You will find many hypnotists, trainers and even newbies to the hypnotic world talk and discuss idea’s (or ideals) with regards to how they can best increase their success rates as a hypnotist. How does one become a hypnotherapist and help people of a vast selection of “suggestibility” types, or how does one manage to hypnotize with one model as opposed to another and what are the best ways to increase ones success rates.

I have witnessed, time and time again, from my students, students of other hypnosis trainers and even a lot of members of the IAYH that we often change our model of hypnosis to increase our success, and that does often work. The reason we change or adopt any model of hypnosis is because we find that the model we were originally operating with or learned about had a lot of limiting beliefs that naturally decreased our success. What we then fail to take into account is that the model of hypnosis we are adopting because of this reason may also have its own vast amounts of limiting beliefs that we just do now see.

School’s of Hypnotic Thoughts:

Let’s take a quick visit to some of the current school’s of thought that have been dominating the hypnosis scene lately:

• We have the Ericksonian Hypnotists verse the Elmanian Hypnotists (this has been an age old battle, somewhat boring).
• Then, related but not the same, we have the direct, authoritative hypnotists verse the permissive, indirect hypnotists. (getting warmer)
• We also have the more interesting covert and conversational hypnotists verse the direct and overt hypnotists (all seem the same don’t they?)
• Recently there is also the battle of the Trance based hypnotists verse the ‘Hypnosis without Trance’ Hypnotists (related would be the state verse non-state hypnotists)
• In this wicked mix we could also throw in those hypnotherapists who feel that Stage Hypnosis is Bad and Damaging to the profession.
• And Finally, We have those hypnotists who are drastically confused as to what hypnosis is or is’nt (oh boy, fear them!)

What we all have in common:

What do all these various model’s, school’s etc. have in common?

They All Work!

It is because they work that each of these various schools have such a vast amount of following, They are real, the methods work, the models of hypnosis work, they may seem contradictory, but they are not. What everyone of the people that follow any single one of these models get wrong is that, where one model fails another model succeeds, where one model, another model does it better and so on.

Increasing your success rates and becoming a master hypnotist

A Master Hypnotist is one who identifies that he does not know everything and understands that there is so much to learn, from everyone, every model and every hypnosis school of thought. This may sound contradictory, but I assure you, that is not the case.

Someone who does not stick to any of these popular and opposing models of hypnosis is not someone without a model or someone who is confused. No, he or she is someone who has created and defined a model of hypnosis beyond the conventional systems that govern our understanding of hypnosis, suggestibility and success.

Because this almost sounds too good to be true, almost magical, it takes hypnosis to the level of Enchantment, this is how my ‘Hypnosis Enchantment (H.E.) Model’ was born. Don’t get me wrong, this is nothing new, nothing *I* created, but its not what most hypnosis trainers teach either and not what most hypnotists in general have fully realized to the point of “living the laws” of Enchantment.

I am not going to go in-depth into the H.E. Model right now, I will save that for a book (kidding… probably), but here is the basic thinking of how it came into existence.

We know that Hypnosis is different for everyone, everyone hypnotizes and experiences hypnosis in different ways. Before Hypnosis there was Animal Magnetism, Mesmerism where the word hypnosis was not mentioned and the only thing that existed was intention and expectation and it worked, even though with a totally different name, and way before that hypnosis existed, it just had no real name (reminds me of the lesson on “Roses, Hypnosis and Names“, worth the read).

We know from studying all the different model’s and schools of hypnosis that they work, either by using the model and experiencing first hand that its real or works, or by seeing it happen and knowing its true. We also understand that some model’s does certain things better and assists us with increasing our success, so if someone doesnt believe or feel hypnosis is real because they don’t believe in trance, using trance-free hypnosis will work just fine, however if they expect trance, that would work better and faster. Giving the subject exactly what they expect as opposed to “what you want” increases your success ten-fold.

Understand?

Think of it this way…

Everyone can be hypnotized, everyone is hypnotize-able, everyone is suggestible.

I say “everyone” with complete confidence, not leaving anyone out (except people with low IQ’s, communication skills and with certain mental disorders). Currently the people we label as suggestible are those people who fall into our “model of hypnosis” if we redefine our model, we redefine who is suggestible and who isn’t…. no one isn’t!

So, All the schools and models of hypnosis work… and all of them do not work… and all of them work best and all of them do not work best… the trick is where does it work? where does it not work? where does X model work best? where does Y model not work best? and how can we bring this understanding of X, Y and Z’s school of thought to work thoroughly and effectively together with little or no limiting beliefs…

I do not Claim that the Hypnosis Enchantment Model (HE Model) is free from all limiting beliefs, but its on the path to accomplishing this, and works brilliantly even in the therapy lounge. Now, here are some questions to honestly ask yourself:

• Why are you bothering to learn hypnosis and increase your skill?
• What model of Hypnosis are you using now?
• Where are the limiting beliefs in the model that you use now?
• Does it work on everyone and have you ever “failed”?
• Is there a need for a new and different model?
• What are your beliefs and thoughts on the Suggestibility and Hypnotizing of everyone?

Answer these questions honestly for yourself and see where this inner journey takes you. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below

I am not going to go on a philosophical rant here, but these three things, for anyone wanting to learn and master anything are essential to making it possible.

The 3 Essentials for Learning and Mastering Hypnosis are:

• Practice what you Learn
• Ask Questions and Get Feedback
• Never, Never Give Up!

Now, you may be thinking that this is quite obvious so why am I even bothering to tell you this?

Because it is only obvious because you now know it. To what level are you actively living these three essential principles?

You are here, reading this article, wanting to know more, learn more and constantly become a better hypnotist.

But what are you doing to make that happen now? What are you actively doing to make sure you reach your goal?

As you would notice, these three essentials fit more than just the hypnosis world. It can be actively applied and lived practically in every aspect of your life with which you wish to be successful in.

Practice what you learn

This is the first rule for a reason, the only way you can become a hypnotist is if you DO hypnosis. Simple.

There are many free hypnosis lessons here on the IAYH and everywhere on the web if you know where to look. You can have the greatest theoretical knowledge of hypnosis that is in existence, but If you have not hypnotized anyone you are not a hypnotist.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

There is no such thing as confidence so there is no reason not to just go out there and do it. Obviously with something like hypnosis you have to have the foundational knowledge of safety and ethics before you go about attempting to hypnotize people, not to mention the maturity needed to interact with other people at this level.

I have written an post about how I became a hypnotist and shared with you there the difficulties I encountered and how the first induction is for some. Take the advice I gave there, and learn till you feel you know what to do, envision doing it, have your intent, and then do it, there is no easier way.

Ask Questions and Get Feedback

I just recently wrote an article on how failure does not exist and how everything is just one step to success if you get feedback from it.

Asking Questions and Getting feedback is the best thing I ever did!

When I started hypnosis, I failed more than I succeeded, in fact for a good amount of time, “failing” was all I did.

But I video recorded my failures, I posted them, I asked questions from the masters to critique them, I got feedback and I listened, Learned and Implemented the suggestions which allowed me to move closer and closer to success, and learn from myself all the ways not to hypnotize, leaving me with the best ways that do. Failure is good, it allows you to gain the feedback needed to succeed.

When I have a new theory, I practice it, I fail or succeed, either way, I make sure I get feedback, This increases my success and eliminates my failure and is by far the greatest way to become a great hypnotist.

Never, Never Give Up!

If you follow step one and practice. You will fail, you will fail a lot (if you don’t fail you are not doing anything). When one fails, they often have a strong urge to think that this is not for them, they want to give up, they feel embarrassed or sometimes try to justify why they failed and they are just not capable.

Do not move in that direction. Understand that failure does not exist. All “Failure” is awesome “Feedback” designed to make you a greater hypnotist (and person). So, Never, Never Back down and never give up. Being and becoming a hypnotist is one of the most amazing and greatest things you can do. Understanding how the mind works, even just for yourself, changes the way you see and interact with the world.

Here is the formula to your success:

Learn and Practice, Ask Questions and Get Feedback and Never Give Up!

Here are some secrets you may not have known about me:

• I learned everything I could on hypnosis and spent months contemplating doing something about it
• I was afraid to do my first induction and kept making excuses not to try
• My first 9 attempts at hypnosis FAILED… I did it, I tried, and nothing seemed to happen
• I thought hypnosis was not for me, I began to think it was a myth, I almost gave up!

Then, before I was totally gone from the Hypnosis World:

• My Physics and Maths Tutor asked me about my Hobbies and I mentioned Hypnosis, He asked to be Hypnotized.
• I thought to myself that, why not? Before I give up, let me give it a shot. Lets Do it!
• I had my first success. I posted it online. I got critiqued. I Gained Feedback. I implemented that feedback.
• I did it again, used my feedback and got better, and I kept this Cycle going.
• I practiced, requested feedback, practiced, got better, and this went on.
• 2 Months After my first Induction I celebrated having hypnotized my 100th person.
• 2 Months After my first induction the IAYH (back then the IATH) was born.
• 3 years Later… I have Hypnotized Thousands of people and Train people around the world.

Will you follow and Live these 3 Essentials to success? Or will you just give up?

Success is in your hands, not anyone else, you choose the Success you wish to be.

Eternal Smiles,

Leo Gopal

Firstly, If you do not know who James Tripp is, you would possibly increase your hypnotic success by finding out (maybe I am exaggerating, but his work is that brilliant, so go for it). James Tripp is most famously known for his development of ‘Hypnosis Without Trance‘ and he inspired this Lesson on Failure by his most recent blog post, video and TeleSeminar on ‘Failure and Feedback Loops‘. If you missed the TeleSeminar you can listen and download it there.

(P.S. I usually do not mention anyone who has not written lessons for the IAYH or point you out of the IAYH, nor am I selling anything or getting a commission for mentioning James, this is completely on his own merit)

Now, I am done with my blurb and rant and possible ego-boost of James, Let us get back to the Lesson on Failure and Success in Hypnosis.

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” ~ Henry Ford

These famous words by Henry Ford ring true especially in our lives as hypnotists and is a great way to view how we see and frame our supposed failure. Here is how another very successful person who has lit up all our lives frames failure:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~ Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Edison is the man who created the light-bulb (if you did not get my previous pun), this was supposedly said by Edison when asked by a reporter why he is still trying to create a light-bulb after he has failed thousands of times already.

In Edison’s mind, there was no failure. Edison Successfully discovered thousands of ways how not to make a light-bulb, so in his model, if he continued in this way, he would eventually have found a way to successfully create the first working light-bulb based on the feedback he received from the ways he discovered of how not to do it.

Here is the greatest re-framing of failure and mindset of success to take back from this (Which would be very familiar to those in the NLP field):

There is no Failure, only Feedback!

In James’s post he asks a great question with regards to this statement;

“There is no failure, only feedback! To what extent do you practically live it?”

It is one thing saying it. It is another thing understanding it, but it is a completely different thing altogether when you practically utilize and live it!

The Feedback Loop: Do, Observe, Gain Feedback, Utilize…

The only way I can fully explain the feedback loop is if I show it to you, the below video is the video from one James’s Live Trainings and also the very same video that inspired this post, I also suggest you go to the full post on ‘Failure and Feedback Loops‘ on the HWT Blog and listen to the complete teleseminar, here is the video:

In this Video, James gets a hypnotic footstick, but when he goes for hypnotic name amnesia it fails twice.

Remember, it does not fail because James does something wrong. It would have succeeded perfectly on someone who was more Visually orientated. It just so happened that this subject’s Primary Representational System was very kinesthetic and therefore the suggestions, which were highly visual, did not have the same desired outcome… until James customized it to fit the model of the subject.

This proves more the point about hypnosis being a lot about how we communicate, and the more we communicate in a way that the subject understands, the greater the success of suggestions will be, this is most apparent when one starts doing change-work.

In the video you would have noticed that when James “Fails” he does not shrug his shoulders make an intelligently worded reason for why it “failed” making it look like its because of the subject, he does not creep away into a comfort zone, but he attempts again, he fails, gets feedback, attempts again, he fails, he asks questions, he gets feedback, he utilizes the feedback (in this case the words and representational system of the subject) and he succeeds.

So then, the Feedback loop will look like this: Do, Observe, Gain Feedback and Utilize

Do:

Go for it, make your attempt and see what happens.

Observe:

See if it succeeds or not and what happens, what reactions you get either way

Gain Feedback:

Whether you succeed or whether you fail, gaining feedback by asking questions is always important, if you succeed and gain feedback it will help you see what works best and assist you in increases your current success. If you failed, it helps you find out why you failed and what would possibly work.

Ask the subject about their experience, get them to describe it, this will assist you in working out what representational system they are using and also in finding their ‘trigger words’ or the words that makes them tick and that would work best for them, very much like what was done in the above video.

Utilize:

Use the Feedback you have gained to increase your success if you already had success, If you supposedly failed, you simply utilize the feedback you received and use that as an opportunity to have another opportunity and being more intelligent than before.

Repeat until you achieve the desired level of success. Yes, there are “levels” of success!

This is just the beginning of elaborating more on how to increase your hypnotic success and this is just a small segment of ways to do it, but it is one of the most important things you can begin doing now if you are truly serious about your own success. Tell us what you think, feel free to leave comments and what you do to increase your own success and how Feedback Loops work for you.

Eternal Smiles,

Leo Gopal

Once you learn how to “hypnotize” someone, the next obvious step is to deliver suggestions that work. We have already elaborated on how to deliver irresistible hypnotic suggestions and also on how to master hypnotic phenomena. Though, recently I have been getting quite a bit of requests to elaborate on how to get some specific hypnotic phenomena to work for you, in this Lesson I am going to focus on the phenomena of Amnesia.

Amnesia (from Greek Ἀμνησία) is a condition in which memory is disturbed or lost.

Basically, Hypnotic Amnesia always be temporary and for small things such as: Names, Numbers, Faces, etc.

With being a hypnotist and having this skill, you will get people who have had bad experiences in their life, such as the loss of a loved one or a trauma in their life that they believe they would be better off forgetting. We do not do this with Hypnosis, this will fall under area’s of being irresponsible and unethical. Every experience we have had in our lives is something to learn from, to grow from and to expand from.

Take for example someone who wishes to forget their former boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. Forgetting a person, or experiences with that person also removes all the lessons learned from those experiences, and the reasons for their current position. By forgetting, a couple of things can happen, but most commonly; They could forget the reasons they are not with that person and fall for them again, more naive than before.

You may argue that you could also create an aversion to that person as well, but what if those reasons change, the people change etc, it is simply unfair and hypnosis should not meddle. Hypnosis is a process that is there to assist people in learning greater ways of improving their lives, it is not a quick fix solution that could backfire, as a hypnotist, you are responsible for the well-being of your subjects and you should be responsible in what you are doing.

Now, back to the actual lesson on Hypnotic Amnesia. (there is a really informative audio at the bottom of this post, so read everything and you will get an enormous load of information here to help you master this phenomenon and understand amnesia better)

Understanding the Basics:

Amnesia is basically the process of making someone forget something or lose a bit of information that they previous had. From previous lessons on how to structure and deliver your suggestions you would know by now that, What you focus on increases. We also know, from common sense, that it is quite hard to forget something you are being reminded about (though it is possible, just difficult).

Just as if I were to tell you, “Don’t think about a purple cow!”, you are mentioning the purple cow and in order not to think about it and obey the command, I have to first do what you requested me not to, and that is to think about a purple cow.

Understanding those basics of suggestion, we can then swiftly and effectively get hypnotic amnesia, and its quite simple.

Achieving Hypnotic Amnesia:

Getting hypnotic amnesia is easy and does not take a special level of ‘trance’ or an advanced skill level to achieve, it simply takes a few well articulated words to a hypnotized subject to achieve.

How to get Number Amnesia with Hypnosis:

If you would like to get someone to forget a number (make sure you, as the hypnotist, know how to count before you attempt this ) the easiest way is to suggest it like I do below:

“In a moment I am going to do ‘X’ and when I do ‘X’ you will completely have forgotten the number 4, there is no room for a number between 3 and 5, the space between 3 and 5 is completely blank, that’s right, if you are to count you would count 1,2,3,5,6… [Do 'X'] Count your fingers for me please…”

I just created this suggestion now on the spot (which is the best way to do hypnosis as its not rehearsed and feels and sounds natural, provided you have the focus and strong intent), I use association, compounding and a touch of compliments to make this suggestion work well.

Association: I associated the doing of ‘X’ with forgetting a specific number. This basically allows the subject to know when it will occur and also gives a reason in the mind of the subject for it to happen (though not a ‘real’ reason, just something to know that ‘A’ happened because of ‘X’). ‘X’ can be absolutely anything, such as counting from 1 to 3, snapping your fingers, tapping the subject, saying a particular word. ‘X’ becomes your hypnotic trigger.

Compounding: I compounded the Suggestions above, which basically means I gave the same suggestion to forget a number in more than one way, I paraphrased and elaborated. So the compounding used here is:

Objective: Forgetting of the number four [4]

• First Suggestion (with association [hypnotic trigger]): In a moment I am going to do ‘X’ and when I do ‘X’ you will completely have forgotten the number 4
• Compound 1: there is no room for a number between 3 and 5
• Compound 2: the space between 3 and 5 is completely blank
• Compound 3: if you are to count you would count 1,2,3,5,6…

Here I used the initial suggestion, plus three compounds of the suggestion to make this as effective as possible. Though, you will have instances when you just give the plain suggestion and it works without compounds, or even with just one or two compounds as opposed to three. This is so that the subject fully understands the suggestion and what is expected of him, compounding is a way to make sure you elaborate in ways the subject will surely understand.

The Compliment: Though very simple, this can be quite powerful, you would notice that in my suggestion, I sneak in a little “that’s right” that is my way of complimenting the subject, that they are doing what is expected, creating the expectation and belief in their mind that they have begun to do what I am suggesting to do and also assists in making them more comfortable with following my suggestions. Though you will get your suggestions to work without compliments, this does help and also creates or strengthens rapport with the subject.

In one of the first hypnosis courses I taught in South Africa a few years ago, one of my students recorded some short snippets of the hypnotic amnesia phenomena that I suggested and created very similar to what I spoke of now, here are the short snippets of me doing it:

I chose these numbers because they each have a specific effect when one forgets them and goes to count their own fingers (basically any number above 0 below 5 and any number above 5 below 10 will do the trick. Other numbers to forget are their phone numbers, house address, etc.

How to get Name Amnesia with Hypnosis:

Many people also ask how they can get someone to forget something as well known to them as their name, and its just as simple as forgetting anything else, here is a demo suggestion you can work with to achieve this:

“In a moment I am going to count from 1 to 3 and when I do you would have completely forgotten your name, I can as you your name and its just blank, its there but you just cant say it, its gone, thats right… 1,2,3″

Here is a quick video of the hypnotic amnesia phenomena:

Its worth noting at the end that I do give his name back

Give it all back…

As I mentioned at the start of this lesson, You have to return things as they were, that is, give back whatever you have made your subject forget, revert the amnesia.

The quickest and easiest way is to just remind them:

“The number between 3 and 5 is 4, you remember that now!”

“Your name is John, back to normal, remembering your name now, What is your name?”

Always restore everything back to normal, never forget this.

Extras:

You can always build in some powerful extra’s into your suggestions which help increase your success with some subjects or in general, like using metaphors and analogies to associate with the forgetting of a specific item such as referencing previous experiences similar to what you wish to achieve, like:

“John, do you remember sometimes when  you forget something now and you know its there, its at the tip of your tongue and you try to remember it, try to say it but its just blank and you cant remember it, its gone? [get a nod or sign of agreement and understanding, then move on to them forgetting something in a similar way] in a moment you are going to forget your name, you know its there but you are just blank and you try in vain to remember and say it, but its gone, that’s right… what’s your name?”

Those are just quick examples of what you can do, mash it up, mix it together, make it  your own and be confident and see what you get.

Summary points:

• What you focus on increases, focus on forgetting as opposed to “not remembering”
• Do not remind them or mention what you wish for them to forget.
• Use Association or Hypnotic triggers to assist (When ‘X’, ‘Y’)
• Compound your suggestions, elaborate and paraphrase.
• Compliment… it helps!
• Use metaphors and analogies (take them to a point when they remember what it feels like to forget something)
• Be Confident and congruent, obvious but important.
• Restore Everything back to normal, give back what you got them to forget!

I do hope you enjoyed this and that it elaborated a bit more on creating suggestions for hypnotic amnesia. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts.

Eternal Smiles,

Leo Gopal

One of the most common issues newbies to the hypnosis world have is the issue of getting their suggestions to stick. Sometimes the best of us have this issue as well: “How can we get our suggestions to work?”, they keep asking. The interesting thing is that the issues they have are all quite common and usually the same, therefore easy to solve.

Suggestions that stick have become a bit of a trend with hypnotists lately; sticking feet to the ground, hands to tables and walls, seem to be part of most hypnotists armory, which is not what hypnosis is about but it does make for good skits and demonstrations when you planning on going simple.

Getting a Feet Stick with Hypnosis

The above video and the other video’s in this post are taken by one of my students at the first hypnosis training I did a few years ago in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. so don’t mind the video quality.

The above video show’s how I do the hypnotic sticking phenomena with one of my student/volunteers feet.

The suggestion went something like this:

“In a moment you are going to stand up and you will find that your left foot is completely stuck to the ground, the harder you try in vain to unstick it now  you will find it sticking tighter and tighter as if it were being rooted heavily into the ground… “

Is that not simple?

The main points to remember are:

• Do not, I repeat do NOT use negatives… That means: use positives!
• Compound your suggestion, paraphrase or use different metaphors.
• Be confident and say it like you mean it, as if you know it will work.

Yep, its as easy as 1,2,3… A,B,C…

Here is it done again to the next subject:

Hypnosis is simple and really does not need to be complicated.

This can even be done on more than one subject at a time, just pluralize the suggestion and you are all set:

Just remember the three points and remove the suggestions once your Hypnosis Demonstration is done and you are all set.

Hope you enjoyed this lesson, feel free to share it and leave a comment.

In this quick lesson I am going to talk about the Armlock suggestibility test and demonstrate how to also transform this into an induction:

How to do the Armlock Suggestibility Test and Induction:

• Get your subject to put their hand out (either straight to the side or infront)
• Mention ‘the hand‘ as opposed to ‘your hand‘ (creates dissociation)
• Make them focus on a point in their fist (a knuckle or finger, etc)
• Suggest that their hand begins to lock and stiffen and associate it to something with the same qualities like an iron-bar:

“Feel this hand now locking and becoming stiff and rigid like an iron bar”

• Mention the different joints, touch them if you have to (sometimes helps strengthen this suggestion) and suggest that these areas are locking:

“Feel this arm locking now, feel it now at the wrists, feel it now at your elbow, feel it now at the shoulder”

• By now the hand should be showing signs of being stiff and stiffening up like you suggested
• You can now go forth and test:

“This hand is now stiff and rigid like an iron bar, you can try in vain to bend this arm and notice it just gets stiffer and more rigid, try now and notice this…”

By no means do you have to use the same words that I am using here, this is thought of as I am writing this lesson and are how I would be doing it had I someone in front of me at this instant. It is simply a guideline, make the words your own with keeping with the principle guidelines of hypnosis.

To make this into an Instant Induction (or rapid, not much difference in this case, depends what your model is, another discussion for another time) it is quite simple. Once you have their hand stiff with a successful suggestibility test, you can simply suggest:

“In a moment I am going to tug (push down, tap, touch) your hand, and when I do your hand will relax and come back to normal and you will enter a relaxed state of hypnosis (do) [you can say 'sleep' if you like, not necessary]

Below is a video of me doing this Armlock Suggestibility test and induction in less than a minute:

Suggestibility tests in hypnosis can be quite fun. Though I do not use them much as actual “tests”, I usually use them as a “exercise” which I simply transform with an effective suggestion into an induction (suggestibility tests are suggestions, the induction is even a suggestion).

In this quick lesson I am going to cover how I do the handclasp (or also known as the ‘Magnetic Hands’) suggestibility test, and How I transform it into an induction.

How to do the Handclasp / Magnetic Hands suggestibility test:

• Get the subject to put their hands out in front of them, palms facing together and a few inches apart.
• Suggest that their at the palms of their hands (or between their hands) are strong powerful magnets, pulling their hands together.
• Allow them to close their eyes and visualize this (not necessary to have them close their eyes, just speeds things up and adds compliance.
• Continue suggesting their hands coming together and the strength of the magnets increasing.
• When their hands do start moving, and they will, mention it and compliment it: ‘Yes, that’s right, feel those hands pulling closer!”
• …in a few seconds you will find that their hands are about to touch, and you will have a choice about what you want to do from here.

Your choice will be to just let them touch and if they touch to stick them together (which is hypnosis) or to simply suggest trance.

To stick them together:

“In a second your hands are about to touch and when they do you will feel the power of those magnets increasing and your palms completely and totally Stuck together, you can try in vain to unstick them and notice that they just stick tighter and tighter, thats right, try now!”

That is just an example, you can use your own words, make it your own, this is just a guideline.

To make it an Induction:

In the below video I use this method of the suggestibility test, but at the last second I suggest trance, therefore making this an induction (differs from video):

“In a second your hands are going touch and when they do you find yourself relaxing now into a wonderful state of trance, that’s right, all the way down…”

…and here is the video with all the pieces put together:

The various descriptions of Erickson’s hypnotic handshake, including his own very detailed accounts, indicate that a certain amount of improvisation is involved, and that watching and acting upon the subject’s responses is key to a successful outcome.  This post contains the transcript of the routine by Erickson himself. It is important to note that this induction utilizes a lot of improvisation and therefore no two instances are, or will be, the same.

Erickson described the routine as follows:

Initiation: When I begin by shaking hands, I do so normally. The “hypnotic touch” then begins when I let loose. The letting loose becomes transformed from a firm grip into a gentle touch by the thumb, a lingering drawing away of the little finger, a faint brushing of the subject’s hand with the middle finger – just enough vague sensation to attract the attention. As the subject gives attention to the touch of your thumb, you shift to a touch with your little finger. As your subject’s attention follows that, you shift to a touch with your middle finger and then again to the thumb.

This arousal of attention is merely an arousal without constituting a stimulus for a response.

The subject’s withdrawal from the handshake is arrested by this attention arousal, which establishes a waiting set, and expectancy.

Then almost, but not quite simultaneously (to ensure separate neural recognition), you touch the under surface of the hand (wrist) so gently that it barely suggests an upward push. This is followed by a similar utterly slight downward touch, and then I sever contact so gently that the subject does not know exactly when – and the subject’s hand is left going neither up nor down, but cataleptic.

Termination: If you don’t want your subject to know what you are doing, you simply distract their attention, usually by some appropriate remark, and casually terminate. Sometimes they remark, “What did you say? I got absentminded there for a moment and wasn’t paying attention to anything.” This is slightly distressing to the subjects and indicative of the fact that their attention was so focused and fixated on the peculiar hand stimuli that they were momentarily entranced so they did not hear what was said.

Utilisation: Any utilisation leads to increasing trance depth. All utilisation should proceed as a continuation of extension of the initial procedure. Much can be done nonverbally; for example, if any subjects are just looking blankly at me, I may slowly shift my gaze downward, causing them to look at their hand, which I touch and say “look at this spot.”. This intensifies the trance state. Then, whether the subjects are looking at you or at their hand or just staring blankly, you can use your left hand to touch their elevated right hand from above or the side – so long as you merely give the suggestion of downward movement. Occasionally a downward nudge or push is required. If a strong push or nudge is required, check for anaesthesia.

In the words of Erickson himself.

When One thinks of hypnosis and especially the great names in the hypnosis world, Milton Erickson is Definitely one of those famous names that we all think about. Milton Erickson was famous for a lot of developments in the hypnosis world and to hypnosis as we know it, most of all he is famous for his permissive, conversational style of hypnosis labeled today as Ericksonian Hypnosis.

Though he was very famous for conversational hypnosis, I was even more intrigued as a newbie (and still am intrigued) by his use of a silent handshake hypnosis Induction, known today as the Ericksonian Handshake induction. You may have seen online a lot of variations of this induction, some places you see that the hypnotist moves the hand up to the face, that is not the Erickson Handshake Induction, but a Bandler variation.

Below is a video [20seconds] of the real, non-variation, of the Erickson Handshake Induction which I finally learned to perform a long while back, this is the impromptu version:

In the above demonstration you will see the Induction performed. Closing of the eyes is not necessary but I made him close it for the camera else it would not look like much of an induction, and this is all done Silently. Here is it again, this time with someone who is expecting it (proves that surprise is not needed) [20 seconds]:

This induction has a lot to do with confidence, eye contact, body language and a bit of confusion, here is how I do it:

• Firstly I take the hand but do not hold it firmly.
• My thumb supports the hand in downward movements and my pinky supports it in upward movements.
• My middle finger trails the palm lightly just to create an added sensation, while I keep a fixed and locked eye contact.
• I change my gaze from focused on their eyes to defocused as if looking at the back of their skull very casually.
• You will feel their hand begin to relax and move with yours with very little effort, at this point you begin pulling your hand away trailing the middle finger across their palm. Their hand should stay fixed at the point you break contact.
• For the purposes of this demonstration I moved the hand in a downward movement and nodded my head to give the non-verbal suggestion of “going down” hence the eyes closed hand dropped.

This is what works best for me, my style and hypnosis model. It is not something you should follow like a manuscript but something that you can use as a guideline for finding your own style.

In this lesson we are going to take another look at The Elman Induction, which is, in my opinion,  one of the most common and trusted inductions out there.

Created by one of the greats in the last century of Hypnosis, Dave Elman, it is Genuinely a very powerful induction. I do not however use the Elman Induction in a script like manner as most other hypnotists do quite verbatim.

I have analyzed and separated it into the Inductions core elements which allow us to better understand the inner processes that make this induction work. Knowing the Elements of an Induction allows us to easily calibrate the induction to various situations, people, etc. This can be used to hypnotize multiple people at the same time.

The Elements of the Elman Induction are as follows:

Get cooperation

Ask then to sit down, put their feet together.

Relaxation and more cooperation

Ask them to take a deep breath. in… and out… sending that relaxation throughout their entire body.

Fractionation

Give the Suggestion that they will, in a moment, open their eyes, and once they close it again they will go ten times deeper, repeat this for about three times changing the multitude of depth then continue to the next step.

Trance Test (Phenomena)

Tell them that they need to relax the muscles around their eyes, they need to relax it so much that it feels as if it were stuck, they can TRY and unSTICK it but notice that it will just get more and more relaxed, make them try, and move on to the next stage, stress that THEY need to be the one to relax it so much that it wont open.

Physical Relaxation

Take hold of their arm, and wiggle it up down, left right, rotate it, while saying that they shouldn’t help you, they need to make it relaxed as if it were a wet rag, limp, lose, relaxed and that you are going to drop it, at the rate and pace the willing to ‘go all the way down’ and drop.

Mental Relaxation and Test (Amnesia)

Here you are going to ask the subject to count backwards from one hundred and once they reach around 97-98 they will begin to wash the numbers out of their mind becoming smaller and harder to see as they count, each number sending them deeper into hypnosis, and make them count slowly, and intersperse the numbers with suggestions of deepening.

Deepeners and Suggestions

Then just follow up with whatever suggestion the actual session was intended for.

The key is practice! So get out there and do it!

Eternal Smiles,

Leo Gopal