By: Courtney Hutchison, Psychology Today;May/Jun2009, Vol. 42 Issue 3, p12
FROM CURING insomnia to treating pain, hypnotherapy is now serious business, but it’s still a great parlour trick. Here are a few tips from stage hypnotist Colin Christopher. –Courtney Hutchison
Establish Trust. It’s almost impossible to hypnotize someone who doesn’t want to be hypnotized, so build rapport with your subject–and get verbal consent!
Set the stage. Tell the subject what he should expect. By “prepping” him in this way, you’re actually telling his subconscious mind how it will react later, and it usually obliges.
Make contact. Tell the subject to take 10 deep breaths and release all the tension in his body. Use a soothing voice. Adding touch to the mix can deepen the trance. As I tough your arm, you will feel the muscles go slack, surrendering to relaxation.
Set a trap. Use double bind constructions to trap the mind: The harder you try to lift your eyelids, the heavier they become. Resistance is futile.
