When people think about hypnosis, people will often voice a number of fears. So when learning how to hypnotize someone one needs to be aware of the range of common fears that people might have and be able to address them thoroughly before doing the hypnosis. The vast majority of hypnotists will tell you that they spend a significant amount of time with these people “debunking” the numerous myths that surround the art of hypnosis. The range of “fears” or questions that people will raise with the hypnotist tend to be in relation to “being out of control” or, “being in the control of the hypnotist” and being made to walk like a duck or quack like a chicken, a fear of disclosing very personal details or a fear of being “stuck” in hypnosis for ever. The reality is, that chickens, don’t quack!!!
The question of learning how to hypnotise someone is an elusive one to a lot of people. So many people have a misinformed opinion of hypnosis and it is due largely to the fact that it has been badly portrayed in the media, largely through stage shows and strange scenarios dramatised in television and in movies. As a consequence a lot of people are afraid of it because they have that misconception that the only reason that people are hypnotized is so that they can be told to cluck like a chicken. The reality is that all hypnosis is really self hypnosis. A person cannot be hypnotized against their will and cannot be “made” to do anything that is against their ethical, moral or spiritual value system. Nor will they “reveal” any deep dark secrets that they don’t want anyone else to know about and they will not stay stuck in hypnosis should the hypnotist forget to “emerge” them.
The hypnotic state is essentially a “brain wave” related state. When fully conscious we are producing Beta brain waves. A light “hypnoidal” state is an Alpha brainwave state and it is something we all experience every day, such as when we go into and out of sleep or when we are daydreaming. Have you ever had the experience of becoming so totally absorbed in a book or a movie or a hobby that you enjoy, to the point of not being responsive, even to someone calling your name. That is because you are essentially in hypnosis which can be defined simply, as a state of focused concentration. So the process of learning how to hypnotise someone, is to become skilled at inducing that focused state.
There are a variety of methods of helping a person attain that focused state we call hypnosis. . Hypnotists refer to this process as ” Induction”. So learning how to hypnotize someone means that you will need to learn inductions and preferably a number of them.
There are three main styles or groups of inductions and each of the main groups has several techniques. The main groups are: The Instant induction, the rapid induction and the progressive muscle relaxation induction.
Instant Induction: This method produces a trance state literally in seconds and is favoured by the stage hypnotist. Instant induction techniques are simple to master, with practice and an air of confidence. Acquiring this skill is very useful for any one learning how to hypnotize someone.
Rapid Induction: A rapid induction induces a trance state in about 7- 10 minutes. It is most often in clinical hypnosis, such as in the office of a psychologist. A rapid induction employs a series of short direct commands designed to help a person into that hypnotic state.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Induction: is an early form of induction. It is sometimes used for those who find it difficult to relax. It takes more time than the other forms of inductions. It is a good induciton to learn for those just starting out in learning how to hypnotise someone.
It is important for someone learning how to hypnotize someone to know as many inductions as possible as it affords the hypnotist a wide range of options as not everyone who is hypntoised responds to the same type of induction.
Deepening
Once someone is in trance, the next stage is to “deepen the trance”. This involves helping the person move into the slower brain wave states (low alpha, theta and high delta) wherein they are more open to the suggestions being offered. There are several techniques involved in this process. A simple example is to have the client imagine that they are at the top of a staircase and as they descend step by step they go “down” into a deeper state (of concentration). A simple counting methodology, 10 down to 1, one step descent per number, will facilitate the deepening process. The range and variety of deepeners is endless.
Use of the hypnotist’s imagination can facilitate any number of such deepeners and the effects will be enhanced by appropriate use of the voice: tone, pace of delivery, choice and use of language and so on. All of this can be further developed by the person learning how to hypnotize someone using the breath as a guide to pace the delivery of the deepener: the hypnotist initially matches the delivery of the deepener to the client’s breathing rate and then begins to slow the pace of delivery and the client subconsciously matches the pace of the hypnotist ‘s delivery, thereby “breathing” their way into the deepening process. This is called pacing and leading.
Other techniques such as “fractionation” (deepening in stages) are also employed to good effect, and this is an easy process to learn for those wanting to learn how to hypnotize someone.
Hypnosis is used therapeutically by psychologists and some medical doctors and is useful in treating such things as Chronic pain, Irritiable bowel syndrome (IBS), Depression, Anxieties and Phobias to mention but a few conditions. It is also used to prepare patients for sugery and some surgery is done under hypnosis with no anaestheisa used at all.
This book is a useful introduction to the world of hypnosis if you want to learn how to hypnotise someone.