In the last post we talked about the more traditional forms of hypnosis. You learned that Traditional Hypnosis is best suited to people who don’t resist being told what to do.By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP techniques work far better for most members of today’s generation! This is because today people are taught to question everything, rather than just follow the flock. So these methods do work very well on people who are critical or analytical in their thinking processes.
These methods are much more effective at reaching and influencing he unconscious. However, it can take years of training, study, and most of all experience to learn how to apply these techniques effectively. This is a challenge that is only accepted by the truly dedicated hypno-therapists.
With “Ericksonian Hypnosis,” we use little stories, called metaphors, to present suggestions and ideas to the unconscious mind. This is a powerful and effective method, because it usually eliminates the blockage of and resistance to suggestions
that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, “Isomorphic,” and those of the imbedded command or “interspersal” nature.Isomorphic metaphors offer direction to the unconscious by telling a story that offers up a moral. The unconscious draws a one-to-one relationship between elements of the story and elements of a problem situation or behavior. For example, if a child is telling a lot of lies, the parent might tell the child the story about the “Boy who cried wolf.” The unconscious would draw a parallel between the boy in the story and the child, and realize that telling lies could lead to disaster, so the child would probably stop lying.
With the Embedded Command technique, the hypnotist tells an interesting story that engages and distracts the conscious mind. The story contains hidden direct suggestions that are usually accepted by the unconscious. For example: While the client is in hypnosis, he might hear the hypnotist say something like: I’m going to tell you a story about [a beach that has feelings. Isn't that] strange to [you?] It’s a warm summer’s day, and the sun can make the beach, [you] know,
[feel great.]
The hypnotist pauses, shifts his voice tonality, and emphasizes the bracketed text. The unconscious recognizes a “Selectional restriction violation.” Beaches can’t have feelings. So it’s like the unconscious says to itself: “Wait a minute, a beach can’t feel anything, so that must mean that I’m supposed to feel great.”Since the suggestions are embedded in a story that is distracting the conscious mind, its unlikely that the conscious will realize that it has just received a command, so it won’t block it or resist it.
Process Instructions direct the unconscious to find a memory of an appropriate learning experience from the past, and then apply that experience to making a change in the present.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
If you haven’t already done so, visit the website and download my FREE Power Relaxation MP3 and listen to it a few times.In the next post we’ll talk about one of the most powerful forms of hypnosis: Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). And please remember, I’m here to help you. Feel free to write or call with any questions that you have about hypnosis.
