Delivering Powerful Inductions Without A Script

In order for hypnotic suggestions to really take hold, the hypnotherapist must be flexible, and have a variety of techniques at their disposal. This means being adept at performing inductions without a script. 

There are a lot of scripts out there, but a script is only minimally useful. Consider using hypnosis scripts as guides, looking for techniques that are useful and that you can add to your repertoire.

Then set the script aside and trust yourself to respond with skill to the needs of your subject.

Five Key Elements To Powerful Hypnotic Inductions

Some hypnotists have one or more 'favorite' techniques and they often default to using them.

However, to really master hypnosis, you need more than one approach. You need to understand the key elements of any good hypnosis session, beginning when your subject enters the room, and lasting until they leave your presence.

Knowing these foundational concepts can open the door to a world of possibilities, giving you the power to deliver more effective results, and more satisfaction for you and your clients.

What Do Hypnosis Masters Do?

A true master of hypnosis does not use just one "canned" approach. Why? Because they understand the key elements of hypnosis and can utilize them in response to their effectiveness with an individual subject.

Having said that, of COURSE I have a favorite, and I do use it, or a variant of it, some of the time. However, I know why it works.  I know what the elements are and what they are meant to do.

So if things are not going according to plan, I can easily deviate and create a more effective strategy in the moment.

This type of flexibility helps me be far more successful with a much wider range of subjects. I have this flexibility because I know the "what" and "why" about the following essential elements.

Five Key Elements To Powerful Hypnotic Inductions

Element 1 - Start Before You Start

Even if you have never hypnotized another person in your whole life, there are things you can do that help to induce trance. These may SEEM like they have nothing to do with hypnosis.

But they not only are they part of the skill set that will make you a powerful hypnotist, they have everything to do with inducing trance easily and more effectively.

But I have to admit, it took a while to dawn on me... 

Just in case you don't know what “cataleptic” or “somnambulist” means, it means they were showing signs of deep trance. “Wow,” I would say. “Sounds like you had good clients today.”

...

I've been studying hypnosis since 1972 and have hypnotized hundreds of clients. I have been teaching NLP and hypnosis for many years.

In my time as a hypnotherapist, I hypnotized a lot of people that other hypnotists said were “unhypnotizable". 

Not to brag (ha!), but I've even been on national television as an expert in NLP. So by most accounts, I'm pretty good at hypnosis and NLP.

And my much less experienced friend was getting better results than I was.

So despite the minor bruises to my ego, I studied her.  What was making her so successful? What did she know, that I didn't??

I paid attention to what she did OUTSIDE of the actual induction, because her specific technique was one that I had taught her!  So there had to be more to it, right?

I discovered, or was reminded, that a successful hypnosis session starts the moment the subject enters the room. It was the "non-induction" parts that my friend had mastered.

And they are easy to do.

That's it.  

After that, your subject is primed to work with you and go as deeply into trance as they want to. That means that your session has a significantly higher chance of being easy and successful.

Element 2:  Eliciting Hypnotic Phenomena

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it is worth looking at.  Whether by direct suggestion, or more subtle and permissive techniques, eliciting hypnotic phenomena is absolutely essential for a hypnosis induction to actually lead to ... well, hypnosis!

You can review more about hypnotic phenomena in my blog post about it.  

For now, let's just review a quick list of some hypnotic phenomena.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but the signs of trance listed above are common and fairly easy to induce and detect during a session.  That is what this initial phase of a session is all about - inducing trance, so that people are more able to align their subconscious and conscious minds to achieve the goal of the session.

So, just to make things really clear: 

That's it.  Easy peasy, right?

How you create, elicit, or enhance hypnotic phenomena depends on your subject, your style, and what works.  

Direct suggestion?  "Close your eyes."  This almost always elicits the hypnotic phenomenon of eye closure.

A more permissive approach might be, "You can close your eyes whenever you feel comfortable enough... recognizing how pleasant relaxing that deeply can be."

Element 4:  Test

Ah, the dreaded test.  Many, myself included, have sometimes resisted testing for trance.  After all, do we really want to know?  What if we "failed"?  What if the subject is NOT in a trance???

Exactly.  What if? You need to know if what you are doing is working... or not.

If it's not working, it just means you need a different approach, or a bit more deepening, or a conversation about how your subject can help themselves experience trance.  

You need to know, and if you want to be successful, you WANT to know.

Testing not only tells you whether your subject is experiencing trance, but it is another way to deepen the trance itself, because it helps your subject know that they are in an altered state. 

This can help them allow and accept the work that is about to begin.

Some Sample Scripts

Below I've included links to written versions of a couple of scripts. They can help you get started.

Nothing replaces instruction by a professional, however, and as mentioned above, keep the underlying elements in mind.

These scripts are intended to inspire and give you practice ONLY - not to replace your own ingenuity once you understand the foundational concepts discussed above.

Don't forget to employ a quality pre-talk. In order for most people to allow themselves to become hypnotized you must dispel the myths and misconceptions about hypnosis.

And although belief may not be necessary, people like to believe they were hypnotized. So they need to know what the experience of hypnosis might be like for them. That's what a good pre-talk will do for you.

Follow the links below for instructions.

Modified Dave Elman Induction: (Modified): Dave Elman is one of the giants of modern hypnotherapy. His methods and insights produce dramatic results in a very short time and allows the majority of people to reach the somnambulistic state in 4 minutes or less.

Progressive Relaxation: The progressive relaxation technique is an old standby. Folks with modern training in hypnosis rarely use it anymore but occasionally it is appropriate. It's an easy one to perform even though it takes a bit of time and patience.