen on TV and old moviesand
what the subject has been told about hypnosis. These rules dictate what
will and will not be effective; which inductions will and will not work; and
the conduct of the subject while in the state of hypnosis. The rules are
mutable. Debunking misconceptionsdemonstrationsand providing more
information -- accurate or not -- will affect the rules of the game.
A professor at Stanford illustrated how greatly expectations dictate
results. The gentleman told one of his introductory psychology classes that
an unfailing indication of a hypnotized subject was that their right arm
would float upwards. The professor told another class the same thingonly
in this case he specified it was the left hand that would rise. When he
hypnotized members of both classes he discovered that students responded in
accord with their expectations. The right arm of the members of the first
class did indeed risewhile with members of the second class only the left
hand rose.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
78901148321
[ Got to stop hitting that .S ! ]
In hypnosis the subject calls the shots. Their expectations outline the
manner in which the game is to be played. The hypnotist weilds no mystical
power; she and the subject have an agreement that the process of hypnosis is
conducted in a certain mannerand each player behaves in a particular way.
The level at which the game is played is defined by the rules and the degree
of trust the subject feels for the hypnotist. A mistrustful subject will be
paying far more attention to what you are doing and what you might be
scheming than to what you are saying.
Hypnosis is useful as a catalyst. As seen abovethe state itself is
not too exhilarating in and of itself. The process and the applications are
what make it fun and useful. You can call on your mind's abilities to
control pain [useful]; you can play the most intense imagination game of D&D
of your life [fun].
The function of the hypnotist is to provide a focal point and talk their
partner through evoking the intended result. The process usually begins with
a discussion of hypnosis. This is to determine the purpose of a sessiondebunk
misconceptionsget a sense of the subject's expectationsand
generally make things go easier later. The induction consists of bringing
the subject's awareness to something and keeping it focused. The hypnotist
gives suggestions to bring about the determined purposeincluding any
post-hypnotic suggestions. Then she guides the subject back to a normal
state of awareness.
WHAT HYPNOSIS IS NOT
- It is not sleep. The participant is thoroughly aware of their
surroundings. They may choose to ignore them. The hypnotist may ask the
subject to ignore things or to focus all attention on one idea.
- You can not get stuck in hypnosis. Either you will awaken on your own or
the state will become one of natural sleep. Sometimes a subject requires a
few more moments to return. Sometimes the subject refuses to return. This
is particularly true of stage hypnosis; if a subject feels pissed off at the
hypnotistit can be mightily gratifying to unnerve said offending hypnotist
by not responding. Even if this is the casethe subject will still either
return on their own or fall asleep.
- A hypnotized person will not knowingly violate their code of ethics.
Milton Erickson messed around with this a bit and found it to be particularly
true if he made it clear that the subject was responsible for the
consequences of their actions. There are three twists here;
1. A person may do something seemingly unethical if it is o.k. according to
their moral standardsespecially if they believe being hypnotized at the
time is sufficient excuse.
2. Stage hypnotists evoke some silly behavior which might ordinarily be
contrary to the subject's code of conduct. This is a result of group
pressureof the forgivability of stage hypnosisand of the
streak of hamming it up in each of us.
3. A person can be tricked. If I am told I am in a blazing hot
desertsweating bucketsand the only way to get cool is to take my shirt off I
might do that. I will not do that because I am an exhibitionist. If I am
directly told to take off my shirtfirst I will snap back to the here and
now and next I will drop-kick the lech out of my house. Furthermoreonce such
a maneuver is recognized the hypnotist has utterly destroyed the
subject's trust and will have no further success with them.
NITTY GRITTY STUFF
Firstsome things concerning speaking. The hypnotist ought not speak in a
monotone; not only is it unnecessaryit is an annoyance. Rathershe should
make her voice congruent with what she's saying. If she is describing a
soothing walk on the beach under a restful sunsetshe ought not sound hyper.
It is useful to use a particular tone of voice when hypnotizing people. This
is helpful because soon there will be an association between The Voice and
the state. In additionit means you will not inadvertantly trip an
association if you use your normal speaking voice with someone whom you see
primarily for hypnosisyou are apt to zone them out just by saying Howzit
goin The Voice comes with practiceand you can pick it out after a
while.
There are definite reasons behind word choices. Sense words make things
more vivid; describe the colorstexturesand sounds associated with that
soothing walk on the beach. Repeating words and phrases helps things sink
in and adds rhythm to your patter. You may opt to say things in a
permissive way [in a momentyou may picture yourself walking upon a
soothing beach; perhaps there is a glorious sunset coloring the sky crimson
and purple] or in an authoritative way [ You are walking on a beach. The
beach is soothing; it makes you more and more relaxed. Notice the glorious
sunset]. The choice of words is based on the situationthe hypnotist's
styleand most of all upon the personality and rules of the subject. Make
them fit.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
78901148324
Coming tomorrow!
!When I'm Awake!
More nitty gritty on inductionssuggestionspost-hypnotic suggestionswrap-upand
the Good Book list.
They will be tacked on to the end of this bulletin.
In order to save everyone from re-reading the first monster postI'll
start a separate bulletin for responses.
To sleep perchance to dreamP. the Verbose
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
28901161206
LEVERAGE
Synonyms for this word include credibility and rapport. Leverage makes
suggestions more effective. Things that generate leverage are accurate
descriptions of present experience and accurate descriptions of future
events.
An accurate description of your present experience may be that your eyes
are moving across these wordsand you feel the keyboard beneath your waiting
fingersand you feel the chair beneath youand you hear noises in the
background that you have not been paying much attention to until now.
An accurate description of future events can be that as you read these
words you will become aware of your left earlobe. Another is that when you
take your next really deep breath your hand may feel somewhat lighter.
I base my estimation of your awareness of your earlobe on the fact that
mentioning it almost inevitably makes you think about it. The second
assertion is much shakier in this contextbut stronger if you were being
hypnotised. Relax your hands on your lap for a moment and inhale deeply.
Notice how your shoulders rise a little and tug your arm up a little bit
Things that are bad for credibility are ability tests and blatant
contradictions of present experience. When you use an ability test you run
the risk of it not working. They do work for many people and sometimes
providg useful informationbut it is very very difficult to recover
gracefully from an unsuccessful ability test. The participant may reach
the conclusion that they can not be hypnotized or that you are incapable of
hypnotizing them. Blatant contradiction of present experience as you
carefully scrutinize the upper left corner of your monitor you can become
aware of the little picture of a pink-and-purple hippopotamus. Riiight.
Now to tie these together. If you have been correct in the past few
descriptions you increase the probability you will be in the next one.
As an examplepresume I am being hypnotized right now. I am told about how
I feel the keyboard under my hands as my fingers dance from key to key
(correct)I glance at my scribblings to help me clarify this thought
(correct)and I hear muffled music in the background (also correct)and as
I notice these things I can feel myself becoming more and more relaxed.
The last assertion is pure speculation; there is no reason that those things
should make me feel more relaxed and no real indication that I'm mellowing
out noticing these things. Howeverthe hypnotist has been right on three
counts so far. He has aquired a little credibility. My response is going
to be Surehe's been right so farwhy not now
This point is somewhat esoteric; if it makes sensefine. If it doesn'tor
even if it doesread Trance-Formationslisted at the end of this post.
The authors go over this in detail and in a very skillful and clear fashion.
Let this stand the more accurate you areso much the better; a really
incorrect statement or blatant failure is apt to be disruptive.
INDUCTIONS
The purpose of an induction is to focus awareness on something and
gradually move through to evoking the intended results. The methods are many
and varied.
Very often the focal point is relaxation. Progressive relaxation consists
of deilberately tensing and relaxing (sometimes just relaxing) each part of
the bodypaying attention to releasing every bit of tension. Descriptions
of soothing surroundings or experiences are also used to produce relaxataon.
Trance-Formations dscribes an induction utilizing points mentioned
above. It consists of sets of six statements. The first set contains five
accurate descriptions of present experience and one abstract or unverifiable
statement (... and these things make you feel more and more relaxed ...
and while you notice them you feel a sense of security ... and strangely
enough these remind you of wrecking Aunt Milllie's car). The next set
contains four present-experiences and two abstracts; then three
present-experiences and three abstractsand so on until you're dealing wih
just the abstracts.
Confusion inductions consist of confusing the hell out of someone and then
providing them with an understandable option. This confusion often consists
of ambiguous statements or plays on words. Take the words rightwriteriteand
Wright. As you right about the right brothers you realize you
have violated the rights of those whose right this is by righting with your
right insteat of your left. The intended response is a huge HUH at which
point you offer an understandable option ... and that makes you feel really
silly! The option is an escape route from all that unpleasantness and
ambiguityand therefore desirable.
Inductions take time. It is common for an induction to take ten or
twenty minutes with a participant who has not been hypnotized much before or
is unused to your style. Signs of effectiveness the participant's
responses match your description. ... and that makes you feel really silly
may be met with a smile; depictions of relaxation are matched with visible
decreases in tension. Requests to picture scenes usually evoke rapid eye
movement. If you ask your partner to do alot of talking you will notice
changes in their manner of speaking; it becomes quieterslowerperhaps a
little less well ennunciated. Depending on what you ask them to say and
how familiar you are with their normal speech patterns you may notice
differences in word choices. Subjectivelyyou the participant may feel
more lethargic and may experience dissociation. For methat means that I
could do a lot of thingslike move my hand up a few inchesbut it would
require so much energy and I do not think it important enough at the time to
expend that energy. Also I tend to start loosing track of where I left my
limbs (tee hee); I know they're there somewhere but don't think it important
enough to bother to relocate them.
Coming up tomorrow giving suggestions to evoke the intended result; phc's;
bringing back to the here-and-now; re-inductions; Good Books; and
miscellaney.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
38901179100
MORE ON PATTER
It is desirable to make series of suggestions flow as smoothly as possible.
Choppy sentences are more apt to create tension than soothe them. Flowing
sentences encourage relaxationhave better rhythm to themand can posess
more leverage.
Take these three phrases You feel the chair beneath you. You see the
text on the screen. You are becoming more relaxed than ever before.
The simplest way to connect them is with plain old conjunctions. You feel
the chair beneath you AND you see the text on the screen AND you are becoming
more relaxed than ever before.
Next step up simultaneous words. AS you feel the chair beneath youyou
see the text on the screen AND AT THE SAME TIME you are becoming more relaxed
than ever before.
The most powqerful way to hook up phrases is with causal words. SINCE you
feel the chair beneath you AND BECAUSE you see the text on the screenyou
are becoming more relaxed than ever before.
SUGGESTIONS CENTRAL
This is the portion of the process where you accomplish the stated
purpose; the part of the game that is binding. Suggestion styles include the
following
- Direct suggestion. This is where you flat-out say such and such is going
to happen. When you are going to bed tonight you will feel compelled to
think of purple hippos. As soon as your head touches the pillow purple
hippos will occupy your every thought.
- Indirect suggestion. Comprised of visualization and storytelling.
Visualization is just mentally creating the event. It is not restricted
to just pictures; whichever senses make it more real are the ones you should
appeal to. If you know the person is oriented to one sense more than
anotherdescribe with them. ( See the purple hippos dancing on your quilt.
Hear them thundering up the hallway. Feel the floor shake with their every
step. ) If in doubtit can't hurt to use all of them. [ Most people favor
either visionhearingor kinesthics so you needn't necessarily go into how
it tastes to chow down on purple hippo. If you were visualizing walking in
a flower gardenhoweverit makes sense to include smell. Use what is
appropriate.] Picture yourself preparing for bed. Your teeth are brushed;
the sounds of traffic are hushed; and the pillow feels delightfully cool
against your cheek. As you snuggle down under the pillowsyour mind turns
to thoughts of purple hippos.
Storytelling is more subtle than both direct suggestion and visualization.
You relate an event or antecdote which provides a sort of framework for
conduct.
When I was a childevery night as I went to sleep I would conjure up a
rainbow zoo dancing on my bedcovers. First there would be the lionsas
yellow as lemons. Following them were orange aligators... [blahblahblahthrough
blue ostriches..] And last and best of all were the purple hippos.
They were my favorite part of the procession; I looked forward to them as
soon as my head touched the pillow. And the last thoughts on my mind were of
those purple hipposcavorting on my quilt.
If it's something really strange like the above you probably wish to
attribute it to a weird cousin or obscure newspaper clipping. Lead into
these gracefully; this example might start off with bedtime rituals in
general and in the presentthen remembering back to bedtime rituals as a
childthen into your story. ( How many people will think of purple hippos
the night after they read this )
These should be related in an appropriately serious manner. If it's
sillysound a little silly but present it as if it's importantas if you
were sharing it with a friend. If you make it sound important it will be
received as such. Go gently with themtoo; don't holler PURPLE HIPPOS
CAVORTING ON THE QUILT. Just weave it into its surroundings. Storytelling
is best for going sideways at somethingfor attending to integral
corollaries of the purpose. Their power is in subtlety.
- Subliminals. It is possible to mark out certain words as you say them.
You may make a certain unobtrusive gesturechange pitch or loudness
slightlyglance off in a certain direction -- something small enough not to
require the participant's full-blown attentionbut designed so they will
be able to perceive it. This is the hardest thing for me to give an example
of because it's something I have not begun to master. If you could possibly
string the words purplehippoand bedtime together in a few sentences that
make enough sense so the listener doesn't get confused and go back to review
themthen you'd mark out those particular words with a perceivable and
unique action. You'd also probably want to throw in similar words --
lavendargoing to sleeplate-night toughts -- to be sure the point gets
across. Trance-Formations goes over this too; if you read ityou may
find it interesting to observe your own behaviour during the subliminals
chapters.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
38901179148
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUGGESTIONS
Phrase suggestions as positively as possible. Don't think of purple
hippos is an utterly futile idea. Eating less is better put as being
content with smaller portions. Pain is a loaded word; use discomfort or
the presence of comfort instead. You get the idea.
Participants tend to take suggestions literally. One lady was told to
picture herself leaving the officethen turning out the lights. When she
acted on thisshe left work. She then turned the lights off via the
circut box. Telling someone .. and your husband is being a big pain in the
neck can translate into a nasty headache. If you're doing hypnosis at
night be careful with words about being wide awake when you're bringing
your partner back. Be as unambiguous as possible; be aware of literal
translations.
This is a good place to mention trance logic and literalmindedness.
Trance logic appears when the participant is really into it. Presume they
believe they speak only French. If you ask if they understand Englishthe
reply will be Non. Do they know only French Oui. Literal mindedness
is illustrated by asking your partner if they can raise their right hand and
getting a response of Yes. Will they Yes. Now Yes.
Suggestions should be given at a pace that matches the participant's
breathing. It enahnces rapport and is an acceptably leisurly pace.
Appeal to preferred senses.
If you're using hypnosis for habit modificationwhen you're determining
the purpose of the session learn what is motivating the participant. If the
purpose were keeping up interest in exercise and the participant liked
jogging because it created a feeling of independancedon't sell the virtues
of those neat suits and funky sneakers. Unlessof courses/he likes themtoo.
If you are confused by a responseask. Doesn't hurt a bit.
If something unexpected happensstay calm. If it's an unusual actionlike
drumming fingersyou can ask about it. You can also incorporate itwhich
acknowledges and accepts that action. And the drumming of your
fingers makes you more and more relaxed. If someone bursts into tears
suddenlystay calm. Ask why this is happening. Ask if the participant
wants to continueand respect their reply. You can incorporate thattoo;
... and you feel those tears washing through youcleaning away your
angerleaving you calm and serene. Unexpected interruptions and noises
are better incorporated than ignored unless you discern from a total lack of
response that they were not important enough for the participant to pay
attention to.
THERE AND BACK AGAIN
Bringing your partner back to the here-and-now is easy.
First undo any unusual suggestions that would make life unpleasant. If
you suggested numbness in a handbe sure feeling is restored. If you're
unsure do a general banishing.
Next make it clear you are concluding. And before you return to the
here and nowallow yourself to bask in this feeling of relaxation.
If you look down the hall ou will see a door marked EXIT.
Then conclude. When you're readyyou can return to the here and now
feeling perfectly fine in every way. 1starting to return2feeling
more alert3half way there4feeling fine in every way5awake!
( Snapif you feel really showy.)
If your participant doesn't sit up and rub their eyes blearily within a
reasonable amount of time ( a couple minutesor as soon as you get to
awake! ) determine if they fell asleep. If they did it's a credit to
your ability to help others feel relaxed. Make certain they heard you and
know what the deal is. Restate it; if you do a count-upthe best maneuver
is to leave the ball in their court and let them come back when they're
ready. If that seems to be taking an inordinate amount of timegive
suggestions about feeling more alertprepared to come back. And as usual if
you're uncertainask!
A nice reinforcer is to gradually switch back from The Voice to your
regular voice as you conclude. With the 1-to-5 set upyou might be speaking
very quietly at one and graduate until at five your voice is somewhat louder
than usual.
Now is an excellent time to ask for feedback. Feedback will tell you
if you forgot to undo anything [ bring them back innegate itask if
anything else needs undoingbring them back out]. It will tell you how you
can make your style more effective in general or with just this person. It
also acknowledges their part in the proceedings. If they're pissed off at
you for some inconsiderationit is a good time to clear the air and
acknowledge the validity of their complaint.
REINDUCING HYPNOSIS
If you both desire to create a wordgesturemental imagewhatever
that will bring the participant back to a state of deep relaxationbetween
the main set of purpose-suggestions and the return is the place to do it.
Select an appropriate item; state that when this item is done AND the
participant consciously desires to return to this state of deep relaxation
that it will happen. Conscious intent prevents accidentally triggering it.
You do NOT want it to be inadvertantly activated while the participant is
driving. It might not be in their rules that they can realize the deal and
correct it; it may take vital moments for that realization to arrive; it may
take time to brush away those cobwebby feelings of deep relaxation -- don't
put it to the test.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
48901181200
MISCELLANEY
Pre-induction chats not only let you become more aware of the participant's
rulesit prevents problems by letting you debunk. You might not discover
that this person believes they can reawaken only if you say
Ah-La-Peanut-Butter-Sandwiches; telling them they'll just fall asleep is a
nice margin to have.
Be trust-worthy and honorable. A gentleman tried to induce me to swig a
beer. I would not. He has been unable to hypnotise me since then; he has
lost my trust utterly. I will not risk a second chance. Not many people
will.
This is intended to be an overview of general hypnosis. There are really
weird variants that I don't know enough about to write up. [ F'rinstance --
inducing hypnosislike as in zoning people waaaaay outwithout formal
inductionsjust talking with them. NEAT!] I left out a bunch of stuff you
will find in most books on hypnosis -- historydepth categories (not
necessarily useful)and specifics on applications. Go to your bookstore.
Supplement this.
These are my rules of the Game. If you find them usefulkeep them.
GOOD BOOKS
Hypnosis A Journey Into The Mind by Anita Anderson-Evangelista. The most
thorough beginning book on hypnosis the library posesses. Good stuff!
Trance-Formations by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. Kind of esotericbut
really neat techniques and approaches.
Frogs Into Princesalso by Bandler and Grinder. Provides information on
sense preferenceskeywordsand rapport. Does not deal with hypnosis per
sebut the information within applies.
Tapes or live sessions are useful for helping you pick up the pattern of
patter. They can provide new approaches and effective ways to say things.
FIN
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
48901188544
THINGS I THOUGHT TO ADD IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE NIGHT
Presuppositions also posess leverage. A presupposition offers a choice on
the surfaceand at the root of it is a fundamental Given. Would you prefer
to go into a light or deep trance - the given is that the state will
manifestand it is also presuemd that the participant is capable of deeper
degrees.
An induction related to the Confusion technique is overloading. Direct
the participant's awareness to as many things as possible. The human mind
can only attend to so many things; given too many it will start to withdraw
or cut down. Offer suggestions regarding relaxation along with pointing out
that they can perceive Xwhile thinking of K. Kind of the same
principle as the confusion technique.
Another way to reinduce a hypnotic state is to ask the participant to
recall one. To answer your questionsespecially very specific questionsyour
partner re-accesses that stategoes into it a little bit. Or a lot.
Depends on the person and memory. If you're working with the same personyou
can ask them to review the last session. If your partner has been
hypnotised beforeyou can ask questions about what the hypnotist saidhow
they were seated or lying downdid the hypnotist talk in a slow drawling
manner or in an intense steady one what did s/he saywhat did the
participant find most effective -- anything pertaining to recreating the
experience is fine. Then you can gracefully start an induction. Okwhile
you're still recalling how pleasant it was to be so deeply relaxedwhy don't
you just let your eyes close.
Updates and miscellaney as it arrives!
P.
^
PERRIDWYN-PN51
78901218813
ADDENDA
(Wee Hours part II)
When you're giving the main set of suggestionsrepetition of the main
points is helpful. Drives the ideas home. You may wish to ask if the
suggestions were well understood from time to time.
When you're giving suggestions in generalwatch the participant
carefullyespecially if you're describing something. You want to be on the
alert for a
negative response (handy wordcomes fastest to mind). If you're
describing something that's really loadedunpleasantor plain too weird you
can see it by the participant's responses. Clenched handstension around
the jawhunched shoulderstensing up in general; these and anything you
recognize as a negative response are things to look out for. If you are
describing the participant as swimming in the ocean and they are phobic of
water or if Jaws is on their mind you will know it by these indicators. Your
choices are to gracefully offer alternatives (... or if you prefer you can
find yourself in a forest glade) or to inquire.
^