So You Want To Be A Hypnotist?

By Rick & Jan Stratton

Copyright 1996, 2012 by Rick and Jan Stratton All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the authors. Queries regarding rights and permissions should be addressed to: Rick@RickTheHypnotist.com. For additional information, products and booking information please visit www.RickTheHypnotist.com

Dedicated to my loving wife Jan who worked on this book even when she wasnt in the mood.

Table of Contents
SECTION 1 .............................................................................. 1 How To Hypnotize Others ................................................... 1 So You Want To Learn To Be A Hypnotist? ........................... 2 What is Hypnosis? ................................................................... 4 Notes On The Conscious And Subconscious........................... 5 The Conscious Mind ............................................................ 5 The Subconscious Mind ....................................................... 5 Dos, Donts, Warnings and Problems. ................................... 7 Abreactions .............................................................................. 9 Best Responses to Abreactions: ........................................... 9 Sample Script for Abreactions ........................................... 10 Pre-Induction Interview ......................................................... 12 Thoughts On Pre-Induction Interviews .............................. 15 The Hypnotists Style ............................................................ 16 Authoritarian vs. Permissive Approach ............................. 16 Mannerisms ........................................................................ 17 Voice .................................................................................. 17 Ambiance ........................................................................... 18 Hypnotic Susceptibility Tests ................................................ 19 Examples of Susceptibility Tests ....................................... 19 The Bucket and the Balloon ............................................... 20 Chevreuls Pendulum ......................................................... 22 Postural Sway Test ............................................................. 23

Eye Catalepsy Test ............................................................. 24 Hand Clasp Test ................................................................. 25 Arm Rigidity Test .............................................................. 27 Thoughts On The Susceptibility Test................................. 27 Induction Techniques............................................................. 28 Progressive Relaxation Technique ..................................... 28 Eye Fixation Technique ..................................................... 30 Deepening Techniques........................................................... 32 Direct suggestion................................................................ 32 Counting ............................................................................. 32 Compounding ..................................................................... 32 Truisms............................................................................... 33 Mirroring ............................................................................ 33 Verbal feedback ................................................................. 33 Dream induction................................................................. 33 Placebo ............................................................................... 34 Breathing ............................................................................ 34 Precautionary Suggestions ..................................................... 35 What To Look For During The Hypnotic Induction. ......... 36 Signs of Hypnosis .................................................................. 37 Measuring The Depth Of The Hypnotic Trance. ................... 38 Hypnotic Susceptibility Scoring System............................ 38 Writing Suggestions............................................................... 39 Keep Suggestions Positive ................................................. 39 Repeat Suggestions ............................................................ 40 Create A Time Frame ......................................................... 40

Keep Suggestions Simple ................................................... 40 Suggestions Need To Be Able To Be Interpreted Literally 40 Tie Post-Hypnotic Suggestions Into A Cue Word ............. 41 Neutralize Unwanted Suggestions ......................................... 42 Awakening Suggestions ......................................................... 42 Failure to Awaken .................................................................. 44 Post-Hypnotic Interview ........................................................ 45 Thoughts On Section 1........................................................... 46 SECTION 2 ............................................................................ 47 Self-Hypnosis and Self-Help ................................................. 48 Precautions ......................................................................... 48 How To Induce The Self-Hypnotic State............................... 50 The Subconscious Mind Revisited......................................... 51 Ideomotor Response............................................................... 53 Chevreuls Pendulum ......................................................... 53 Chevreuls Pendulum Circle .............................................. 55 Finger Movement Method .................................................. 56 Partial Age Regression ........................................................... 57 Sensitizing Events .................................................................. 58 The Self-Help System ............................................................ 59 Self-Help Techniques............................................................. 66 Anchoring .............................................................................. 66 Removing Negative Anchors ................................................. 68 Positive Visualizations ........................................................... 69 The Special Place ............................................................... 70 The Two Mirrors ................................................................ 70

The All-Knowing Being..................................................... 71 The Healing White Light ................................................... 72 Future Memories ................................................................ 73 Visualize Success ............................................................... 73 Thoughts On Positive Visualizations ................................. 74 Thoughts On Section 2 .......................................................... 74 SECTION 3 ........................................................................... 75 How To Do Anything With Self-Hypnosis ........................... 76 Reality, Its Not Really What You Might Think It Is. ........... 78 Empowering And Disempowering Emotional States. ........... 81 A Guide To Creating An Action Plan.................................... 83 Identify The Challenge Or Problem To be Addressed ....... 83 Create Goals ....................................................................... 83 Evaluate The Goal .............................................................. 84 Construct Action Steps....................................................... 85 Putting It All Together With Self-Hypnosis .......................... 87 Emotionally Empowering Action Plan .................................. 88 Thoughts On Section 3 .......................................................... 90

SECTION 1
How To Hypnotize Others

So You Want To Learn To Be A Hypnotist?

This book is designed to teach the tools used by the experienced hypnotist. However, becoming a practicing hypnotist will require quite a bit more work on the readers part. It should be noted that hypnosis is a complicated and indepth field of study that requires hands on training beyond the scope of this publication. It is not the authors intent for the reader to simply read these techniques and try them out on their friends and family. Rather, it is to inform the reader of common hypnotic methodology for the purpose of preparing the serious hypnosis student for further study. With the theoretical knowledge gained in these pages the hypnosis student should then be prepared to join forces with a qualified hypnosis instructor for hands on training. Using hypnosis lightly or as a party trick is strongly discouraged. The subconscious mind and the human psyche should never be thought of as play things. The authors assume no liability for the use or misuse of the techniques contained herein. This book is designed as a theoretical base for further study only. Throughout these pages the reader will see the phrase the experienced hypnotist; this is designed as a subtle reminder to the beginner hypnosis student that further training is 2

required before attempting any of the techniques included here. With this in mind it should be stated that once the proper training is achieved hypnosis and self-hypnosis can be amazing tools for self-discovery and personal growth. Using these techniques it will become possible to identify selflimiting belief systems and reprogram your own subconscious to achieve greater heights of happiness, self-esteem, financial success, confidence, relationship growth and anything else you may desire in your personal life. The only real limits are that of your own imagination. Good luck on your journey!

What is Hypnosis?
Weve all heard the word hypnosis, but many people have the preconceived idea that it is a strange and mysterious form of mind control used only by mystics and faith healers possessing supernatural powers. The reality of hypnosis is quite a bit more mundane; All hypnosis is, are you ready?, is this: Enhanced Concentration Through Relaxation

In fact, weve all been hypnotized literally thousands of times before, whether we knew it or not. Youve never noticed because it is such a natural state of mind. If you got any sleep in the last 24 hours, youve been hypnotized at least twice; its that wonderful, lazy state of half sleep that you experience just before you fall asleep or just after you wake up. Whenever you daydream, get lost in a good book or movie, or do something automatically, youre in a hypnotic trance. When you allow your body to relax, the critical mind tends to relax, the subconscious comes forward, and poof, youre in the dreamy trance state.

Notes On The Conscious And Subconscious.

The Conscious Mind The conscious mind is the critical and analytical mind. It is non-emotional and linear; it judges and compares. Its that little voice in the back of your mind that helps you examine and solve problems. When you think of the conscious mind, think of that part of your mind that does math problems or solves crossword puzzles. The Subconscious Mind This is the automatic mind. The subconscious is your imagination, emotions, creativity, and habits. It works almost mechanically and impersonally to help you attain happiness and success, or unhappiness and failure, depending on how youve programmed it in the past. The subconscious has no critical faculties; anything it accepts as true becomes your reality. When you think of the subconscious mind, think of habits such as looking both ways when you cross the street. You could be consciously thinking of just about anything yet your body would take over and automatically look both ways. We have all had the experience of thoughts, actions and emotions seemingly to appear out of nowhere. Whenever you 5

daydream, feel emotions or have a sense of inspiration this is your subconscious mind in action.

Dos, Donts, Warnings and Problems.

Now that youve got an idea of what the hypnotic state is and how the sub-conscious works, there are a few guidelines that experienced hypnotists use to enhance the hypnotic session. Do Not: Treat hypnosis as a joke. Give any suggestion that would cause unhappiness or pain. Give any suggestion contrary to a persons religious or moral codes. NEVER remove pain or treat medical problems. Pain is the bodys way of letting us know that a medical problem needs addressing. This is discussed in more detail later in the book. Perform hypnosis on a person of the opposite sex without a third person present.

Do: Treat subjects with respect and dignity. Give subjects suggestions of comfort, happiness and well-being. Terminate any session if the subject is in any physical or emotional discomfort. Continue their hypnosis education with further seminars and readings. Remember It sounds obvious, but anything that can hurt us in our normal waking state, physically or emotionally, can hurt us in the trance state. Hypnosis will not protect us from emotional or physical injury. Before we get into the actual workings of hypnosis its important to address the possibility of negative reactions to hypnosis, called abreactions.

Abreactions
Abreactions are caused by the intentional or accidental uncovering of a past traumatic event in the subjects life. They are characterized by screaming, crying, hysterics, intense emotions, twitches or rhythmic movements. The best way hypnotists deal with abreactions is to avoid them by keeping all hypnotic suggestions positive, healing and uplifting. Never go searching for spider webs in someones subconscious without further training. Best Responses to Abreactions: Stay calm. Do not change the tone of voice. Stay confident. Ask the subject what they are experiencing. Use sample script to return them to their normal waking state and suggest they will remember only those things that will enhance the quality of their lives and will remember nothing that will cause unhappiness in their waking or dream life.

Sample Script for Abreactions

What are you experiencing right now? (Traumatic events can be anything, from physical abuse, to car accidents, to fear of birds. Even if it seems silly to you, it is very serious to the subject, so treat it that way). Just for the moment, put those emotions aside and float above this scene or situation, looking down at yourself and those emotions as if you were watching them on TV and they were happening to someone else Visualize the television drifting off into the distance Now surround this TV with a clear bubble, and see it float up into the air, becoming smaller and smaller And as it becomes smaller you feel yourself becoming filled with warmth and happiness confidence and joy Nothing can bother you, nothing will bother you As the bubble disappears, all your negative feelings vanish with it For the time being youll accept only those emotions which calm and soothe Now in a moment you will return to a normal waking state Youll remember only those things that will enhance the quality of your life and remember nothing that will cause you unhappiness in your waking or dream life. In a moment Im going to count from one to ten and youll return to your normal waking state feeling relaxed, 10

refreshed, rejuvenated, sensing only joy and self-confidence. One allow the energy to flow up through your feet and ankles two allow that energy to flow up your legs youre feeling wonderful now and three into your hips four through your abdomen and chest good a sense of happiness and joy comes over you and five the energy flows up to your neck six and over your scalp and head Excellent feeling confident and strong seven it seeps down your arms and to your hands and eight your eyes begin to slowly open good nine you are slowly returnin g to your normal waking state and ten wide awake, feeling great wide awake, feeling great.

At this point the hypnotist would give the subject a few minutes to come around and get his bearings and then ask him how he feels. Be aware that the hypnotic mood can exist for up to 20 minutes and the subject may remain suggestible.

Now, to get to the actual art of hypnosis

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Pre-Induction Interview
The purpose of the pre-induction interview is to focus the attention of the subject, instill trust and confidence towards the hypnotist, build expectation, and dispel misconceptions about the hypnotic state. At the beginning of the hypnotic session, most subjects minds will be cluttered with thoughts of their day to day lives such as problems at work or school, the car ride to the session, their kids activities, etc. By initiating a conversation about hypnosis, these distracting thoughts tend to be put aside, thus enhancing the chances of a successful hypnotic induction. The hypnotist should explain to the subject that the most common reason people fail to become hypnotized is fear of the unknown. At this point it is important to discuss the fact and fiction of hypnosis, dispel common misconceptions, and ask the subject about any preconceived notions he might have about hypnosis. On the next pages are some common misconceptions.

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Misconception: The subject might get stuck in the hypnotic trance. Fact: Hypnosis is a natural state; we are in and out of the hypnotic trance every day, all day long. If the subject becomes hypnotized and no further suggestions were given, there are only two possible things that could happen. First, the subject could come out of the trance spontaneously. Second, he could fall asleep and wake up naturally as he would any other time.

Misconception: The subject could lose control and the hypnotist will have the power to make him do things he wouldnt ordinarily do. Fact: A hypnotized person cannot be made to do anything against his personal, moral or religious beliefs.

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Misconception: Some people cannot be hypnotized. Fact: As stated earlier, hypnosis is a totally normal state which we are in and out of every day. Anyone can be hypnotized; however, the depth of the trance may vary from day to day. Some of the reasons a subject may fail to achieve significant trance depth are: fear of the unknown, lack of trust in the hypnotist, drug or alcohol use, or being preoccupied with day to day events. Basically, anything that inhibits the ability to concentrate will affect the hypnotic trance.

Misconception: Some people can be hypnotized against their will. Fact: All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist is only a guide to the trance state, and simply describes to the subject how to achieve the hypnotic trance. If the subject refuses to participate, the hypnotist will have no effect on the subject.

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Misconception: Weak willed or unintelligent people make the best subjects. Fact: The contrary is true. It is common to find the more intelligent a person, the better subject he will make. Strong will and good concentration make for better results. Creative, imaginative, and artistic people tend to be the best subjects. The key seems to be the existence of a vivid imagination and the ability to focus ones thoughts.

Thoughts On Pre-Induction Interviews Once the hypnotist has discussed common misconceptions and answered any questions the subject may have, he should be ready to proceed to the hypnotic susceptibility tests. But before we jump to these tests, a look at the different kinds of styles and voice tones that can be used in hypnosis should be discussed.

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The Hypnotists Style

The hypnotists main tools are his words, voice, and his mannerisms. Here are some techniques to help induce the hypnotic state. Authoritarian vs. Permissive Approach Suggestions can be given in two different ways, authoritarian and permissive. The authoritarian approach is characterized by a strong, loud, commanding voice, speaking with authority. At all times the hypnotist communicates that he is in full control. The authoritarian hypnotist also makes considerable use of the challenge suggestions or tests, in which the subject is told emphatically that he can or cannot do something, and then challenged to break that suggestion. The permissive approach is characterized by using a soft voice and persuasive tones. It should not be thought that the permissive hypnotist is in any less control. The hypnotists voice can be soft and low keyed, but carry a great deal of authority.

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Mannerisms Confidence is a must. The hypnotist must be cool and collected. In order for a subject to believe he will be hypnotized, the hypnotist must believe in his abilities to hypnotize. If he looks nervous, tentative or unsure, the subjects critical mind will tend to kick in and this is not conducive to achieving the trance state. Voice Everyone has probably had the experience of listening to a good hypnotic voice. If youve ever listened to a public speaker who bored, or lulled you into a state in which it was impossible to concentrate, and your mind couldnt help but drift off into a daydream, you know the voice Im talking about. Little did you know the speaker was putting you into the hypnotic trance. Here are a few of the characteristics of a good hypnotic voice: Monotone Rhythmic cadence to the voice Stretching out important words (i.e. sleeeep, relaaaax etc.) Silent pauses

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Ambiance Comfort of the subject is essential. Temperature should not be extreme, outside noises should be kept to a minimum, the phone should be off, a do not disturb sign on the door may be helpful. Aromas such as incense have been known to be hypnotizing. Subdued lighting can also be very helpful.

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Hypnotic Susceptibility Tests

The purpose of hypnotic susceptibility tests is threefold. First it teaches the subject to become hypnotized, second it shows the hypnotist who the best subjects are and third, it conditions the subject to believe that hypnosis will occur. These tests can be done in the normal waking state. Examples of Susceptibility Tests Listed below are actual scripts of hypnotic susceptibility tests. It is not the intention that they be memorized; they are used more for getting a feel of the suggestions. Before the susceptibility tests are performed, the subject can be prepared with a personalized version of the following script:

Make yourself comfortable place your feet flat on the floor unclasp your hands and place them loosely on your lap close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose to capacity hold it for a moment and slowly exhale through your mouth as you do, feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed another deep breath through the nose..

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Hold it for a moment and exhale as you do, become centered on the sound of my voice

The Bucket and the Balloon The bucket and balloon test is often used as the first hypnotic susceptibility test due to its high success rate. In this test you will have the subject close his eyes and imagine a heavy bucket and a very light balloon. When his eyes are later opened the subjects arms generally will have moved. At this point I would like you to close your eyes and extend your arms out parallel to the floor palms down Good In your minds eye, Id like you to visualize in your right hand a large, red balloon with a string leading down In your minds eye, clasp your hand around the string Make this as real as possible in your imagination see the balloon see the string see your hand grasping the string Good You notice the balloon is very light pulling your arm up above your head Feel the lightness of the balloon feel your arm going up into the air Excellent Now in your left hand imagine a bucket clasp your hand and hold onto the bucket feel the weight of the bucket Make this as real as possible You now notice that the bucket is very heavy pulling your left arm down Feel 20

the weight of the bucket pulling your arm down Feel your muscles straining to hold up this very heavy bucket Good In a moment the balloon is going to become filled with helium, becoming larger and larger pulling your arm up higher and higher into the air It would lift you up off the ground except that in a moment, fifty pounds of sand is going to be poured into the bucket in your left hand Allow that to happen now See the sand pouring into the bucket feel the weight of the bucket increasing and increasing pulling your arm down farther and farther Good Now Id like you to open your eyes and look at the position of your hands. (At this point the subjects hands are almost always no longer parallel to the ground. This can be pointed out to the subject and explained that this is a sign of being in a light hypnotic trance). In a moment Im going to count to three and snap my fingers. When I do you will allow your arms to drop to your sides and you will return to your normal waking state, with your arms feeling normal in every way.

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Chevreuls Pendulum Anything that dangles can be used as a pendulum, such as a washer or ring on the end of a string or chain. In this test the subject will move the pendulum simply by thinking about it. It will seem as if the pendulum is being moved by the power of the subjects thoughts alone. Sit comfortably and hold the string between your thumb and index finger Allow the pendulum to dangle now without moving anything else, move your eyes steadily back and forth along a horizontal line back and forth Imagine the pendulum swinging back and forth See the pendulum swinging back and forthswinging a little at first then more and more until the pendulum is swinging wider and wider back and forth (Once the back and forth movement is noted, changing to a vertical line can be suggested.) Now without moving anything else, allow your eyes to move up and down on the vertical lineImagine the pendulum swinging up and downup and down In your minds eye see the pendulum swinging up and down (Once this motion is seen, switching the motion to clockwise around a circle, and then counter-clockwise, can be suggested). 22

Postural Sway Test For this test, the subject stands with his hands at his side, heels together, and head tilted slightly backwards with his eyes closed. The suggestion is given of a magnetic force pulling him backwards. The hypnotist then stands behind the subject in order to catch him if he falls backwards. In a moment Im going to have you imagine yourself swaying back and forth Keep your head tilted backwards and your hands at your side Keep your body stiff and do not allow it to bend I will be behind you to catch if you should fall Simply trust me to catch you Imagine yourself starting to sway slightly forward and backward perhaps a little at first then more and more until you feel yourself starting to sway slightly forward and backward Imagine now behind you a large feather bed Feel a magnetic force pulling you backward The magnetic force becomes a little stronger and stronger stilluntil you fall backwards into the fluffy bedlet yourself go now fall back into the feather bed. (At this point, the subject should be caught as he falls back into the hypnotists arms). As I count to three you will return to your normal waking state feeling normal in every way. One, two, threewide awake feeling great.

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Eye Catalepsy Test This is a test in which it is suggested that the subjects eyelids become closed tight and he is unable to open them. In a moment Im going to ask you to imagine your eyelids so tightly closed that no conscious effort you make will open them. Are you willing to do this? (The hypnotist waits for the subject to nod yes.) Good. Imagine your eyelids tightly closed becoming very, very heavy so that they are locked together locked together tighter and tighter Locked together so tightly that you would not be able to open them no matter how hard you tried ... As a matter of fact, the harder you try to open them, the more they stick together Your eyelids are now completely stuck together Go ahead and try to open your eyes, and you will find that they are totally stuck togetherThe harder you try to open them, the more they stay shut Try harder, and they still remain closed (Watch the subject now to see how he responds. If his eyes do not open, wait 5-10 seconds and say): Good Relax now and stop trying Your eyelids are no longer stuck together In a moment you will open your eyes, be wide awake, and feeling refreshed. One feel 24

the energy flowing in through your feetTwo becoming more and more awake and three wide awake feeling great. Eyes wide open now.

Hand Clasp Test Similar to the eye catalepsy test , it is suggested the subjects hands are stuck together. In a moment Im going to have you imagine that your hands are stuck together Clasp your hands together now interlock your fingers Fix your stare at the back of your hands do not take your eyes off the back of your hands Imagine in your minds eye a small gelatin capsule in the palms of your hands, filled with a very strong glue that is capable of bonding your hands together in such a manner that you find it is totally impossible to pull your hands apart Concentrate on the small gelatin capsule and squeeze your hands together Harder harder still and Pop imagine youve broken the gelatin capsule and the glue oozes into your hands binding your hands together sticking your hands together so that you can no longer pull your hands apart In a moment Im going to ask you to try to pull your hands apart and you will find it totally impossible The harder you try to pull your hands apart the less likely you will 25

be able to pull your hands apartGo ahead Try to pull your hands apart now... Try as hard as you can and you find it totally impossible to pull your hands apart The harder you try to pull your hands apart the less likely you are able to Try harder and it becomes more and more impossible to pull your hands apart. (The subject is asked to try to pull his hands apart for 5-10 seconds) GoodIn a moment Im going to count to three and say the word release When I say the word release you will release the thought that your hands are stuck together, and your hands will come apart and feel normal and natural in every way One TwoThree and release Your arms now come apart easily and feel normal and natural in every way.

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Arm Rigidity Test In this test it will be suggested to the subject that he will be unable to bend his arm. Extend your right arm, make a fist and stare at the back of your hand Id like you to imagine now that your arm is stiff and rigid so stiff and rigid that you cannot bend your arm no matter how hard you tryimagine a steel rod going from the palm of your hand through your elbow and to your shoulder a heavy stiff and rigid pole so strong that you cannot bend it no matter how hard you tryin a moment you will try to bend your arm and find it impossible go ahead and try to bend your arm and find it totally impossible the harder you try the less likely you are to bend it. (At this point the subject will not be able to bend his arm). Now release that thought and your arm bends normally and naturally as it always did. Thoughts On The Susceptibility Tests After performing one or two of these tests successfully, the subject is usually convinced that hypnosis is real and is ready to move on to the actual hypnotic induction.

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Induction Techniques
There are many formal induction techniques that can be learned and practiced. Below are a few of the most common ones.

Progressive Relaxation Technique Sit or lie down, make yourself as comfortable as possible. Close your eyes take a deep breath through the nose hold it for a moment and slowly exhale As you do, feel yourself becoming relaxed Another deep breath through the nosehold it for a moment and exhale As you exhale, become aware of yourself and the sound of my voice Bring your attention to the toes of your right and left feet imagine your toes relaxed loose, limp and lazy, hanging off the end of your feet like a wet dish towel Allow that feeling of relaxation to flow from your toes into the bottom of your feet your heels and the tops of your feet so that everything from your ankles down is completely relaxed completely at ease Allow that same feeling of relaxation to flow from your feet up into your calves every muscle, tissue and fiber completely relaxed completely at ease Allow that feeling of relaxation to flow into your knees, and into your thighs a warm, safe, secure feeling, 28

that feeling of relaxation now flows up into your hips and to the base of your spine Scan your body from the hips down for any tension Simply exhale and allow any tension to turn into droopy, drowsy relaxation Allow that feeling of relaxation to flow up your spine into your shoulders and around into your chest Internal and external organs relaxing feeling good safe secure happy relaxation Allow that feeling of relaxation to flow down your arms and into your elbows then flow into the forearms hands and fingers Take another deep breath and exhale As you exhale completely relaxed from the neck down More relaxed than youve ever been before in your life Each breath sends you deeper and deeper into lazy relaxation Allow that droopy feeling of relaxation to flow up your neck over the top of your head. And into your face eyes relaxing slight parting between your teeth Take another deep breathand as you exhale your entire body becomes twice as relaxed as it was before.

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Eye Fixation Technique At the beginning of this technique the subject would hold his hands together as if in prayer, and then when he is completely relaxed his hands should come unclasped and fall to his side. In a moment Im going to ask you to look at the end of my finger. (At this point the hypnotist would hold a finger up above the subjects forehead so that his gaze is forced upward above eye height.) Id like you to stare at my index finger as I move it back and forth Imagine your eyelids getting heavier and heavier harder and harder to remain open Imagine your eyelids beginning to blinkAs I count from five to zero, you will notice your eyes will close and become more and more relaxed Sleepy, droopy, drowsy deeper and deeper into relaxation Nothing can bother you nothing will bother you Deeper into relaxation, and as you go deeper into relaxation, your eyelids become heavy and close. (This is repeated until the subjects eyes close). Deeper and deeper into relaxation limp loose and relaxed and as you relax, your head rolls forward until your 30

chin touches your chest head rolls forward until your chin touches your chest droopy, drowsy, sleepy every muscle, tissue and fiber completely relaxed your head rolls forward until your chin touches your chest. (This is repeated until the subjects head rolls forward). Allow yourself to go deeper down into relaxationLoose, limp, relaxedAs you go deeper into relaxation, your hands get heavy and fall loosely to your sidesEvery muscle, tissue and fiber of your body becomes more and more relaxed And as you become more and more relaxed your hands become heavy and fall loosely to your sides. (And this is repeated until the subjects hands fall loosely to his side).

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Deepening Techniques
The hypnotic trance, once established, will not necessarily remain. It is common for a subject to experience different levels of depth within a single hypnotic session. For this reason a certain amount of trance maintenance is usually required. Below are some techniques for deepening the hypnotic trance. Often several techniques are combined to produce the most favorable results. Direct suggestion The subject is simply told to go deeper into relaxation. You will now drift deeper and deeper into relaxation. Counting Counting is used to give the conscious mind time to adjust; i.e.: As I count from three to zero, you will find yourself more relaxed than you have ever been before., or When I count to three and snap my fingers you will immediately go into a deep state of relaxation. Compounding Compounding is the use of one suggestion to enhance another. Usually the first suggestion has already been accepted and the second one is yet to be, i.e.: Take a deep breath and 32

exhale, and as you exhale feel yourself going into a deep state of relaxation. Or Drop your arms and sleep. It is common to use the words and, as, and while, to combine these suggestions. Truisms The subjects attention is brought to things that already exist, such as (if it is noticed that his eyes are starting to blink): Your eyes are starting to blink. Mirroring The hypnotist matches the subjects speech patterns, body language, voice quality, gestures, blinking, and breathing rate. Verbal feedback Repeating the subjects responses to questions or suggestions immediately after it has been given tends to deepen the trance state. Dream induction The use of fantasies to increase hypnotic depth, i.e.: Picture in front of you a giant feather bed This bed represents total relaxation... When I count to three and snap my fingers youll fall into the bed of feathers and as you do you will sink deeper into relaxation than youve ever been before. 33

Placebo The use of an imaginary pill or drink has been shown to deepen the trance. Breathing Suggesting to the subject take a few deep breaths in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth has been shown to deepen the trance.

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Precautionary Suggestions
Hypnotic inductions should be followed by precautionary suggestions. These suggestions help prevent the loss of rapport between the hypnotist and the subject (rapport is the working relationship between the hypnotist and his subject). These will help the subject cooperate more fully with the hypnotist and his suggestions, and will facilitate a more successful hypnosis session. As you go deeper into relaxation, you find your mental processes intensifying and becoming more acute You find that you can easily and completely concentrate on every suggestion I give You find that you can easily and immediately accomplish every suggestion I giveNo matter how relaxed you become you will always be able to hear and understand my voice...and at any time I can cause you to return to your normal waking state immediately and completely simply be saying so And at any time that I cause you to return to your normal waking state, you will return to your normal waking state immediately and completely feeling refreshed, invigorated, happy, and secure.

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What To Look For During The Hypnotic Induction. While the subject is being taken through the hypnotic induction, the hypnotist should be looking for signs that the subject is indeed achieving the hypnotic trance. Listed on the next page are some signs of hypnosis and tools for measuring the depth of the trance.

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Signs of Hypnosis
1. Fixity of gaze. (Trance stare) 2. Decreased blinking 3. Dilated pupils 4. Flushed cheeks 5. Hyper suggestibility 6. Lack of spontaneity 7. Lack of sense of humor 8. Spontaneous amnesia 9. Distorted sense of time 10. Literalness (taking things very literally) 11. Regression 12. Increased lacrimation (tearing) 13. Anesthesia 14. Dreams, fantasies, or illusions 15. Disinclination to move, speak or act (lethargy) 16. Feelings of profound relaxation 17. Catalepsy (inability to move body parts) 18. Deep breathing 19. Rapport Many, or only a few, of these symptoms may be noticed. Variations are common. 37

Measuring The Depth Of The Hypnotic Trance.

The depth of hypnosis is generally measured by use of a hypnotic susceptibility scoring system. These systems are far from perfect and meant to be used only as a rule of thumb or a general yardstick.

Hypnotic Susceptibility Scoring System

Depth of Trance
Insusceptible Light Trance

Response To Suggestion
Failure to achieve relaxation Inability to open eyes, move limbs, relaxation

Medium Trance

Amnesia, personality changes, mild hallucinations to sense of smell and touch, arm catalepsy

Deep Trance (Somnambulism)

Ability to remain in trance with eyes open, visual & auditory hallucination, bizarre post-hypnotic suggestions

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Writing Suggestions
The wording of hypnotic suggestions is critical. Some suggestions work well, while others may not. Below are listed some guidelines for writing effective suggestions. Keep Suggestions Positive Negative wordings have the opposite effect. This is called the law of reverse effect. If the subconscious focuses on what you dont want to happen, it can be fairly certain that is what will happen. For example, right now focus your attention on not thinking about zebras. It would be almost impossible for a zebra to not appear in your mind. Poor: You will not be tense. Good: You will find yourself feeling very relaxed. Poor: I am not hungry. Good: I feel full. Poor: You will no longer wish to smoke. Good: You desire only fresh air.

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Repeat Suggestions The more times the subject hears a suggestion, the more intuitive it becomes. Think of how many times you have heard advertising jingles before they get stuck in your mind. There are two ways to repeat suggestions: 1. Exact repetition. You will feel rela xed, you will feel relaxed, you will feel relaxed. 2. Paraphrase. You still feel relaxed, at ease, serene and restful. Create A Time Frame It is important to let the subconscious know when to take the action. When I touch your forehead you will go into a deep state of relaxation. The next time you see your boss you will become confident and self-assured. When I count to three you will awaken. Keep Suggestions Simple The subconscious tends to focus on one thought at a time. Break major goals down into increments and make all suggestions short and to the point. Suggestions Need To Be Able To Be Interpreted Literally If the subject is told that the next time she was in a tense situation at her office she would feel as cool as a cucumber, she may possibly feel physically cold and every bit as tense as before.

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Tie Post-Hypnotic Suggestions Into A Cue Word Or Event A post-hypnotic suggestion is a hypnotic suggestion, usually tied to some sort of event such as when I snap my fingers which will take effect after the subject is ar oused from the hypnotic trance. A post-hypnotic suggestion to an overeater could be The next time youre sitting at the table ready to eat, you will say the word full to yourself and you will find it very easy to eat only that which your body needs to survive and be healthy.

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Neutralize Unwanted Suggestions

It is important to remove all unwanted hypnotic suggestions before the end of the session. For example, if the suggestion is given that the subjects arm is stiff and rigid during the arm rigidity test, even if the subject has bent his arm and seems to be moving it normally, the suggestion that the subjects arm is back to normal in every way a nd is no longer stiff and rigid should be given.

Awakening Suggestions
It is important for the subject to be aroused from the hypnotic trance gently and with the suggestion of well-being, meanwhile removing any unwanted suggestions. It is also important that the suggestion be given that the subject will sleep well that night, because sometimes 20 minutes of hypnosis can be equivalent to 8 hours of sleep and this can lead to insomnia. Below is a sample awakening script. In a moment you will return to your normal waking state. You will awaken feeling refreshed, invigorated and full of energy. You will get a good nights sleep tonight and 42

awaken in the morning feeling refreshed. No suggestion I have given you will have any further effect on you. As I count from zero to five, you will slowly awaken. Zerofeel the energy flowing into your feetOnefeel that energy flowing up the feet and into the legs and calves and thighsGoodWide awake and feeling great from the legs downTwofeel that energy flow into the hips and up through the spinebecoming more and more alertThreeshoulders, arms and hands beginning to awakenFouryour entire body becoming more and more awakeyour eyes begin to open nowFivewide awake, feeling greatwide awake feeling greatwide awake, feeling great. At this point the subject should be given ten to twenty minutes to arouse completely and it should be noted that for the next ten to twenty minutes the subject may still be suggestible.

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Failure to Awaken
It is extremely rare, but occasionally a subject will not want to come out of the trance. To some people the trance state is so pleasant that they will choose to remain in the trance even when given direct suggestions to awaken. Most likely this will never occur, but if it does, the subject should first be checked to see if he has fallen asleep. Second, the subject should be asked why he is choosing to remain in the hypnotic trance; it may be possible to respond to the subjects answer in a way that allows the subject to awaken by direct suggestion. If that fails, gently shaking the subject, lifting his eyelids, and gently blowing in his nose while giving the direct suggestion to wake up usually works. Another reason a subject will stay in the trance state is for attention. If this is the case and the above techniques have not worked, the subject should be told that the session is over, he should stand up, and although he should be monitored, there should be no verbal attention directed toward him; the subject will come out of the trance within a few moments.

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Post-Hypnotic Interview
After the subject has been awakened it is good to conduct a post-hypnotic interview. This serves two purposes: it gives the subject a chance to talk about his experience and it gives the hypnotist a chance to critique his techniques. The following questions may be asked: What do you remember from that experience? What was the most vivid thing from that experience? What insights do you feel that you gained? Was there any time that you felt you were coming out of the trance? Was there anything that was particularly pleasant or unpleasant? At what point did you feel you were in the deepest trance?

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Thoughts On Section 1
At this point you should have a pretty good idea of how the experienced hypnotist gets his subjects into the hypnotic trance, writes and delivers his suggestions, removes unwanted suggestions and then returns the subject back to his normal waking state. This is only the beginning. Once mastered, these techniques can be used to delve into your own mind to identify and change self-limiting thoughts and habits. The next section is on self-hypnosis and self-help and should be considered as an owners manual for the mind .

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SECTION 2
Self-Hypnosis and Self-Help

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Self-Hypnosis and Self-Help

Self-hypnosis can be an amazing tool to enhance the quality of an individuals personal life. It has been shown to be an effective way of changing unwanted patterns of behavior, reducing stress levels and eliminating fears and phobias. It can also be used to enhance creativity, self-esteem and motivation, as well as improve athletic performance. It should be noted, however, that hypnosis is not a cure-all and human responses vary widely. In order for lasting change to occur, the subconscious must truly want to change on a basic level. Depending on individual histories and motivations to change, one person may have overnight success while another may take weeks, while a third person may have no results at all. Remember, no two people will likely respond the same way to the same suggestions. Precautions Never take away pain without a doctors approval. Pain tells us when the body is in distress, and by removing the symptoms it is possible to hide the organic problem, thus delaying proper medical treatment. Any severe or reoccurring

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pain or illness should be treated by a medical professional immediately. Self-hypnosis and self-help should not be used without a doctors consent in cases of severe emotional disturbances such as thoughts of suicide, nervous breakdown, or extreme depression. If you fall into any of these categories seek professional help at once.

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How To Induce The Self-Hypnotic State

Any hypnotic induction technique that has already been discussed will work on yourself. Sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable. Make sure the phone is turned off and that other disturbances will be at a minimum. Starting with your toes perform the progressive relaxation technique mentioned earlier, until you feel your entire body totally relaxed. Remember, all hypnosis is, is enhanced concentration through relaxation. For some people it is preferable to learn self-hypnosis with the use of audio devices. In this case, dictate your induction, suggestions, and awakening suggestions into a recording device. It is also helpful to make the suggestion to yourself that you will find it easy to perform self-hypnotic inductions without the use of an audio recording after you have achieved success using one. Studies have been performed to determine which is more effective, using the term I or you when performing and making self-hypnotic suggestions. Experiment with both and use whichever term youre more comfortable with, as these studies have not proven either to be clearly beneficial above the other. 50

The Subconscious Mind Revisited

For the purposes of this chapter, it is important that you realize the cause and effect relationship between subconscious programming and unwanted patterns of behavior. It should be understood that the subconscious is the non-critical, emotional and reactive mind. When the subconscious believes something it becomes your reality. The subconscious, in many ways, is like a computer; once a program has been entered it remains until removed or changed. This makes it possible for us to carry out many of our day to day activities, such as looking both ways before crossing the street, with no conscious thought. Now heres the problem: not all the assumptions that your subconscious have made are in your own best interest, and many were given to you without your permission or knowledge. The person you are today, your hopes, your dreams, your aspirations, your fears, your phobias, are all the sum total of all the assumptions that your subconscious has accepted until this very instant in time. It is possible, in fact very likely, that at some point in your past the subconscious made an assumption that is either in error, outgrown its 51

usefulness or is counter-productive to your general wellbeing. Most, if not all of us, at some time or other have responded emotionally to a situation or circumstance inappropriately only to later wonder why we acted in such a way. To some people happiness may mean guilt, love may mean jealousy, friendships may mean a fear of inadequacy or the all too common, abuse means I love you. Just as the subconscious computer has positively programmed you to react to a street corner by looking both ways with no conscious effort it can negatively program your emotions to react to a given situation with fear, anxiety, hostility or any other self-destructive emotional habits. The subconscious mind can program you for emotional responses as well as physical responses. Using selfhypnosis and self-help techniques it is possible to identify and change these self-limiting, subconscious belief systems.

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Ideomotor Response
Ideomotor responses are a tool for communicating directly with the subconscious for the purpose of identifying and changing self-limiting beliefs. We will discuss two techniques, Chevreuls Pendulum and The Finger Movement Method. With practice you will find the one that works best for you. Chevreuls Pendulum A pendulum can be any small, light object tied to the end of a string or chain about eight inches long. To use the pendulum you should hold the end of the string between the thumb and forefinger, while resting your elbow on a table or desk thus allowing the object to dangle freely. There are four basic movements that the pendulum can swing: clockwise, counterclockwise, right and left, forward and backward. Dangle the pendulum at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines in Figure 1. Voluntarily move it in each of the four directions. Then hold it motionless and ask silently to yourself which direction means yes, and make no conscious effort to move the pendulum. Usually the pendulum will start to move within a few seconds, however for some people it may take a bit longer. Again hold the pendulum over the 53

intersection and silently ask yourself which direction means no. Once your subconscious has made this decision, repeat the process once again for I dont know and I dont want to say. Write down on Figure 1 which directions correspond with yes, no, I dont know and I dont want to say. If the directions overlap, that is to say, yes and no are both the same direction, keep trying until all responses have their own directions.

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Chevreuls Pendulum Circle

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Finger Movement Method In this method you will use finger movements to communicate with the subconscious mind.

Sit comfortably with either hand on your lap or table. Take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself relaxing. Once you feel that you are relaxed and in a focused state of mind concentrate on your fingers and imagine that your index finger is about to make a small movement of any kind. Shortly you should notice some sort of motion in your index finger. It is important that you not try to move your finger or resist movement; simply imagine your finger moving, and with most people, within a few minutes you should notice some movement. With practice this movement can become very pronounced and seem as if it occurs without any conscious effort. Repeat this process with all the other fingers on your hand. Now, ask your subconscious which finger movement represents yes. Within a few moments you should notice one of your fingers beginning to make a movement. Repeat this procedure while asking your subconscious which finger movement represents no, I dont know, and I dont want to say. Using this system it is now possible to communicate directly to the subconscious mind.

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Partial Age Regression

It may be necessary in your self-help program to use a partial age regression to identify self-limiting subconscious beliefs. This should be done in a light hypnotic trance so that you can obtain insights into a past event. Sit or lie down comfortably and put yourself into a light hypnotic trance. Your first attempt should be to go back in time to a recent, unimportant event, such as what you had for dinner last night. Give yourself the suggestion I am now going back in time to dinner last night. Repeat this suggestion, and try to visualize the actual event, just as if you were actually there again. Smell the food, see the table and room and whoever was there with you, hear the sounds that were in the room. The goal is to go past simple memory and relive the event. Youll find that with practice you can bring out details that could not be recalled with simple memory. On your subsequent attempts go back further in time to childhood events such as Christmas or birthday parties, or other pleasant events. With practice you will develop the skill of going back to earlier events.

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Sensitizing Events
A sensitizing event is an event in a persons past in which the subconscious had made an assumption. This can be positive or negative. There are two kinds sensitizing events: initial and subsequent. The initial sensitizing event is the first time the subconscious made an assumption, and subsequent sensitizing events are those which reinforce the initial sensitizing event. Often, when trying to change fears, phobias or patterns of behavior, it is important to ascertain the initial events that led to the subconscious assumption that in turn led to these present-day behaviors. Many times simply recognizing where this thought pattern came from is enough to change the behaviors.

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The Self-Help System

Using the techniques of ideomotor response and partial age regression it is possible to systematically identify and change a negative pattern of behavior. Below is a five step method for bringing about change and enhancing the quality of your life. Step 1 Think of a self-limiting pattern of behavior that by changing would enhance the quality of your life. Using the ideomotor response method you are most comfortable with ask your subconscious if it is OK for you to explore this problem and remember the cause of this behavior. Your subconscious is very protective of your mental health. It is quite possible that your subconscious chose for your conscious mind to forget events too painful to remember. If your ideomotor response indicates that you are not ready to consciously remember this information, it is best to refrain from using this self-help system for this particular problem. If you feel that the problem is severe enough to warrant further attention, seek professional assistance.

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Step 2 Using an ideomotor response, determine the initial sensitizing event. This is done by asking the subconscious a series of yes or no questions. Remember that if the subconscious should respond with I dont want to say, you should respect that, and not question any further. Keep in mind that the subconscious is very literal, so keep your questions very specific. Often an answer will seem obviously false to your conscious mind; however, keep the line of questioning going, as in the end the insights gained may prove the response to be true. Step 3 Perform a partial age regression to remember the subconscious assumptions that were made during this initial sensitizing event which could be the cause of the present day problems.

Step 4 Using an ideomotor response, determine if the assumptions made during the initial sensitizing event helped or hindered the quality of your present day life. 60

Step 5 Using an ideomotor response ask the subconscious if it is ready to change the pattern of behavior or belief system, and if it is ready to change, ask it if it will now make the change. Then use direct suggestions, positive visualizations and anchoring (discussed later) to reinforce the behavior change. If it is not ready to change it may be necessary to discover more subsequent sensitizing events in order to convince the subconscious that change is called for. Below is a sample of an ideomotor question and response session of a man trying to quit smoking. This style of questioning can be used to determine the initial sensitizing event of any behavioral problem; smoking was randomly chosen for this book. Q: Is it OK for me to know why I choose to smoke cigarettes? A: Yes Q: Did I make this choice before I was twenty years old? A: Yes. Q: Did I make this choice before I was fifteen? 61

A: Yes. Q Was it before I was eleven? A: Yes. Q: Was it the year I was ten years old? A: Yes. Q: Did I make this choice to impress my friends? A: No. Q: Did I make this choice to be rebellious? A: No. Q: Did I make this choice to make me feel good about myself? A: No Q: Did I make this choice so that someone else would notice me? A: Yes. Q: Was it my friends? A: No.

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Q: Was it to impress my father? A: Yes. Q: Did I make this choice to smoke cigarettes in order to impress my father? A: Yes. At this point the subject became comfortable and put himself into a light hypnotic trance. He then performed a partial age regression to recall the first time that he impressed his father with cigarettes (the initial sensitizing event). He subsequently recalled an incident when he was ten years old. His father, who was a gruff and demanding man, not given to praise of his children, would send the subject (as a child), to the store to pick up cigarettes for him. Upon the childs return, he always received praise and a pat on the back. This became a routine which the subject felt particularly good about, because he was the only one sent to the store. His father never asked his brothers or sisters to run this errand for him. This made the subject feel loved, needed, and he also felt a unique connection with his father that his siblings did not share. The subject then switched to the Finger Movement Method because it is easier to use while in a hypnotic trance,

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and while lying down he questioned his subconscious as follows: Q: Is smoking my subconscious way to feel loved? A: Yes. Q: Do I really need to smoke to feel loved now? A: No. Q: Did the assumption that cigarettes make me feel loved serve me well as I grew older? A: Yes. Q: Is cigarette smoking necessary for me to feel loved now? A: No. Q: Am I willing to change my mind on a subconscious level and quit smoking? A: No. Q: Do I realize that smoking is a health hazard? A: Yes.

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Q: Do I realize that smoking may shorten my life and my time with my family? A: Yes. Q: Do I believe that the benefits of smoking are worth the risks? A: No. Q: Are there any other reasons why I smoke? A: Yes. The subject continued questioning his subconscious with ideomotor responses and performing partial age regressions to recall the subsequent sensitizing events. He discovered that smoking was also a way to nurture himself. He was eventually able to strike a deal with his subconscious. He decided that he would find other ways of nurturing himself and convinced his subconscious that the health risks were not worth the benefits. After several weeks of direct suggestion and positive visualizations, he was able to quit smoking.

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Self-Help Techniques
There are a variety of self-help techniques to choose from. These techniques can be used along with partial age regressions to make substantial life changes. With trial and error you will find what works best for you.

Anchoring
Anchoring is a technique in which you will train your brain to associate desired emotions with physical events. Remember how Pavlovs dogs associated hunger with the sound of the bell? You are going to do the same thing with any emotional state you would like to have in any situation. Heres how it works 1. Select a feeling or emotion you would like to experience in a given situation. (for example: feeling energized while making sales calls on the phone). 2. Take a few moments to remember a time when you had this feeling. If you have never had this feeling imagine what it would be like. 3. Relax, close your eyes and vividly remember this feeling as intensely as possible. Enhance the experience by making the images sharper and closer, make the colors brighter and make the sounds clearer. 4. When the feeling is at its most intense create an association to a physical cue by mentally projecting these feeling into the cue. The cue can be anything such as a fist pump, pulling your ear lobe, the act of holding the phone or perhaps a phrase uttered to 66

oneself such as outstanding! Relax and repeat these steps often and with as much emotion as possible. Occasionally change the memory to another example when you have had the desired emotion. The key is to really feel the emotions and quickly project these feelings into the physical cue. With practice there will come a point when the emotional response will become automatically anchored to the cue and these emotions can be summoned simply by using the cue.

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Removing Negative Anchors

We all have negative anchors. Perhaps you feel rejection at the sight of an ex-lover or a sense of loss at the sight of a family members gravestone. Whatever your personal negative anchors are you need not live with them if they do not empower your current life and goals. The way to remove these anchors is to replace them with an empowering positive emotion that will support your goals. 1. Identify the negative emotion and situation you would like to change. 2. Vividly recall the emotion you would prefer to have. 3. Mentally rehearse feeling the new emotion in the old situation. 4. Repeat as often as needed until you have no problem imagining yourself feeling the desired emotion in the problem circumstance 5. Do this in the real world. You may need to repeat the mental rehearsal many times until the desired emotions become habitual. Once again the key is to really feel the emotion and quickly project this feeling into the physical cue. Try to feel the new emotion in the cue. With practice this new emotion will become an automatic response to the presence of the cue.

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Positive Visualizations
With positive visualization techniques the subject uses imagery to soothe, nurture, and heal the subconscious while building positive expectations of future events. Studies have shown that in some cases imagination is superior to actual practice. In one study with two groups of basketball players, the first group was told to actually practice free-throws for twenty minutes a day, while the second group used positive visualization to imagine themselves successfully sinking each free-throw. The skill levels were later compared and it was found that the group using the positive visualizations consistently made higher percentages of free-throws. These techniques are now routinely used by professional and Olympic training programs. On the following pages are some positive visualization scripts and ideas.

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The Special Place After putting yourself in a hypnotic state, imagine yourself in a comfortable place; this could be a comfortable room that you feel good being in, a secluded tropical island where you are sitting on a beach looking out over the ocean, or perhaps a scene in nature with mountains and trees. The goal here is to create a mental retreat that you can go to at times for a mini vacation. When creating our special place its important to go for detail. Make this place as comfortable, safe and secure as possible, a place where you are shielded from the outside world and in total control. Let your imagination go wild and put in as many amenities as you would like; if you want servants, have servants, if you want a massage, have a masseuse standing by at all times, if you enjoy walks on the beach why not build yourself a beach house overlooking the ocean. Use your special place to relax, rest and meditate, and to perform some of the visualization techniques later described. If youre having a tough day take a 20 minute break and go to your special place; many people find this quite revitalizing. The Two Mirrors Think of a fear, phobia or pattern of behavior that you would like to remove from your personality. Then after putting yourself into a hypnotic trance, go to your special 70

place. Imagine two full-length mirrors in front of you. One mirror represents that negative attribute you would like to change. The other represents you free from this pattern of behavior. Look into the negative mirror first. See what you dont like about yourself, see the unhappiness. At your feet is a large hammer; pick up the hammer and smash this mirror. As soon as you do the mirror disappears and with it imagine the pattern of behavior disappearing. Now look into the mirror that represents the positive aspects of yourself free from the negative pattern of behavior. See yourself as the person you wish to be, see the confidence with yourself and your relationships with others, see the joy, see the love. Now step into that mirror and become that person. As you do, feel the joy, feel the confidence, feel the love, feel all your future aspirations attained. Say to yourself I am now that person. The All-Knowing Being After putting yourself into a hypnotic trance, picture yourself standing in a large field, feel the warm sun shining down on your face. Smell the air, see the blue sky. Before you, see a small cabin. Inside this cabin is a loving, caring, allknowing being. This being can answer all questions about yourself and your life, and you know that the answers he gives are true and appropriate and in your best interest. Open the door and walk into the cabin. Before you, you will see this 71

being. Sense the caring, sense the love, sense the wisdom. Now take a few moments and ask the all-knowing being one or two questions about your life. Listen carefully to the answers; thank the all-knowing being, step outside and return to your normal waking state. The Healing White Light After putting yourself into a hypnotic trance, picture yourself floating in the darkness, warm, safe and secure. Imagine in the distance a pinpoint of light. This light is soothing, healing, relaxing, loving and energizing. Imagine the light coming toward you, and as you do, feel the warmth, feel the healing, feel the light soothing you. Allow that white light to come in through your forehead, and with each breath feel the light fill and permeate your body. Allow this to continue until the white light has completely filled your body to overflowing. Once you totally feel your body refreshed, revitalized, happy, soothed, and energetic, slowly allow yourself to return to your normal waking state while retaining all these positive feelings and emotions.

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Future Memories With this technique you visualize your goals logical result in the future, then remember how you got there. For example, suppose your goal was financial success. After putting yourself into a hypnotic trance you visualize yourself as a successful retiree. Perhaps place yourself on your private yacht that you bought years ago, or see yourself in your mansion. At this point remember back to the present where you are now and remember those changes in your behavior that led to your success. Go for the details. See the work that you put into your goal, imagine how you felt as success happened, remember how people reacted to your success. Visualize Success This technique is very simple; simply visualize successful results of your goal. Say for example you have a fear of public speaking, but you must make a presentation to your co-workers. After putting yourself into a hypnotic trance, mentally rehearse your presentation as positively as possible. Imagine yourself calm, cool and collected, delivering a speech with confidence. Once again go for the details see co workers responding positively, feel yourself actually enjoying giving the presentation, imagine what you will wear, what the room will look like, imagine yourself answering questions easily. Do this several times before the actual event. 73

Thoughts On Positive Visualizations These are just a few positive visualizations. Using your imagination you can make up your own or expand and vary the techniques listed. Experiment and find out what works best for you. I think youll find the results are worth the time invested.

Thoughts On Section 2
Self-hypnosis is a powerful tool. Using these techniques you can now identify self-limiting beliefs and habits and then change these beliefs and habits to support your goals, ambitions and dreams. Once mastered you will possess the skills to design the life you have always wanted. You will, however, need a plan. In the next section we will learn how to create an emotional and physical action plan that will enable you to do anything!

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SECTION 3
How To Do Anything!

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How To Do Anything With SelfHypnosis

I know what youre thinking. How to do anything with self-hypnosis is a pretty big claim. Well, let me clarify a bit. First, when I say anything I mean anything that is possible. Hypnosis will not change the laws of physics. Whatever personal goals you may want to achieve must be physically possible. Second, you have to be capable of achieving these goals. Hypnosis will not turn you into superman (or superwoman) but it can help you achieve your true potential. Suppose you wanted, for example, to become the best weight lifter that you could possibly be. To reach your absolute potential you would have to work on this goal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with perfect coaching expertise for your entire life. If you were to miss a day, or your coach was to make a single mistake, you could not reach your absolute potential. It is unlikely this absolute potential could ever occur. However, suppose you were a weight lifter and you wanted to achieve the goal of being able to lift one more pound within the next 6 months. This may be a very achievable goal. I believe that no one ever reaches their absolute potential but almost everyone has it in them to get better at whatever they wish. The question then becomes what is a realistic goal and how do I gain the necessary expertise 76

and mental focus to achieve this goal as quickly as possible. This is where self-hypnosis, proper planning and goal setting can really be effective. Proper planning and goal setting will show you the shortest distance between you and your desired outcome. Self-hypnosis can create the mental focus and empowering emotional states necessary to accomplish your goals. With an effective action plan and proper mental focus the sky is the limit to attaining your dreams. I personally believe that life is too short to go with the flow and hope happiness, enjoyment and personal fulfillment simply appear. Rather, I believe the best course of action is to decide what it is we want out of life and design that life. Lets face it, when our days are over we are going to be gone a long time so why not squeeze every drop of personal fulfillment, happiness and success out of our lives as quickly and efficiently as possible while we still can? Why not live a life by design?

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Reality, Its Not Really What You Might Think It Is.

A sunset is a sunset right? Not really. When you watch a sunset what you are really seeing is a giant explosion in space that sends off different particles and energy in all directions. Some of the light particles hit the surface of our atmosphere, turn red and continue traveling until they hit the back of our eyes. At this point the light is converted to electricity which then travels down our optic nerves to the vision portion of our brains which in turn sets off chemicals that we interpret as a sunset. When we watch a sunset what we are in fact seeing is a firestorm of chemicals in our brains. We dont actually see the sunset, what we see is our internal interpretation of the chemicals in our brains. We then associate this chemical firestorm with a given emotion. If you happen to be with a loved one you very well may interpret the sunset as beautiful or inspiring. If on the other hand you work nights at a job you hate you may interpret the sunset as depressing because it signals to you that its time to begin a night of hard labor. The point I am trying to make is that the sunset has no real meaning except what we give it. Remember Pavlovs dogs? Pavlov would ring a bell and then feed the dogs. He continued ringing the bell and feeding the dogs for a period of time until he began to notice that the dogs began to 78

salivate at the sound of the bell. The sound of the bell, like the sunset, had no intrinsic meaning other than what we and the dogs give it. Salivating to the sound of a bell became a conditioned response for the dogs. I can almost hear you saying to yourself Interesting, but so what? Here is the point Im trying to make; throughout our lives we all have been conditioned to respond to certain stimuli in different ways. For instance, as a teenager when you first learned to drive you were taught to stop at red lights. First you learned to identify the red light. Then your right foot had to find the brake and your left foot had to locate the clutch; as you applied the clutch and brake your right hand simultaneously began downshifting. This is a very complicated process when you think of it consciously. Eventually your subconscious accepted this series of complicated actions as a normal part of driving. Now your body automatically performs this sequence of actions with no conscious thought. In fact you could be thinking consciously about anything else and your body would still perform these tasks. Our emotions act in much the same way. In the case of stopping at a red light, this is appropriate and a good thing for your safety. However, as stated earlier, many of these conditioned responses are not in your best interest and most of these responses were given to you without your knowledge or permission. Many of us have automatic emotional responses to stimuli that are disempowering and 79

self-destructive. It is common for a person in an abusive relationship to associate physical and emotional pain with a sense of being loved. It is possible that the financially disadvantaged person can associate wealth with the negative emotion of greed. He then could subconsciously sabotage his own success in order to avoid the loss of self-esteem associated with being a greedy person. Who could blame an adult who was repeatedly told as a child he was worthless, stupid and ugly for not wanting to make new friends? Lets get back to the sunset and Pavlovs dogs, shall we? If you accept that most of our emotional states are conditioned responses given to us by a multitude of outside forces such as parents, television, cultural norms, friends and family etc... Then the question becomes: are these conditioned responses helpful or hurtful to our emotional wellbeing, our goals, our relationships with others and anything else that is important to us? Also, if these responses are counterproductive, how do we eliminate them? And how do we create beneficial and empowering emotional states that support our goals and aspirations? First, lets take a look at these emotional states.

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Empowering And Disempowering Emotional States.

Lets define an empowering emotional state as the optimal state of physical and emotional well-being that will support your personal goals to the greatest extent possible. Likewise, lets define a disempowering emotional state as any emotional state that does not support your personal goals. I like sports metaphors so lets use the example of a really angry golfer to illustrate the example of empowering and disempowering emotional states. If you play any golf at all youve seen the guy who is so upset he is literally pink in the face with rage and the worse he plays the worse it gets. This is a clear example of a disempowering emotional state. The anger translates into muscle tension which in turn translates into poor play which turns into even more anger which turns into a temper tantrum that creates even more muscle tension and the cycle begins again. Clearly this is not an empowering emotional state. On the other hand we have all seen that athlete who is in the zone. Cool, collected and confident, he has made the mind body connection. Success builds on success. In a relaxed state of mental focus the body is free to act in concert with the mind. This is an example of an empowering emotional state. 81

Examples from business or personal life work just as well. We have all seen that student who had to take a test and then things went wrong. His mind started to race, suddenly he cant think and panic ensues. On the other hand, who hasnt seen a business person giving a presentation and found the zone? His confidence built confidence; success builds on itself. The key is to train your brain for success. Using the self-hypnosis techniques explained in this book you will find it easy or at least very doable to put yourself into those empowering emotional states that will give you an edge on the competition. Once you learn to get out of your own emotional way you will find your true potential coming to the surface easily and comfortably.

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A Guide To Creating An Action Plan

To achieve any goal the first thing to do is to make a step by step plan. To get from point A to point B there is always a series of events that must occur. Below is a guide to creating an action plan.

Identify The Challenge Or Problem To be Addressed The purpose of an action plan is to organize and develop solutions to address specific issues, challenges or problems. These issues could be anything from making more money, to getting along better with a loved one, to learning to play the guitar. Create Goals Once the challenge has been clearly identified the next step is to create a written goal. It is important to be S.M.A.R.T. with your goals. That is to say, make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound.

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S.M.A.R.T. goals S=Specific M=Measurable A=Achievable R=Realistic T=Time bound When using the example of learning to play the guitar, it is not enough to simply say I want to learn to play the guitar. This could mean anything from playing one note to becoming a rock star. Also with no time constraints the subconscious has no reason to act now. A better way to state your goal would be, I will learn to play the song Classical Gas on the guitar by New Years Eve. This signals the subconscious that timely, specific action must occur for the goal to be accomplished.

Evaluate The Goal In this step we take the goal and evaluate it from the point of view of needs, resources available and resources needed. The key in this step is to be specific. Break the main issue down into smaller challenges that are easily managed. 84

Make a written list. In the example of l earning to play Classical Gas by New Years Eve the list could look like this: 1. Buy a guitar. 2. Find a guitar teacher 3. Practice Construct Action Steps This is where we list all the baby steps and specific actions to achieve these steps. It is a good idea to brainstorm all possible actions then prioritize these actions into a concrete plan. In the case of learn to play guitar the action steps could go something like this: Buy a guitar Read reviews of popular guitars Talk to guitarists for guitar buying advice Go to local guitar store and talk to salesmen Decide on a price range Make an informed decision and buy a guitar

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Find a guitar teacher Consult yellow pages or online resources for music teachers Talk to guitarist for music teacher recommendations List all music teachers in town Talk to all teachers Choose a teacher

Practice Based on teachers recommendation set up a practice schedule that will achieve the goal of learning to play Classical Gas by New Years Eve.

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Putting It All Together With SelfHypnosis

You have likely heard the phrase The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. The action plan seems straight forward enough however the devil is always in the details. Inevitably problems will arise in even the simplest steps. Frustration will lead to lack of commitment, lack of commitment will lead to failure and failure leads to more failure. Fortunately this is where the skill of self-hypnosis can accomplish so much. Your action plan will give you the path to success and self-hypnosis will give you the confidence, enthusiasm and empowering emotional state that will energize your psyche to effortlessly achieve your goals in the shortest time possible. It is now time to make an emotionally empowering action plan.

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Emotionally Empowering Action Plan

For the purpose of discussion lets say youre having trouble practicing for the one hour a day, three times a week that your instructor tells you is necessary to achieve the goal of learning to play Classical Gas on guitar by New Years Eve. First lets review some of our self-hypnosis techniques: Use of ideomotor responses and partial age regressions to isolate the initial sensitizing event that lead to the disempowering emotional state. Use of positive visualizations Use of future memories Visualize success Direct suggestions under hypnosis Anchoring Removing negative anchors

Here is a possible emotionally empowering action plan designed to energize your guitar practice session: Use ideomotor responses to ascertain any emotional baggage from your past (this could be anything from a forgotten teacher telling you that you have no musical 88

talent to being bit by a dog while looking at a guitar). Remember that the subconscious mind does not think critically; any association it makes becomes your reality. If you discover a negative sensitizing event ask your subconscious to change the negative emotional association to a new positive emotion. Anchor a new empowering emotion to the act of practicing. In the hypnotic state visualize the desired emotion as vividly as possible and project it into the guitar (or any other cue you like). Visualize success. See yourself as having fun and playing perfectly. Under self-hypnosis give yourself direct hypnotic suggestions such as I will find it easy to practice and when Im done I will have a sense of accomplishment. In a relaxed hypnotic state picture yourself as having already accomplished your goal in the future with a sense of wellbeing and confidence. Remove any negative anchors by visualizing and mentally rehearsing a new empowering emotion in the old situation.

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As you can see there are many self-hypnosis techniques that you can use to put yourself in an empowering emotional state, enabling you to achieve whatever goals you choose. Like any skill self-hypnosis requires practice and patience and I believe the results are worth it. Once you learn to train your brain anything can become enjoyabl e. When work becomes play, goals become easily attainable. Good luck!

Thoughts On Section 3
You now have the tools to build a designer life. As you can see these techniques can be applied to any and all situations. By creating a goal then building an action plan and using self-hypnosis to program your subconscious for success and enjoyment, not only do all things become possible but your aspirations become fun and energizing. They say that the man who likes his job never works a day in his life. Whatever your dreams are I hope you can create the element of fun and inspiration necessary to focus on that which will enable you to exceed your wildest imagination. The one thing all successful people have in common, whether it is success in business, hobbies or personal relationships, is that they love what they do. It is my true hope that this book has given you the insights necessary to find your true passions whatever they may be. 90