What if it doesn’t work?!

Having formally taught this Hypnosis Without Trance method a few times now, it is coming to my attention that many people have a concern (maybe even an anxiety), that they are going to set up the process and have it ‘fail’ at a critical moment, leaving them looking foolish or incompetent.  I totally get this concern, because it was a concern of mine for a long time too! Interestingly, this very concern was a big part of what shaped my approach to hypnosis in the first place.  In this video I am introducing part of the method by which I guarantee that I NEVER FAIL, unless I choose to take a risk (playing it safe is not always the best way to learn and develop).  If you think that this sounds like a bold claim, watch the video and let me have your comments!

All the very best

James

Curiosity and Fascination as Tools for Hypnosis

Hello my friends!

It has been a while since I have posted, which has been largely due to intense busyness!  One of the things that has been keeping me busy is finishing the Home Study material… and it is done! I just need to sort out the packaging and a few other bits and pieces then it will be ready to roll.  It has ended up being 7 audio CD’s, 2 DVD’s and a CD Rom containing transcripts. This is the first time I have done anything like this and it has proven to be a massive learning experience.

What I have included here is a little snippet from the audios covering the concept of Curiosity Framing! This is something that I use a lot when hypnotising (so much so that I do it without thinking), and I think that it is a really valuable little tool for absorbing the subject in the process.  Check out the audio clip and, as usual, I am happy to hear your comments on the blog.

HWT 5.3 – Curiosity Framing

All the very best

James

Totally Hypnotically Focussed!

Hi Guys and Gals!

I wanted to do this as a videopost, but my sinusitis is still too bad for me to dare video (no one must see me this way ).  I had an email from someone asking about… Well, you can read it yourself:

“Hi James,

Great new blog entries. Thanks

Just a quick question about keeping peoples attention.  When I have tried the hand stick a couple of times and it hasn’t been successful I have noticed its because when I have asked a question (eg whats more stuck..) the volunteer has turned to me, looked at me  and answered instead of keeping their concentration on a fixed point ie the hand.  From then I can see the concentration is broken and it breaks down.

Can you suggest where I may be going wrong.  I am guessing its in the set up?  Or the surroundings.  Any tips or ideas.”

Now I can’t say what the specific problem is in this case, because I have not seen what has been done in this instance, but my guess at what is happening is either a break in the subject’s hypnotic focus, or they were not hypnotically focussed in the first place.

So what do I mean by hypnotic focus?

What I cal hypnotic focus is essentially…

…an uncritical focus on current and anticipated experience.

Hypnotic focus is what keeps the subject caught in the hypnotic loop, because they are focussed on their current and anticipated experience in an uncritical way. In classic hypnosis parlance this is in part what is known as bypassing the critical faculty (please don’t say critical factor, ‘cause that is just plain wrong) – that part of the mind that tests and evaluates the validity of experience and ideas.  But there is more than that to it – there is a focus on something specific (the elements within the hypnotic loop), as guided by the hypnotist.

In hypnotic focus, The bypass of the critical faculty is essential, because critical thinking will ‘pop’ the subject out of the hypnotic loop. Conversely, when the subject is uncritically focussed on experience, the experience tends feed belief and amplify itself through the hypnotic loop. One of the basic skills of hypnosis is being able to lead people into hypnotic focus.

Just to be clear hear, hypnotic focus is not trance – there is no depth or ‘turning inward’ or whatever. The subject is either focussed, or they are not.

One of the basic means of focussing is to pace and lead experience.  This means heightening focus on what is happening by referencing it and then connecting new ideas to that existing experience.  So with a client that is looking at a point on their hand, you might say:

“as you continue to look at that point on your hand… you can notice your breathing now… and begin to imagine as you continue to breath… a powerful glue spreading between your hand and the table…”

So I am pacing existing experience and leading with the glue idea.

Now these are just the words – how you deliver them is every bit as important. You want to leave just enough time after each pacing statement (certainly earlier in the process, when initially setting up) for the person’s focus to shift to the element of experience that you are pacing. If you gabble to fast, you are moving on before they are able to focus fully, and you lose the power of the pace.  Now I am not saying that you have to speak slowly, just leave enough space for the subject to respond to the pace.

Another key element is that you watch to see whether the person looks absorbed in what you are describing – do they look in rapt attention or are they distracted?  If they look distracted, give suggestions such as “allow yourself to focus” and “become fully absorbed in the experience” and give more pacing statements.  If they look like they are beginning to focus in more, encourage them with such statements as “that’s right… just allowing yourself to be … focussed”.

Another important point is where and how you look – that is, use your eyes.  This is especially important when asking questions.  In normal conversation, when you ask a question you will look at the person to whom you are addressing the question, inviting eye contact.  If you do this, it will draw there focus to your eyes.

In hypnosis, this is OK only if you intend to use that focus in the loop you are running.  So I might say:

“when your name’s gone now, and you look at me (gesturing to my eyes)… what happens when you try to say your name… and it’s gone… and you look at me (gesturing to my eyes) and its gone..?”

So the question I am asking is setting up a loop that includes the experience of looking at my eyes and their name being gone. However, if I am going for a hand stick and I have set up a loop including the element of looking at a point on their hand, then I draw eye-contact when I question “what’s more stuck, your fingers or your palm” I am pulling them out of the loop that I have gone to great care to set up.

In this instance, I would look and point at their hand as I ask the question (specifically, I would look at it with genuine fascination, because that is exactly what I want from them, so I model it for them).

The subject will see me looking at their hand, just as they are, in their peripheral vision, so they will stay attending to what we want them to.  This is really important, because if you look at their eyes or face when you ask the question, they will see this in their peripheral vision and look up to meet your gaze, which is not part of this particular hypnotic loop.

So that is a little about hypnotic focus and how to build and maintain it.

If you would like to learn more about this, and develop serious skills and ability in doing it, please do hurry and grab one of the remaining places on February’s Hypnosis Without Trance Live Workshop.  If you have a look at the booking page you will see that I have increased the value of this massively by adding in a super FREE bonus (those who have already booked will get this as well, so don’t panic if that’s you). Find out more at:

http://www.hypnosiswithouttrance.com/hypnosis_without_trance_training.htm

All the very best

James

Hypnosis Without Trance goes German!

Thanks to the efforts and dedication of Roland Suljic and Marvin Stoppelkötter, Hypnosis Beyond the Trance Myth is now available in German! And here it is:

Hypnose Jenseits Des Trance Mythos

For myself, I am fantastically grateful to Roland and Martin for undertaking and completing this project – but as they are quick to point out some of the credit must be shared with those who gave feedback and suggestions during the translation process, including Ingo Buerk, Anja Wadlinger, Dirk Schwientek, Julian Besken and Frank Ch. Seckler.

If you are a german speaker with an interest in hypnosis, please visit Roland and Marvin’s website - HYPNOSCIENCE!

Once again, thank you Roland and Marvin!

All the very best

James

‘Pantomime’ or Full Body Communication!

OK, here’s the original ‘Pantomime’ video.  I have been wanting to re-shoot this, but events have conspired against me in the form of particularly stubborn Sinusitis (it’s been over 2 weeks now – I’m hoping my new industrial strength antibiotics will be doing the job).

The Sinusitis is also the reason that the Hypnosis Without Trance Home Study Material is currently on hold.  I am hoping that with these new anti-biotics, I’ll be able to get back to recording early next week.

So here’s the video – not how I wanted it to be, but hey… c’est la vie!

Any questions, please leave a comment!

All the very best

James

The Hypnotic Partnership!

OK, so I have a new video… but it’s NOT the video I was promising in the last post! It’s all chaos round here with Christmas Day tomorrow and me working up to the last minute to get the HWT home study programme together (today was my deadline, and I’m not even close).

The video I was promising was about what I call ‘Pantomiming’ – by this I mean communicating with your entire self (gesture, posture, facial expression, voice tone/pitch/rhythm etc).  My intention was to re-shoot a video that I already have (I put it on the blog briefly, then took it down because I wasn’t happy with it), but… I’ll tell you about it in my next post.

This video is about something different and even more important!

THE HYPNOTIC PARTNERSHIP!!!

Enjoy!

HWT Home Study – Coming Soon?

Hello All

Having received so many requests for it, I am working furiously on putting together a comprehensive home study package for Hypnosis Without Trance – and it’s turning out to be a big job!  Partly, it is getting to grips with the technical side, and partly it is the shear volume of information that I want to convey (hypnosis isn’t too complicated, but it is the myriad of subtleties that really make it work that takes up the bulk of the detail).

So I have this target of getting it done before Christmas day… but school is off and the kids are running amok and all the last minute Christmas preparations are jostling for priority. And I also want to get a blog video up, because I want to talk to you about ‘Pantomime’ (communicating with your full body) in hypnosis.

Hopefully I will be able to get that up today, but if I don’t manage it, please do forgive me!

All the very best

James

HWT Demo!

Here is a little demonstration taken from the Hypnosis Without Trance workshop on the 5th November.

Enjoy

Good Subjects

I believe that anybody and everybody can experience hypnosis and hypnotically altered realities – but it is definitely my experience that some do it more easily and readily than others.  Indeed, some people seem to live most of their lives focussed into the moment and with their critical faculties ‘off-line’ – and for the purposes of hypnosis demonstration these people will always be your best subjects.  Such people are what are classically referred to in hypnosis as somnambulists (literally meaning sleep walkers).

 You will also meet people who are almost chronically prone to analysis and critical thinking, and with these people you will have to work a lot harder (or smarter) to lead them into hypnotic loops. These people are what are classically referred to in hypnosis as analytical (literally meaning crap subject or no good ).  When making impromptu demonstrations of hypnosis, I recommend that you just avoid these people, unless you wish to make life harder than it needs to be (which you may do when you get competent and want to start expanding your skills).

Those who have accrued much experience in the art of AAA (anytime, anyplace, anywhere) hypnosis usually develop a keen ability to spot somnambulists from analyticals.  While this comes with experience, there are a few clues that may help you as you start.

Somnambulist

Analytical

Tend to ‘be in the moment’, often ‘part of the action’ and uninhibited.      Tend to make eye contact a lot, and have generally less eye movement. Tend to have a relaxed and open ‘body language’ – relaxed shoulders, head and eyes upright, fluid movement and breathing, relaxed facial muscles, often smiling. Are happy to follow your lead, and go along with what you suggest.

Tend to be ‘set back’, as if observing what is going on.     Often a lot of eye movement, often down and to their left. Tend to hold a lot of tension and have more closed body language – look for crossed arms/legs, tense shoulders, pulling the head down, caving the chest, shallow breathing, ‘tight’ body movements frowning and facial tension. Will follow your lead, but make sure they do it their way – asking questions, making comments, adding unnecessary movements (‘fidgets, shuffles’ etc.), will often say “let me just ____ first”

 

Please be aware that the above as ‘clues’ and not definitive markers or ‘rules’.  Ulitimately you will develop a sense for it.

Whatever type of subject I think I have, I will still run what I call ‘flag tests’ to check that they are playing the process 100%.  What I want from a ‘flag test’ is a ‘green flag’ response – this means good to go. a ‘red flag’ response means either ’stop’ or ‘proceed with caution’.

An example of a flag test is asking “do you have a good imagination?” What I am looking for is a clear and congruent ‘yes’ without hesitation – this would be a green flag.  If the person says “yeh, sure” with a little shrug, for me this is a ‘red flag’ – the subject is replying, but they are doing it in too much of an ‘independent’ way. They are doing things their way instead of my way.  This is what is tied up with what I call the ‘Game Model’, but I’ll have to save that for another time.

I am currently working on getting all the Hypnosis Without Trance material into a comprehensive format for learning, which should be available in the new year.  This will hopefully cover anything and everything you need to know about doing hypnosis with confidence and precision.

Please do keep your questions and comments coming, as they are very much appreciated.

All the very best

James

Big Phenomena via the Hypnotic Ladder

People have been asking me if you can get ‘big phenomena’ with the HWT approach.  The answer is YES!  Please watch the negative hallucination video, then watch this one.