If you want to learn how to hypnotize people, you must take responsibility for what you communicate. The end goal of hypnosis is to communicate directly to the subconscious mind in such a way that it takes a precise desired action.
As the hypnotist, your job is to communicate with the unconscious mind. In order to effectively communicate you need to understand what communication is and who is responsible.
Often what we say is misunderstood by the way we communicate. As a professional communicator your meaning in a communication is exactly what the other person understands it to be.
Restated, what the other person understands the communication to mean is what it means. Perception is reality. Consider the following statements;
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog.
Notice the highlighted word in each of the sentences. If you put the emphasis on the highlighted word it gives that sentence an entirely different meaning. It draws an entirely different picture in your mind.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~We understand to mean, someone else said I kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~Just because I didn’t say it, doesn’t mean I didn’t write it.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~We understand to mean someone else kicked his dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~Threw rocks at it maybe…
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~We interpret to mean I kicked someone elses dog.
I didn’t say I kicked his dog. ~His cat on the other hand…
(Side note- No animals were harmed in the writing of this article. I love dogs and cats, however I purposefully wanted the emotional involvement.)
When I say “chair” a picture pops into your mind of a chair. If I say “white chair”, possibly a different picture pops into your mind. If I say “white plastic chair that sits on your front porch” you have a completely different picture. The point is this, if I want you to have a specific picture in your mind, it is up to me to give it to you.
Hypnosis is no different. If as a hypnotist I want you to have a specific picture in your mind it is up to me, the hypnotist, to paint that picture for you.
This is why the preceding lessons were so important. By using the powers of observation we are starting to develop, we can calibrate whether or not our subject is painting the picture we want them to paint.
You will be able to recognize the signs of trance. You will know when your subject is coming out of trance and when they are going deeper. By observing and guiding them, we can get them into a deeper trance making the hypnosis session more productive.
Today we learned that we are ultimately responsible for any communication we make. It is our responsibility that what was understood, was what we meant. Think how much better the entire world be if everybody excepted this level of responsibility for what they say and do.
For today’s exercise I want you to talk to someone. I want you tell them a story, any story. I want you to picture the scene in your mind and describe it in vivid detail. Leave nothing out.
For example, don’t say “I watched TV.” Say “I sat in my chair with my feet propped up watching the most amazing program on the History Channel last night. I learned such an unbelievable amount about the Civil War. I had no idea it could be that interesting. I was so enthralled with the show, I didn’t even notice the commercials that were on.
Remember, what your subject perceives is reality.
Learning how to hypnotize people is a journey, not a destination. We will make it to the city of hypnosis, only to realize it is but a border town to an entire different country.
