A Convincing Strategy For Hypnotherapists & Clients
A convincer, in the context of hypnotherapy, encourages the hypnotic subject to think a thought that helps the process along, such as: “Wow, something is going on here.” Or: “Okay, that was weird!”
Every hypnosis practitioner should already have a solid understanding of hypnotic convincers.
Common convincers can include the eye closure portion of many inductions, as well as simple “tests” like the Book and Balloon (you know, one hand heavy - holding a book, the other hand weightless - tied to a balloon), or even the Lemon Slice, when the hypnotist helps the subject feel, smell, and taste a lemon slice to the extent that their mouth starts watering.
These are great, once you’ve gotten a client through the door and willing to work with you.
However, some people may need convincing before they’ll show up, and in those cases sometimes data is your best approach.
Addressing the Conscious Mind With Honesty And Transparency
We're hypnotists. NLP Practitioners. We LOVE the unconscious/subconscious mind.
We have to get to it, though. Gain access so that we can get past the gate keeper that is the conscious mind.
As an industry, we do best when we tell the truth about what hypnosis is and is NOT...and including research and data in the conversation is one of the most effective ways to do that.
We all know that the pretalk can help a client understand that hypnosis is an agreement between the hypnotist and subject, so not a one way street.
The pretalk helps the client understand that they are active participants in the process.
However, in order to be able to give an effective pretalk, we need to engage the subject... We need them to show up willing to listen.
We can offer a pre-pretalk. Information we share on our websites and blogs, or even in our social conversations, that convinces individuals considering hypnosis that it can be effective for THEM.
We can help them feel safer and more convinced by offering current and up to date information from sources other than ourselves.
To that end, here’s something that might help you help your clients and students:
A Little Bit Of Research Goes A Long Way
In a recent article published on sciencedaily.com, researchers watched the brain react to hypnosis via “magnetically-induced electrical current spread throughout the brain during hypnosis and normal waking state”.
“The finding shows that the brain may function quite differently during hypnosis when compared to a normal waking state.”
According to ScienceDaily.com, “During a normal waking state, information is processed and shared by various parts within our brain to enable flexible responses to external stimuli. Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, found that during hypnosis the brain shifted to a state where individual brain regions acted more independently of each other.”
I’ll leave it to you to read the rest of the article if you are so inclined.
The point here is to recognize the value in adding a scientific explanation to your pre-pre-talk about hypnosis. It’s great when someone is highly suggestible, and trusting and willing to go into trance easily.
That shouldn’t mean those are the only people you can help, though.
Sometimes, people need a little convincing, and addressing their conscious mind’s concerns can help bypass that critical factor and get your clients to “the good stuff” that much quicker.