Everybody wants to learn to hypnotize someone – at least, this is what the morass of advertisements detailing the benefits of all the hypnotism programs for sale would have us believe. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn this (assuming your motives are not nefarious), but the best way to do this is to experience hypnosis directly. You’ll be in a much better position to know whether or not hypnosis is actually working on your subject.
Since knowledge is power, let’s start with a bit of history.
A Scottish neurosurgeon by the name of James Braid came up with the term hypnotism in the 1880s. Known as the Father of Hypnosis, Braid began his journey by studying the popular theories of his era — animal magnetism and mesmerism. He came to the conclusion that mesmerism and mesmeric trances had nothing to do with magnetism. Hypnotism was not a result of magnetic fluids running through our bodies.
Conducting numerous experiments and engaging in observation led Braid to conclude that hypnosis could be induced by following some basic rules. He coined the term hypnosis — after Hypnos, Greek god of sleep — because those in a “trance” appeared to be sleeping. He discovered, though, that an individual could be hypnotized and still be wide awake.
Braid’s four basic rules constitute the 4-Stage Formula that follows:
*Absorb attention: the hypnotist, in this stage, captures the subject’s focus. It requires of the hypnotist the ability to draw the subject in and then to lead the subject into the deeper levels of the subconscious with suggestion-weighted language.
*Bypass the critical factor: the critical factor is the part of the mind that says, “No way. This isn’t possible.” Resistance to the hypnotic trance results from the critical factor (doubt, disbelief) standing between the desired hypnotic state and the subject. The subject is resistant because he or she doesn’t think it’s possible to be hypnotized –the individual is critical of the process on some level. This resistance must be circumvented if the hypnosis is to be effective and the suggestions are to sink deeply enough into the subconscious mind.
*Activate an unconscious response: perhaps the best example of this would be the hypnotist eliciting an emotional response from the subject.
*Leading the unconscious to the desired outcome – through carefully constructed suggestions.
By using these four stages, the hypnotist leads the subject to obtain the desired outcome by accessing the unconscious mind. It’s actually less technical than it sounds. A good way to get an idea of the process is to experience the hypnotic trance state directly. There’s nothing weird or mystical about it. Simply download an mp3 or get a CD that explores an area you’d like to make improvements in. Listening to a professionally designed audio hypnosis script is the easiest way to gain exposure to the process. Pick a goal you’d like to achieve — for example, conquering procrastication, losing weight, sleeping better, building confidence — download the mp3, and listen to it. In this way, you can learn to hypnotize someone else by experiencing hypnosis first hand. Once you’ve experienced the benefits directly, your subject will sense the confidence and conviction you’ve gained through experience, with the result that his or her critical factor will be more easily diminished.
