Introduction to Hypnosis

Instructor Introduction

• Speaker: Dan Jones
• Profession: Hypnotherapy trainer
• Experience: Over 20 years

Course Overview

• Learn hypnosis in less than an hour
• Techniques covered:
  • Three structured inductions
  • Three client-centered inductions

Key Hypnosis Techniques

Structured Inductions

1. Push Down Induction

   • Example Phrases:
     • “Look at me, push down on my hand.”
     • “Harder, harder, keep pushing harder.”
     • Eventually: “Sleep.”
   • Purpose: Induce a state of confusion and compliance before triggering hypnosis with a sudden command.

2. Eyes Open, Eyes Closed Induction

   • Instructions:
     • Find a spot above eye level.
     • Count: “Three, two, one” (close eyes), “One, two, three” (open eyes).
   • Repeat until the client has difficulty opening their eyes.
   • Purpose: Gradual deepening into hypnosis through repeated eye movements.

3. Body Scan Induction

   • Instructions:
     • Guide client to focus on different parts of their body, starting from the head and moving down.
     • Use breathing as cues to move focus.
   • Purpose: Full-body relaxation, deepening hypnosis over time.

Client-Centered Inductions

1. Ongoing Experience Induction

   • Technique: Describe the client’s ongoing experience while presupposing they are being hypnotized.
   • Example: “As you sit there listening to me, you can begin to drift inside your mind.”
   • Purpose: Tailor induction to the client’s immediate experiences for a fail-safe approach.

2. Leisure Trance Induction

   • Technique: Ask about relaxing activities the client enjoys and describe these activities back to them as an induction.
   • Example: Describing the experience of swimming in a pool.
   • Purpose: Utilize pleasant and familiar experiences to deepen hypnosis.

3. Arm Catalepsy Induction

   • Technique: Gently lift the client’s arm and create a state of equilibrium by tapping around their hand.
   • Example: “I don’t know whether that hand will start to feel like it’s not yours but look like yours.”
   • Purpose: Physical and mental fixation on the arm’s unusual sensation, inducing hypnosis.

Deepening Hypnosis

• Narrow Focus of Attention: Direct client to imagine scenarios or detailed elements of their experience.
• Journey: Guide client on a mental journey, like walking along a beach.
• Transitions: Introduce transitions (e.g., stepping into a painting) to deepen hypnosis.
• Suggestions: Reinforce with phrases like “deeper and deeper.”
• Silence: Effective when timed correctly, especially after initial deepening.

Therapeutic Techniques

• Suggestions: E.g., “You will no longer want to smoke.”
• Post-Hypnotic Mental Rehearsal: Mentally rehearse future scenarios where the client achieves their goals (e.g., confidence).
• **Completion and Awakening: **
  • Preferred method: Let clients come back in their own time.
  • Alternative: Count from one to three and prompt them to open their eyes.

Summary

• Purpose: Guide clients into and out of hypnosis, deepen the state, and apply therapeutic techniques for lasting change.