You Can Learn Hypnosis
Achieving hypnosis is a matter of directing the suggestibility that we all possess into the channels that will finally produce the hypnotic state. It can be much more complicated than this reason in many cases, but let us use this as a working grounds.
Everyone can be hypnotised. The time required for achieving hypnosis will vary from subject to subject. We will discuss some of the explanations for this in a subsequent chapter , but for our debate at this time we want to understand this point. I have run across countless individuals who were extremely disappointed because they didn’t respond to hypnosis immediately or after a couple of attempts. They wished to know “what was wrong.” An explanation that nothing was wrong somehow didn’t satisfy these individuals. “After all,” they argued, “didn’t I go to a hypnotist particularly to be hypnotized?” Some insinuated that perhaps the hypnotist was not particularly good.
Visit Hypnosis Induction, Subliminal Hypnosis or Learn to Hypnotize for more free hynosis training…
let me explain that most subjects must be conditioned for hypnosis, and this conditioning is helped when the [14] subject practices certain conditioning exercises that I shall discuss in depth in chapter 6, titled “ways to Attain Self-Hypnosis.” In my teaching, I’ve found that about one out of ten subjects responds to the first attempt at hypnosis. One can’t make a definite statement re the period of time important to learn self-hypnosis, but it’s my experience this sometimes takes about one month. I’ve had subjects learn self-hypnosis in about 30 minutes, but I must also relate that I have worked with subjects for one year before they achieved it.
For the most part, the laws of learning apply to self-hypnosis as with anything more that one would want to learn. It could be a relatively straightforward process, or it can be really bewildering. The answer lies not so much with the hypnotist as with the subject.
One question that emerges is : “if I am under hypnosis, how am I able to give myself suggestions?” during the hypnotic state, it must be recollected, the subject is always aware of what is occurring. He hears what’s declared, follows directions and ends the state when told to do so. In the self-hypnotic state, the subject is in full control. Therefore , he can think, reason, act, criticise, suggest or do whatever he wants. He’ll audibly give himself suggestions, or he can psychologically give himself proposals. In either case, he doesn’t rouse from the hypnotic state until he gives himself explicit suggestions to do so. Many feel if they audibly give themselves suggestions, they’ll “awaken.” In hypno-analysis, the subject answers questions in the hypnotic state. Having the subject talk doesn’t cancel the state. You can keep the talkative subject under hypnosis so long as you need. Furthermore, the subject can be sitting erect with his eyes open and still be under hypnosis. Carrying this further, the subject may not even be advised that he’s [15] under hypnosis. He can be given a cue not to recollect when the consultant makes a certain motion or announces a certain word that he will go back into the hypnotic state but still keep his eyes open. Only a seasoned hypnotist could perceive the change.
Another frequent question is : “How do I arouse myself from the self-hypnotic state?” You merely say to yourself that on counting to 5 you’ll open your eyes and wake up feeling fine. Many times the subject falls asleep while giving himself posthypnotic proposals. This isn’t undesirable since the suggestions will spill over into the unconscious mind as he goes from consciousness to unconsciousness.
A popular opinion of hypnosis is that the subject surrenders his will to the hypnotist in the process of being hypnotised. Additionally, many think that once the subject is hypnotised, the hypnotist has complete control of the subject and the subject is helpless to oppose idea. Both principles are erroneous. I suspect the 1st myth comes from seeing techniques where the hypnotist requests the subject to look into his eyes. The hypnotist suggests to the subject that as he continues to look into his eyes he will fall into a deep hypnotic state. This, then, becomes a matter of who can outstare whom. The subject generally starts to blink his eyes and the hypnotist follows this up with quick recommendations the subject’s eyes are becoming watery and heavy and that the subject will fall into a deep hypnotic sleep just as soon as he ( the subject ) closes his eyes. This procedure gives the impression to the observer the subject is “willed” to go under hypnosis. It would appear that once the hypnotist concentrates or wills sufficiently, the subject succumbs. In fact the hypnotist in this system isn’t looking into the eyes of the subject. [16] He fixes his attention on the bridge of the nose of the subject.