Hypnosis pretalk
To go directly to the Pretalk click here:
The following is based on a piece I gave some of my students and so I have included a full induction as well as the pretalk itself. You may find some inductions and other things repeated with slight variations since their sources are different. Select the scripts you like, learn them, use them and in time make them your own.
I know that very rarely do I keep to the absolute identical script (even when I created the script). It is important to be flexible and understand the principles of hypnotherapy and then treat each client as an individual. Approach her with total unconditional love and nonjudgmental acceptance and you will produce wonderful behavior change.
In order to succeed every time in inducing trance the very first time you work with an individual or a group, it is important for the hypnotherapist have the following attitudes:
- Self confidence in your own capability to guide your client into trance.
- Belief that the client(s) is(are) the world’s best hypnotic subject(s).
The pretalk is at least as important or even more important than the induction itself. During the pretalk you need to dispel misunderstanding about hypnosis, explain what hypnosis is and establish rapport while getting the client used to accepting your commands.
The first step is to establish rapport. Great big smile and use the client's name. Your name is one of the most hypnotic words in the human communication repertoire. With individual clients I establish points of commonality as I am doing the intake. Remember that people’s names are very hypnotic and rapport producing so when working with an individual client use their name often in the pretalk and the induction.
When working with a group (in a seminar) I start with a joke which relates to the topic of the seminar. I typically get people to next introduce themselves and use some more stories and jokes before I start the hypnosis pretalk.
Finally it is time to get to the pretalk (this is acted out with a sense of fun – acting directions are in parenthesis): Most people get their ideas about hypnosis from stage shows, and sensational fictional accounts from movies, and literature. They think that hypnosis is being under someone else's control and quacking like a duck. In fact the way stage hypnosis works is that the stage hypnotist asks for volunteers. Now most people don’t move. A few people are the shy one’s, the introverts who wouldn’t get on the stage if you paid them a million dollars and they hide behind someone’s back (in groups I demonstrate by hiding behind someone and acting scared – it is important to get them laughing)…. And then there are the extrovert…. These are the fun of the party. They would do anything to be on that stage in front of all those people. “Me, Me, Me,” they scream (I jump up and down mimicking the extroverts).
Now guess which one’s the hypnotist uses (note I keep differentiating between myself as a hypnotherapist from hypnotists)? (Most people say the extroverts – but if they say the introverts I simply smile and say no the whole idea is to entertain not to torture).
Now, it may look as though these people are being controlled by the hypnotist, doesn't it? … These people volunteered, didn’t they? ... Now, the truth is the "victims" volunteer and would do anything to be on that stage doing outrageous things and having fun. However, if one asks the person who was quaking like a duck if they were hypnotized, they will invariably answer that they weren't since they were aware of what was going on and they could hear everything being said.
That is important to understand, when you enter the trance state which is another word for hypnosis you will here everything I say…. Before I learned about hypnosis I saw a stage show… There was this guy who was excellent…. He was great fun and quaked like a duck and many things like that…. After the show I asked him, “Were you really hypnotized?” and he said, “No!” He said he could hear everything and so I asked then why did you do all those crazy things and he said that he felt like it.
And, now, when you are hypnotized you’ll listen to my suggestions because you’ll feel like it…. Many people are scared of being controlled by the hypnotherapist but in fact it is impossible for the hypnotherapist to give you a suggestion that you do not want to do and you accepting it. If someone gave you a suggestion which goes against your morality you would get out of trance instantaneously….
Many years ago a professor would demonstrate this by hypnotizing one of the young ladies in the first class and then telling her to strip…. Now, of course the young lady would immediately open her eyes and typically would smile and say, “No, thank you.” Sometimes she may even slap him…. Now, that was way before these politically correct and sue me sue you times…. The professor would get slapped occasionally but he had made his points that you cannot force anyone do anything which goes against their morality…
One year he asked this young lady to strip and “boodoom” (I here act out stripping) “boodoom.” The professor got red in the fact and said, “Stop, stop, stop.” They woke her up and then discovered that she was putting herself through school by being a part time striper. So, you see… Her unconscious mind had moral compunction in striping in front of 500 people…
Another thing about hypnosis is that it is very difficult for you to know you are in a trance. I know because I observe you and not external signs of hypnosis but for you it may be hard…. In fact, would you like to see what hypnosis is like? Good….
Makes yourself comfortable (make sure their feet are on the floor, arms uncrossed etc. The real thing is to get them accepting your suggestions. So you may ask them to move the chair or anything). Now, close your eyes. Take a deep breath…. Let it out…. Wonderful…. You did great…. I know you are going to have great fun in hypnosis…. Now, open your eyes….
That’s what hypnosis is like…. It is very difficult to know that you are hypnotized…. From the outside I can see physiological changes and I'll know but don't expect to be zonked out or to go to sleep.... Do expect to feel relaxed.
The body is like a robot, controlled by the mind…. What the mind sees the body tends to do. Are ready to have fun? Good! Pretend you're in your kitchen.... Imagine you're in front of your fridge.... Walk over to your fridge... Feel the door handle as you open the door... Imagine the sound of the door as it opens.... See a bowl of fresh ripe juicy lemons... Grab a lemon.... Smell the aroma of the lemon as you squeeze the lemon.... Take the lemon over to the cutting board.... Place the lemon on the cutting board..... Take a sharp knife and cut the lemon in two.... As you cut the lemon maybe a few drops of lemon juice spurt out.... Now cut it in quarters.... Take one of the quarters in your hand.... Examine it.... See the texture of the lemon rind.... Now put it in your mouth and take a big bite....
Next ask the audience to notice that they are salivating more than usual. Next ask them, "Was there really a lemon?.... No! But the robot thought so."
Some people say, “You can’t hypnotize me. I am too intelligent, I have a strong will power or some such nonsense.” Well I have some news for them. I have only hypnotized one person and that me, because all hypnosis is self hypnosis and is a learning experience. I have absolutely no power over anybody. I am just a technician who knows how to guide you to enter a trance state. In fact, the more intelligent you are, the stronger your will power the easier you’ll learn to enter the trance state.
Even more important is using your power of creativity and imagination. Just be like an innocent child having great fun and pretending… The more fun you have the easier you’ll hypnotize yourself and enter a healing trance state….
I would now like to do some suggestibility tests. Now, these are not pass fail tests…. You will pass every single one…. They just help me know how suggestible you are and which method to use….
Now use three of your favorite suggestibility tests. I use, “Book and Balloon,” “Finger Vice,” and “Locked Hand Grip.” I am not going to describe these here since they are difficult to write about with the subtleties of what has to be done and are best to be demonstrated…. (In time I'll post videos of these and other suggestibility tests).
Before I start the induction I say, "I have so many different ways of guiding people into trance and if one does not work we will use another even though I have never had to use a second method." This statement is true and thus I say it with full congruence and confidence. The presupposition here is that you will enter a trance with the very first induction. I have so many arrows in my quiver that resistance is useless.
Finally comes the induction. In the beginning a full body relaxation will always work. In fact now-a-days I always use a rapid induction method based on the work of Dave Elman. It always works for me I believe because I now have total self confidence that it will work and so my voice and body language are congruent. It is important to modulate your voice.
I know many hypnotherapists just use a monotonous boring voice and will bore the client into a trance. This works as an induction (many high school teachers use this method unknowingly and wonder why the class does not learn). However, the bore them to sleep induction breaks rapport and the client goes into a world of her own and does not accept the therapist’s suggestions.
At times I talk fast, at times slow, at times a whisper, at times reasonably loud. Typically deep voices induce trance much better than high squeaky voices. When I say, “Deeper, and deeper, and deeper….” I allow my voice to go deeper and deeper and deeper…. I do this by lowering my head as I repeat the deeper and deeper and deeper…..
The induction: In order to relax you mind, body, soul, spirit start taking some deep breaths in through your nose and hold your breath for as long as you are comfortable and then exhale through your mouth as you allow your self to relax more and more….In a moment I will mention various parts of your body…. As I mention each part of your body, concentrate on that part and allow that part to relax totally and completely. As you relax each part you may notice that it is easier to relax the next part and you will be feeling better and better as you breath deeper and easier. Think of your feet…. Concentrate your mind on your feet. Allow your feet to relax totally and completely as you move your consciousness to the soles of your feet. Allow your toes to relax and allow that wonderful feeling of relaxation move up the soles of your feet through the arches to the back of your feet. In order to relax you even more you may wish to imagine a most relaxing fluid to fill up your body relaxing it more and more. Now I don’t know what color you will select. Allow your unconscious mind select whatever color is most relaxing to you….. And now allow that wonderful relaxing fluid to move up your legs through your ankles, shins to your knees – relaxing them, relaxing, relaxing….. And now relax your thighs, hips, moving up as you relax, relax, relax…. Continuing to relax your back bones, shoulders and now relaxing your arms through your forearms, wrists, hands, fingers, to your finger tips…. Allowing them all to relax more and more, relaxing your mind, body, soul, spirit…. Now concentrate on your organs…. Concentrate on your heart, lung, liver, kidneys, stomach and all your organs. These do such a wonderful job for you keeping you alive, healing you, making you feel wonderful…. Allow all your internal organs to relax totally and completely feeling very good, very safe, totally in control as you allow your conscious and unconscious to communicate better and better…. Now concentrate on the back of your neck and allow you neck to relax totally and completely. Now concentrate on your scalp – allow your scalp to relax totally and completely…. As you relax your forehead you may notice all the folds on your skin relax and your skin feels much younger. Allow the rest of your face to relax totally and completely feeling very good, very safe totally in control…. Now concentrate on the muscles of your eyes, eyelids…. These are the smallest, most subtle muscles in your body…. Allow these muscles to relax totally and completely…. When and only when your eyelids are so relaxed, so relaxed that you just wouldn’t feel like opening them, try in vain to open them and find with great fun and amazement that they do not open and appear to be glued together… Only try for a moment proving that you are totally in control by being able to keep your eyes so relaxed that they remain closed and now allow that wonderful feeling of relaxation permeate through the whole of your body and go into a DEEP TRANCE NOW, DEEP TRANCE NOW, DEEP TRANCE NOW…. In a moment I’ll count down from ten to one. As I count down use the power of your imagination to imagine going down a set of beautiful stairs toward a paradise of a garden…. Your very own wonderful safe space deep within the recesses of your mind. As I count down with each number imagine you take another step down doubling your relaxation, feeling very good very safe, totally secure and more and more in control as you allow your conscious and unconscious to communicate better and better. Ten take a step down in your imagination and double your relaxation, going deeper and deeper… Nine feeling very good very safe, totally secure and more and more in control as you allow your conscious and unconscious to communicate better and better. Eight doubling your relaxation going deeper and deeper and deeper…. Seven going deeper and deeper and deeper …. Six doubling your relaxation…. Five feeling very safe and secure as you allow your conscious and unconscious to communicate better and better and better Four and deeper and deeper …. Three we are nearly there Two And one….
Now imagine that you are in a most beautiful calming paradise of a garden…. This is your own safe space… Deep within the recesses of your mind…..
Now you can give suggestions
Cancel all temporary suggestions: for example if you did glove anesthesia you cancel it and give the suggestion that the hand and arm are no longer numb and all feeling have returned. You may give appropriate posthypnotic suggestions here for self hypnosis and later sessions explaining that all hypnosis is about learning to enter the trance state at will. It is a learning experience. Therefore each time you work together the subject will go deeper and enter trance faster.
THE END: It is now time to end this session. In a little while I’ll count up from one to five at the count of five you’ll be fully awake, fully alert, fully rested as though you’ve had a full nights rest. Before I do that I like to give you the suggestion that each time we work together you will be able to enter a wonderful deep trance state quicker and you’ll go deeper and deeper and deeper…. Finally….. <last suggestions application dependent> I’ll now count up from one to five…. If it is your time to go to sleep forget my suggestions to wake up and instead go into a wonderful, natural soothing sleep…. Otherwise listen to my suggestion: One coming back into your body…. Two feeling is returning to your extremities – fingers toes Three eyelids beginning to flicker Feeling very good very safe really well rested Four full of self confidence and really well rested…. Five eyes wide open fully awake, fully alert, feeling very very good….
Now wait for a little while making sure the subject is fully alert before they leave your presence. Understand that all hypnosis is self hypnosis and is a learning experience. The more you take the client into the trance state the better they learn to enter the trance state.