What the Dentist Taught me about Hypnosis
I went to the dentist yesterday and it was amazing how quickly I zonked out in the chair. It got me thinking about it… What is it about the dentist that zonked me out so quickly and what is it we can learn from that that can help us to hypnotize ourselves and others more effectively?
(more text below video)
1) Authority
Everything they do in the dentist’s office lends an air of authority. The specialized language, the white lab coats, the advanced education all create an air of authority. And when someone has an air of authority, or we trust that person, we tend to bypass our judgment somewhat and replace it with ours. In other words, the dentist knows more about teeth than I do so I’m likely to listen to what he has to say–and that’s an important component of some types of hypnosis–authority. If you have the person’s trust, if they believe you they may be more willing to allow your suggestions to sink in.
2) Give lots of suggestions–start small
The dentist immediately began to give suggestions. You know, sit this way, turn your head this way etc. If we’re going to formally hypnotize someone, we are going to give them instructions and they’ll need to follow those instructions. Start small with things like, “Please sit down” and the person will have already followed several instructions before you get to the trance. People are more likely to accept further instructions if they’ve already accepted several already.
3) Immobility
They had me lay back in a chair and be still. That happens in trance too. One of the things I notice is that when I’m immobile, I tend to go into trance. So that’s one of the things we might explain tot he people we’re hypnotizing. “Just relax and remain comfortably still.”
4) Give them something to focus on
There was this speaker that was up on the ceiling and a bright light shining in my eyes. They gave me something to focus on. The speaker had this little pattern of holes and pretty soon the pattern really zonked me out. And that’s what we do in hypnosis sometimes too. We give the client or subject something to focus on that will help them to enter that trance state.
5) Create an unusual environment
The fifth and final thing was that the position in the chair in an unusual one–not a position I associate with anything else. So it took me out of my usual mind-set and into a different situation. If we do that when we’re leading someone into hypnosis, that will help us to attain that state more easily.
See you next time,
Keith Livingston