Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Practical Hypnosis but Didn't Know Who to Ask

By Jeffrey Cox

Everything you always wanted to know about PRACTICAL HYPNOSIS but didn’t know who to ask.

About this book:

If you only buy one book on hypnosis, you need to ... make it this one… ‘Just make the purchase’! You won’t need another.

It is a complete, step by step, guide on how to master the art of instant, hypnotic inductions (in as little as one second), rapid inductions, conversational hypnosis and stage hypnosis, in one book. In this, the author has created an informative, inspirational and enjoyable read for those who wish to learn hypnosis. Within its pages you will find everything you need to know (and more) to begin practising hypnosis for fun or profit. Its coverage of conversational hypnosis provides the necessary theory to make every conversation you have with others hypnotic in its effect, sending subliminal messages that take the form of silent command that must be obeyed. This book is also an invaluable tool for the hypnotherapist wishing to up-grade their skills by learning instant or rapid inductions to get their clients in a state of deep trance in a fraction of the time taken by more progressive inductions, thereby increasing income or leaving more time for therapy in each session. This book describes tried and tested hypnotic methods that work, explaining the theory so you quickly learn how to hypnotise safely, with confidence and professionalism. Descriptions of hypnotic techniques are clear and easy to understand. It completely lifts the lid on the mystery of hypnosis, kept secret by a privileged few for centuries. It is a must have, no nonsense book for the serious and intelligent reader, forming a valuable reference for both student and professional alike. It does what it says on the cover, nothing is left out. Its concise and informative style explains even the most difficult concepts easily, packing the amount of information normally found in four or five books into one clear text without the padding, saving hundreds of pounds otherwise spent purchasing light-weight resources. The book’s direct approach gets you quickly to the core of the subject matter, which is laid out in chapter form, allowing the reader to dip into areas of interest without having to repeatedly read the whole. As a resource, it is as brilliant and useful as it is detailed and informative, making it essential reading for the would-be hypnotist as well as teachers, sales-men and other professionals.

If you decide to buy this book you will need no other.

‘Just make the purchase’!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jul 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728352916

Jeffrey Cox

Jeffrey R. Cox is a litigation attorney and an independent military historian specializing in World War II, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. His first interest was in the Pacific War, which he has studied for more than 30 years. A student of history, international affairs, and defence policy for most of his life, Cox holds a degree in National Security Policy Studies from The Ohio State University and a doctorate of jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law. He is a contributor to Military History Online (www.militaryhistoryonline.com) and resides in Indianapolis.

Book preview

ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

PRACTICAL HYPNOSIS

BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO ASK

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INSTANT HYPNOSIS RAPID INDUCTIONS CONVERSATIONAL HYPNOSIS

STAGE HYPNOSIS SHADOW TECHNIQUES GLIMMER TECHNIQUES

JEFFREY COX

Copyright © 2020 . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

by any means without the written permission of the author.

AuthorHouse™ UK

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UK Local: 02036 956322 ([phone] from outside the UK)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed

since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do

not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5292-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5291-6 (e)

Published by AuthorHouse 07/23/2020

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EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT

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Written and illustrated

by

Jeffrey cox

Disclaimer-Legal Notice

The information and opinions presented in this book represent the views, beliefs and observations of the author at the time of writing. Whilst every attempt has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, neither the author, publisher or their contributors assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions, either factual or legal. Any defamation or dis-respect to people, agencies or organisations is unintentional; all adverse comments being the opinions of the author, based upon personal observations regarding truths and facts created by the acts, omissions or the intentions of others. The contents of this book are for the purpose of providing information and entertainment only. Any person applying or enacting any ideas presented in this work does so at their own discretion and risk. The author, publishers and contributors do not accept any liability or responsibility for injury or loss arising from the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Author’s Note

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This short work has been written with a dichotomy of purpose; on the one hand to entertain and on the other to inform. You, as reader, are best placed to decide upon the success of the former purpose. My wish here is to guide you as to the latter, specifically, the reading of the text. Where spoken words should be emphasised to enhance their hypnotic effect, by changes in tonality, or pauses in speech, a sentence to inform the reader will follow.

My advice to those readers whose narrow focus of interest concerns matters of hypnosis and hypnotism solely, is to ignore the Preface and Afterword entirely; since their thoughts and analyses concerning the wider society we live in today (in which you may intend to use your new found hypnotic skills), will be of little interest to you. The information and instruction such readers will require, has been divided into chapters, to enable an in-depth study of each section of interest, allowing them to dip into the text to extract information and meaning without having to undertake the labour of re-reading the whole.

To Valerie,

whose constant enthusiasm and encouragement persuaded me to illustrate this work.

Preface

C ongratulations! Having purchased this small volume, you have made a decision that will undoubtedly begin the process of elevating yourself to a higher rung on life’s short ladder, giving you the opportunity to transform your life hence-forth, in the most positive manner. ‘Throughout recorded time…there have been three kinds of people in the world, the high, the middle and the low…the essential structure of society has never altered. Even after enormous upheavals and seemingly irrevocable changes, the same pattern has always reasserted itself, just as a gyroscope will always return to equilibrium, however far it is pushed one way or the other. The aims of these groups are entirely irreconcilable’, ¹ for a diverse economic strata exists where inequitable fiscal apportionment can be seen to have elevated certain individuals, ordering our society somewhat in the manner of a theatrical audience that has paid to see the greatest show on earth; each purchasing a ticket according to their particular station in life. The wealthy patron, perpendicular and porcine, purchases a box. Those of middle income seat themselves in the front stalls or upper circle, whilst less worthy individuals cram themselves into the gods. We are all then, part of life’s great show, constrained from leaving or changing our seats until the very end due to the vagaries of fiscal apportionment and accompanying class distinctions inbuilt into this diverse, social hierarchy.

With these thoughts in mind, it must surely have occurred to persons of even the meanest intellect, that the social arena is not a fair or even reasonable medium and that, ‘In the beginning, the pattern was set and the world divided [as is the apportionment of opportunity] not into male or female [as you may suppose] but into another dichotomy, in a word, into winners and losers; the one-up and the one-down. What is Life-man-ship? It is the science of being one-up on your opponent at all times. It is the art of making him feel that somewhere, some-how that he has become less than you, less desirable less worthy, less blessed. Who then, you may ask, are your opponents? Everybody, in a word, who is not you, and the purpose of your life [from this moment onwards] must be to be one-up on them because, and mark this well, he who is not one-up is one-down’.² This disadvantageous circumstance, more often than not, is accompanied by an inequity of fiscal apportionment, a situation to be avoided at all costs! Who then, in particular, are your opponents? They may be considered to be those individuals, groups or societies, whom you must constantly out manoeuvre, in order to remain one-up, as befits your newly desired station in life.

Those one-up, somehow manage to gather the wealth of their nation in a disproportionate manner to others, often inverting pay scales to unduly reward their pen-pushing indolence, or worse still, by occupying a managerial position that avoids all manner of work entirely; thereby empowering them to steal the life chances of those one-down. These cynical acts are accompanied with the lofty expectation that, those so affected will tacitly stand aside, in unthinking acquiescence of the subterfuge. The criteria for calculating levels of financial remuneration, having been turned upside down, dictate that a man digging holes in the street in all weathers, with rain running down the cleft of his posterior, must be content to earn a miserly amount compared to the man who idly pushes a pen over paper or adds up columns of figures for a living.

This fiscal inequity suggests that he, like the majority of us, is one-down, forced to occupy a lower rung on life’s short ladder; being unable to purchase a ticket for a more advantageous seat to elevate his enjoyment of the great show, and improve his life chances in consequence.

‘The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet, going round a nuclear fire ball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal, is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be’. ³ Consequently, I make the point that, if you think such a circumstance is normal, it must come as no surprise to realise you can be led to accept anything; including the disproportionate loss of life chances, due to an inversion of the pay scales related to fiscal remuneration for your hard labour. Knowing this, you are now in a position to do something about the problem, so avoiding the effects of other skewed realities (leading to inequity) that you may encounter hence-forth. By practice of the skills and ploys described herein, it will be possible for you to bring every adverse situation instantly under your control, thereby bringing an end to life’s adversities, in whatever form, or manner, their disguise.

And so, dear boy (or girl, should you be so), it is with this current, lamentable, situation in mind, that I proffer this humble volume to you, the reader, in the earnest hope that a prodigious study and practice of its contents may provide (at least in part), a remedy; or on less happier occasion, a panacea, for the ills which must befall us all below the half way mark.

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If you have read the preceding Acknowledgement (which I heartily recommend you do) then you will be under no illusion that, since Life-man-ship is both the social science and study of being one-up on your opponent at all times, the Life-man must adapt, invent, and practice ploys with intent to elevate his position from the lowly rung upon which he finds himself perched; so placed by others who do not have his paramount self-interest at heart! From the pursuit of one-up-man-ship evolves the study of Life-man-ship by our Life-man, who must pursue ‘…each petty ploy [contained herein] till he too, attains this state of one-up-ness’,⁴ that coveted position allowing him to achieve his true purpose in life; for if he is not one up he is undoubtedly one down. Accordingly, I urge the Life-man (’er… that’s you!) to read the following chapters well, making the information they contain yours, to use as you will, in pursuit of self-betterment through the practice of Life-man-ship.

In chapter one, I place the techniques of Instant Hypnosis at the forefront of this modest work, so that the impatient and curious Life-man may assuage their curiosity (and no doubt voracious appetite for self-betterment) immediately within the first chapter, with a study of the blunt but effective remedies they offer. A study of Instant Hypnosis will equip you with a range of Shadow Techniques, the instant hypnotic inductions, strategies and ploys that enable you to re-arrange the events, attitudes, and beliefs of your opponents to your manifest advantage. Instant, Hypnotic Inductions are used in situations so desperate, that time does not allow for the use of a lengthy induction for fear of consequences that must be avoided at all costs; so by their use, where previously you found yourself one-rung-down, you now perch one-up, on life’s short ladder, succeeding over your opponents in whatever situation you desire.

In chapter two, I describe the concept of Convincers, used to demonstrate and explain the hypnotic context to your prospects, gaining rapport, compliance and testing susceptibility to suggestion, before moving on to trance formation before an eager audience.

In chapter three, I discuss Leverage, describing how some convincers avail themselves as a platform for leverage into the full hypnotic trance state, either by moving on to trance from a previous phenomenon or by the use of shock, introduced at the end stage of a convincer routine, where compliance to suggestion has been gained.

In chapter four, I follow with a description of Rapid Hypnotic Inductions, used in the domain of the street hypnotist. These are the more obvious hypnotic techniques, discussed in as much detail, within this volume, as is considered useful to our Life-man. Along with convincers, used to introduce rapport, compliance and the possibility of leverage into trance, they offer a route to Party-man-ship, in the social or party context. An arena where the abilities of our Life-man become known, and he finds himself challenged to demonstrate his persuasive ploys and hypnotic knowledge for the purpose of entertainment. Placed in this situation, our Life-man will naturally use his hypnotic skills to transform himself from dull Life-man to Party-man! Immediately becoming a focus for the curiosity of his audience, whilst instantly transforming himself into an object of great interest and intrigue, placing them at his feet, and him, so to speak, one-up; his social success being guaranteed from that moment forth!

In chapter five, I describe Conversational Hypnosis. Here Glimmer Techniques are used to throw a subliminal veil over hypnotic language used in normal speech. Our Life-man now employs the subtle power of silent command to covertly transform every conversation into a waking, hypnotic interaction, where the minds of others are entranced and bent to his will; following his suggestions and ploys predictably to their pre-determined outcome through the use of such hypnotic language. Conversational hypnosis has great relevance to instant and rapid hypnosis, where its use compounds suggestions made during these inductions to make them infinitely more powerful.

Hopefully, our Life-man will practice the subliminal, Glimmer Techniques of Conversational Hypnosis, ultimately to make them part of his very being, in order to achieve a state of continuous one-up-man-ship. Such techniques should be studied well and practiced until they can be delivered subconsciously, in an effortless, conversational flow, persuading his colleagues and those around him to act to his advantage always and if not, then to completely alter the situation he finds himself in by use of Instant Hypnosis and its Shadow Techniques; so that he constantly practices the art of one-up-man-ship to reap the benefits he so truly deserves.

To summarise then, at the finish of this work, the ability of our Life-man should far exceed the basic rudiments of hypnotic expertise. He should be competent to change or re-align any situation he finds himself immersed in to his manifest advantage, using a strategic blend of newly learnt, hypnotic skills. With a determined study of the ploys, techniques and knowledge contained herein, the lost sale, the failed job interview, the lack of friends, money or opportunity, the errant policeman, the charity mugger, the road traffic fine, dismissal from one’s employment, should all become vague and disagreeable memories of the past. You will find that the practice of hypnotic technique throughout the course of your professional and social life will bring, not only the benefits you deserve, but place you, most assuredly, one rung up to your opponent. It is with this thought in mind, that I urge you, dear reader, onwards, ever onwards, to learn the knowledge, techniques and ‘…petty ploys….’⁵ that follow. To practice, practice and then practice again, until you have made them your own; always remembering that, every instance of failure is a learning opportunity.

Finally, you would do well to consider the irony of the following quote from the work of a celebrated author who recently left our mortal realm, succumbing to the effects of age; ‘Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you’.⁶ In recognition of the point he makes, I take the opportunity here, to state that, the greater your age, the shorter life’s ladder, and the fewer rungs there are for you, the Life-man, to occupy, before you must finally fall off your perch and proceed to the hereafter. So the need to transform your life chances may, in some cases, be quite pressing!

Acknowledgement

Grateful acknowledgement is given to the author Stephen Potter who coined the terms Life-man, Life-man-ship and One-up-man-ship, in his four books titled, Games-man-ship, Life-man-ship, One-up-man-ship and Superman-ship; published by Penguin Books Ltd. 1962. With reference to Life-man and Life-man-ship, Potter created a metaphor to describe those beleaguered individuals consigned to failure in life by societies’ timeless and cynically pre-determined constraints, forcing the Life-man to find remedy in the study of the science of Life-man-ship; ‘pursuing each petty ploy… ‘till he too, has achieved this state of one-up-ness’.

These books were to later inspire the film School for Scoundrels, featuring Terry Thomas, Alastair Sim and Ian Carmichael. Presented by The Associated, British, Picture Corporation Ltd. A Guards-man Films Production. Warner-Pathe Distributors.

Having both understood the problem to be remedied and offered the reader a metaphor to describe those individuals so beleaguered, I feel no inclination to deviate from Potter’s apt terms and description in suggesting my own, more modern, remedy here.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

Introduction

The Hypnotic Process

Hypnosis Defined

Safety

The Pre-talk

Awakening

Post awakening

A typical awakening script

The Four Stages of Hypnotic Induction

Hypnotic Phenomena

Chapter 1    Instant Hypnosis

Instant Hypnotic Inductions

Pattern Interrupts.

Advanced Inductions

The Handshake, Pattern Interrupt, Shock Induction

Somnambulism

Deepeners

Analogue marking

The Shoulder Touch Deepener

A Word Trigger, Double Level Deepener

The covert shift deepener, using nested images

Fractionating

A Hypnotic Gift

Re-orientation

The Fore-Head Tap, Instant Induction

The Hands on Shoulders, Instant Induction

An Alternative Hands on Shoulders, Instant Induction

The Hand Drop, Instant Induction

Hypnotic Amnesia

Chapter 2    Convincers

The Steeple Fingers Routine

The Magnetic Hands Routine

The Hands Clasped, Locked, Routine

Linking The Steeple Fingers, and The Hands Clasped, Locked, Routines

Arm Levitation

The Arm Lock Test

The Bucket and Helium Balloon Test

The Eyes Stuck Together Routine

The Hand Stuck to Table Routine

The Name Amnesia Routine

Amnesia When in Trance

Ploys that gain compliance to suggestion and avoid resistance

The Feet Stuck to Floor Routine

The Unable to Speak, or Speaking Gibberish Routine

The Number Amnesia Routine

Chapter 3    Inductions Using Leverage

The Steeple Fingers, Shock, Induction

The Magnetic Hands Leveraged, Shock, Induction

The Hands Clasped, Locked, Leveraged Induction

The Eyes Stuck, Leveraged Induction

Chapter 4    Rapid Hypnotic Inductions

The Pre-talk

The Priming Process

Overcoming resistance at the pre-talk or priming stage

The Butterfly-Fingers Induction

Finger on Forehead Induction

The Hand Drop Induction

The Arm Rotation Induction

The Wallet Steal

Ploys to establish rapport and relationships

Chapter 5    Conversational Hypnosis

The Hypnotic Protocol and Compounding Suggestion

Hypnosis and compounding suggestion

Language ploys in normal conversation

The content of conversational hypnosis in action

Putting it all together

A Career in Hypnosis

Chapter 6    Stage Hypnosis

Appendices

Afterword

‘Language

exists less to

record

the actual

than to

liberate the

imagination’.

Anthony Burgess

Introduction

W ho May Be Hypnotised, you ask? The answer to this question is, any person demonstrating the meanest degree of intellect and normal cognitive function. In practice, that means anyone you are likely to meet in normal situations. Though there are few people who are unable to be hypnotised, different subjects exhibit differing levels of suggestibility, some may be found difficult to hypnotise, some may go deeper into hypnosis than others, and not all subjects can be hypnotised by use of the same technique or by the same hypnotist. This variation in response to hypnotic suggestion results from a number of contributory reasons such as the subject’s mood, their ability to concentrate or focus, the level of rapport between subject and hypnotist, their level of belief in the trance process and expectation of a successful outcome and their motivation to follow a particular suggestion. However, the major factor is the natural level of suggestibility of the subject. Between 10-30% of the population are highly receptive to hypnosis and suggestion, going into hypnosis with great ease. These are called somnambulists (Appendix 5). A very small percentage of the population (1%) will not respond to hypnotic suggestion at all and cannot be hypnotised.

Convincers or suggestibility tests gain compliance and rapport, allowing the hypnotist to assess how well their subject will respond to suggestion. Convincers give the subject practice in following suggestions and test for their level of compliance, an important factor in the hypnotic process and something that will be required of them later on. Convincers allow the hypnotist to increase levels of compliance gained, gradually progressing to more complex responses and the hypnotic induction itself. Friends and family may be difficult subjects to hypnotise, since there tends to be a degree of over familiarity, resulting in a lack of credibility that erodes confidence in the hypnotic outcome. This loss of opportunity for practice may be averted by swapping acquaintances with friends, so you both practice on each-other’s friends, families and acquaintances, thereby avoiding the problem.

An overview of common inductions in use suggests that unfortunately, there is no one, all-encompassing and effective, induction method that can be relied upon to work successfully with all subjects. Some will respond well to progressive relaxation inductions, others to more rapid inductions and others to less direct types. However, ‘There are no poor subjects, only inflexible hypnotists’; ⁷ so you should obviously learn a wide variety of techniques to enable you to match your induction method to both subject and circumstance. The following is a brief description of a variety of induction types in common use.

Progressive relaxation inductions commonly used by hypnotherapists involve the giving of direct suggestion for relaxation, followed by progressive muscular relaxation and focus on the subject’s breathing, an unconscious process. Altering any unconscious process is hypnotic, directing attention internally so that it is fully absorbed to the exclusion of external events or stimuli. This is often followed by the use of metaphor and imagination to deepen the level of relaxation and trance. Common metaphors used are imagining walking down a staircase, relaxing and going deeper into trance with each step or walking through a pleasant, calming and relaxing scene such as a forest or deserted beach. Sometimes it is enough to just get the subject to count themselves down into trance whilst suggestions for relaxation and trance are made by the hypnotist.

Fixed gaze inductions involve the subject looking at a certain point of focus, such as a swinging pendulum, a watch, a light, a pen or the hypnotist’s eyes, to focus their attention. This intense focus of concentration occupies and distracts the subject’s conscious mind, giving it a task to do, whilst the hypnotist overloads it with statements it must agree with (truisms). The subject’s conscious mind is now placed in an agreement frame and goes off guard, since it must agree with the many plausible statements or suggestions being given. Due to conscious overload the subject now becomes suggestible because critical analysis of incoming information does not occur. The conscious mind has been put off guard and implausible suggestions are now being accepted uncritically on the back of plausible suggestions, further reinforcing the agreement habit formed. The subject’s conscious mind is now doing nothing, which is exactly what it does in trance, and the hypnotist is now communicating directly with the subconscious mind, which has no critical faculty.

True and verifiable, pacing statements are now made, concerning the levels of tiredness being experienced by the subject and their increasing desire to close their eyes. Conscious evaluation of the leading statements that are made next, suggesting that trance will follow eye closure, cannot take place, due to distraction and overload. To the analytical, conscious mind, this suggestion would normally seem implausible, since there is no logical reason why trance should follow eye closure, but it remains acceptable within the agreement frame that has been constructed by the pacing statements, which were verifiable and true. Distraction and information overload put the analytical, conscious mind off guard, so the suggestion to, ‘Go into trance’, is understood and enacted uncritically by the subconscious mind.

Instant and Rapid Inductions are faster than other inductions. They generally involve some physical manipulation of the subject such as giving a sharp pull to an arm or interrupting a handshake. They can be divided into three categories, shock inductions, pattern interrupt inductions and confusion inductions.

Shock Inductions, as the name implies, occupy the conscious mind by overloading it with a shock to prevent the subconscious communicating with it. Since it has no critical faculty, in its confusion, the subconscious mind must accept the hypnotist’s suggestion to go into hypnosis as the only credible solution to the problem of how to proceed. The shock opens a window of opportunity, lasting about one second, for this suggestion to be made before the subconscious hands over control to the conscious again as it recovers from the shock.

Pattern Interrupt Inductions rely on the hypnotist to interrupt a pre-existing, learned, subconscious pattern of behaviour, usually a handshake. The subconscious is put in a state of confusion by the interrupt and has nowhere to go from the point of interruption. It must now consult the analytical, conscious mind for a solution. In the one second window of time it takes to hand over to the conscious to determine the way forward, you say, ‘sleep’! In the absence of any other solution the subconscious now follows the suggestion to go into hypnosis as the easiest option.

Confusion Inductions rely on the fact that you confuse the subject to the point where their conscious mind is occupied with information overload and their subconscious is unable to pass over the task of making sense of the situation to the conscious, critical mind to analyse what the hypnotist is saying or getting them to do; finding it much easier to just accept the suggestion to go into hypnosis. Confusion inductions can be either physical or verbal in nature, either telling the subject confusing things, using language ploys and conscious overload, or alternatively, getting them to perform a number of physical actions all at once, until they suffer confusion through conscious overload. At this stage, conscious, critical thinking ceases, leaving the subconscious to follow your suggestions uncritically. The suggestion they go into hypnosis is now the easiest option for their subconscious to take.

Conversational Hypnosis is normal conversation, during the course of which, the hypnotist gives indirect suggestions using hypnotic language patterns, repetition and embedded commands. These are emphasised by hypnotic tonalities and interrupts, such as pauses in the flow of speech, to seed and embed ideas and suggestion in the subject’s subconscious mind, which they then comply with. Their eyes remain open and they are lucid as this subliminal messaging takes place in the course of normal conversation. Conversational Hypnosis may be used in normal every day conversation to alter the conduct of others, align their thoughts and opinions with yours or it may be used to induce trance directly. Its hypnotic language can also be used to compound suggestion in other inductions.

Compliance Inductions rely upon getting the subject to follow your instructions, moving them about or engaging them in convincers, to elicit hypnotic phenomena such as arm lock or eye-lock (catalepsy) and then suggesting to them they can go into trance from this advanced state of hypnotic compliance to your suggestion. For example, ‘When I tap your shoulder, you will instantly go into hypnosis because your eyes are closed, tight! Locked! Hard’! Arguably here, there is no formal induction, only an act of leverage into trance from a convincer (eye catalepsy), having paced and led the subject to a highly focussed state of compliance. Note the inclusion of an action accelerator (instantly), to suggest a requirement to go into trance immediately. Action accelerators are words that have powerful, inbuilt meaning to individuals.

The Hypnotic Process

To summarise, it follows that some people need to relax into trance, others respond better if homage to their cultural beliefs is made, involving some arcane but plausible ritual, played out for example, by swinging a pendulum to pace and lead them into trance (Appendix 8). Others respond better to being shocked instantly into trance or led rapidly into trance by confusion or information overload. Conversational Hypnosis is also effective in its own right and may be used with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to shape opinions, influence decision making and shape future behaviours. It is also used with great effect to compound suggestion during instant and rapid hypnosis.

Hypnosis Defined

Hypnosis is not sleep itself, though subjects may go from a state of hypnosis to sleep if left unattended. That it is also possible to lead them from a state of sleep into hypnosis demonstrates that the hypnotic trance state is one level amongst multiple levels of consciousness (Appendix 5).

There is no universally agreed definition of hypnosis, though the American Psychological Association provides a useful description of the hypnotic state itself, defining it as ‘An altered state of awareness characterised by deep relaxation, susceptibility to suggestions and changes in perception, memory, motivation and self-control’. Hypnosis then, is not a state where the mind is unconscious and relatively inactive as in deep sleep, but is a subconscious state, where the unconscious mind has been activated to a level that allows uncritical communication with it.

More practically, we can say that, hypnosis is a state of absorption, focussed attention and intense concentration; a state similar to when you are window shopping, gazing intently at a product on display, suddenly realising minutes have passed by without you noticing and you were oblivious to what was going on around you; ignoring the distractions of passers-by because your attention was focussed and fully absorbed. Hypnosis, as a state, is distinct from trance which is a state of introspection, where the unconscious mind is activated to a subconscious state by getting an emotional response or invoking the imagination (day-dreaming), to allow creative processes to be undertaken or problems solved.

A hypnotic trance is a combination of both these states. It is a level of consciousness between being asleep (unconscious) and being awake (conscious), that subconscious state of being consciously aware whilst clearly asleep, normally at the level where you drift off at night or in the morning, during the waking stage of sleep. Your role as hypnotist is to recreate this state, controlling and extending it for a longer time than usual, to gain your purpose (Appendix 5).

This may be achieved by getting the subject to focus their attention internally, for example, by paying attention to their breathing, normally an unconscious process. You then get them to access memories, using their imagination to re-create images of those events, or you can get them to imagine a situation by fantasising. These are activities that all take place in the subconscious mind. By getting them to re-vivify the sights, sounds, smells or other senses involved in an event, using their imagination to bring them to life, their experience is made more profound and their hypnotic response is amplified in consequence. Their attention is now directed internally as opposed to externally, activating the subconscious mind to its fullest potential. Having used the imagination to access the subconscious mind and obtained an emotional response, suggestion is used to lead the subject to a hypnotic trance state where the state of absorption, focussed attention and intense concentration (hypnosis), has been combined with introspection (trance). The hypnotist is then able to lead the subject through the necessary subconscious, creative processes, guiding them with appropriate suggestion to achieve their end purpose.

Activating the unconscious mind to its subconscious state, where it will accept information uncritically, allows the hypnotist to lead the subject deeper into trance by giving suggestion. Generally, suggestions relating to the body such as altering breathing rate, which is an unconscious process, will lead them deeper into trance, since they are subconsciously taking control of an unconscious process. Similarly, questions related to the senses such as sights, sounds, smells or sensation, lead further into trance, activating the unconscious mind to subconsciously consult the senses which reside there. Questions about feelings tend to lead deeper into trance, because feelings are emotions which are also processed in the subconscious mind. Questions that gain an emotional response such as, ‘How would it feel if….’ are hypnotic in nature because they make the subject internalise to consult their emotions, which lie in the domain of the unconscious mind. Questions about how someone feels about an event or situation therefore gain an unconscious response, activating the unconscious mind to its subconscious state to retrieve the information stored there. Conscious, analytical thinking is bypassed, as they internalise to consult their subconscious mind, in order to re-live the emotions related to the event or situation they are being asked to assess their feelings about. Evoking an emotion activates the unconscious mind by causing the subject to use the subconscious processes involved in the creation of that emotion. This may involve a revivification of past events or an act of memory retrieval and so prepares the way to entering a hypnotic trance by triggering subconscious thinking. The subconscious mind is now ready for direct communication of suggestions that will be received uncritically, since the analytical, conscious mind has been bypassed and is off-guard. Hypnosis intensifies concentration on the matter being focussed on, amplifying subconscious responses to suggestion which are accepted uncritically, to greater practical and pre-determined effect.

To summarise, the hypnotist must get unconscious responses to activate the unconscious mind to a subconscious level. This can be achieved by gaining an emotional response, by directing the subject to use their imagination or by using humour, which is an emotion. Use of shockingly funny humour or shock itself will get an instant, unconscious response. Conversely, any suggestion related to the subject’s conscious mind, tends to lead them out of trance. For example, making an implausible suggestion that causes them to question its logic or asking a question such as, ‘What do you think about….’ will activate critical thinking, a process of the conscious mind where information will be evaluated analytically, tending to lead them out of hypnotic trance. Whilst analytical, conscious thinking continues, you are no longer communicating directly with the uncritical, subconscious mind.

A special note should be made, regarding how to deal with any adverse reaction to hypnosis by your subject. Although such incidents are rare in practice, should your subject begin to demonstrate extreme emotion, sadness or undesirable, physical reactions when in trance, then the following strategy will recover the situation nicely. You can say for example, ‘The scene fades now, tend to your breathing’. If this is not immediate in effect you can follow on with, ‘As the images in your imagination drift away now, the scene begins to fade and you can relax, just doing nothing, concentrating on your breathing’. These phrases let the subject realise the experience they are having is imaginary and not reality. The words, now and relax, should be tonally emphasised to compound their effect. The subject will be able to dissociate from the imaginary scene and allow it to fade from their mind as they follow your suggestion to ‘…tend to your breathing’, allowing them to calm down. Doing nothing, is what the mind does in trance, altering an unconscious process such as breathing is hypnotic, so these ploys should keep them in hypnotic trance, allowing you to continue giving your suggestions. If the adverse reaction involved fear or emotional distress, it can be useful to add, ‘You are safe here with me’, to reassure them. Do not touch them during any adverse reaction since this may add to their distress by adding sensory stimulation to compound their unpleasant experience.

Safety

Some people should not be hypnotised. Obvious examples are those with psychological disorders, cognitive defects, epilepsy or mental disorders which may be made worse, pregnant women or anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs who may fall and injure themselves. It is also unlawful to hypnotise people below eighteen years of age in the U.K. unless you have reasonable cause to believe they are over 18 (Section 3 of the Hypnotism Act 1952 as amended by the Family Law Reform Act 1969).

Safety is your priority at all times. People in trance may wander off if unattended, endangering themselves or causing offence by interfering with others who may not realise they have been hypnotised. Wherever you are, you should place visual or verbal boundaries around your stage or performance area, whatever form it takes, be it street, stage or other public meeting place; so that subjects will not move outside the boundary you have set for them. In street hypnosis, you can set a defined boundary at the beginning of your performance, telling them they are not to move more than five metres from you at any time, remaining in that area at all times and not leaving without your consent. On stage, you can draw a chalk line to define the performance area to prevent subjects from falling off the edge in their altered state of consciousness. If boundary setting is impractical, once hypnotised, you could suggest to your subjects their feet are stuck to the floor and they are unable to move, remaining safe while you attend to individual subjects.

Be vigilant, maintaining observation and control over your hypnotised subjects at all times, since anything can happen and ultimately, it will be your responsibility if they fall over, wander off, interfere with others or cause mayhem. It is a good idea to fractionate your subjects at the beginning (Chapter one), giving them a complete compliance command at the commencement of your performance, so they immediately respond to you, should any dangerous or unforeseen circumstance arise. Say that any suggestions you give them from now on will become their instant and complete reality, no matter how ridiculous or strange they may seem. Tell them they will instantly see, hear, feel and believe what you tell them because they have a powerful and creative imagination and it will feel good to do so. Get them to acknowledge your suggestion, tell them to give a nod of their head (a feedback loop), so you are sure they heard and understood it. Telling them it will feel good is a motivating suggestion, telling them they have a powerful and creative imagination is a presupposition that challenges and encourages them to live up to your praise.

People who are deeply hypnotised will follow your suggestions uncritically, so you should ensure your decisions are morally acceptable to avoid physical or psychological harm to participants. You are legally responsible for what people do in their hypnotic state, so it is advisable to get verbal or written permission for what is about to happen from your volunteers, preferably filming it, so that you have a documentary record of your activities you can refer to later, should any misfortune or unforeseen legal consequences arise.

The Pre-talk

With the possible exception of instant, shock inductions, pattern interrupt inductions, and confusion inductions, most hypnotic inductions benefit from a pre-talk (Chapter four). The pre-talk explains to your subject what hypnosis is and is not, dispelling any myths, false beliefs or fears they may have such as, ‘I might get stuck in hypnosis’. You can say, ‘What are your thoughts or beliefs concerning hypnosis’? Your answer to their reply should then explain the nature of hypnosis and assure them that they have control over the process at all times and can reject any suggestion or come out of hypnosis if they wish. By describing the common experiences of others, you remove resistance due to fear or mistrust. You should give them some examples of how they will feel when in hypnosis, to allay any fears they may have. Feelings such as lightness, heaviness or floating are common experiences. Your aim