Hypnosis for Health Learning Center

     Whatever your original training in hypnosis, you may notice that times are changing. Hmmm. Consider that in the last one hundred years we as humans have developed more through technology than in the history of humanity. Communication has changed. We travel more and are more aware of so many more things that are happening around the world than at any time in history. We question what we are told. The emperor is naked.

     Modern hypnosis is well, do we really even know what hypnosis is yet? I don’t. However if we consider that the majority of current hypnosis training is based largely upon concepts developed in the nineteen fifties, we may take pause to wonder how that works in a society that has learned to question, even doubt ‘authority.’ In many ways we are more aware of language today than ever before. And yet we are still taught patterns and approaches that rely upon packaging trance as if it were a prescription medicine. Notice the word ‘Script’ in that term. I’m not knocking scripts, we can learn quickly from the experience of others through reading scripts ... at home in our spare time.

     Well written scripts contain an elegance of phrase which moves and breathes in such a way as to carry along those who listen. Poorly worded scripts are powerful in teaching what doesn’t work. Read scripts as though you were hearing them in trance, listen in your own mind, to the ebb and flow of the words. Experience them in your life as they are and see for yourself how well they work.

     Depth of trance. What is it? There are many ‘scales’ to measure ‘susceptibility’ and ‘depth’ and they are all perfectly correct with the exception that they are all completely mistaken. Where was the guy with the swinging gold watch when you started doing whatever it is that you started? Trance is a natural state of awareness, it’s not magic.

     Clients are in trance when they come to us and we will do best when we do less. Retain flexibility, recognize the trance of your client and use that. It’s worked so far for them. What I refer to here is that the trance of the client worked up to a point before now. Imagine that a client comes with a behavior or belief that has existed for ten or twenty years. Whatever the behavior has been, it is has worked to some degree, to deal with the situation that invokes the behavior. This doesn’t mean that it is effective or efficient, merely that up until recently, it worked in their life. Now or recently, it has apparently become inappropriate in their life. Smoking is a great example. Fifty years ago advertisements said that doctors recommend smoking, they really did. Society looked upon it differently. Mentors, models and movie stars smoked, it was socially acceptable, even expected. Forget your belief about the impact on health of smoking, up until recently, the client thought it a good idea and it worked in their life. Times have changed.

     Consider the idea of trance. How deeply ‘entranced’ does a client have to be to access transformation? What are the indicators of trance and are they only associated with what we call formal trance? The deepest level of trance according to the Aaron’s scale is negative hallucination, yet have you ever been unable to find your car keys, the ones right there, in front of you on the table? 

     The time is right to reconsider our basic training. People haven’t changed much in all of evolution and yet we have changed greatly. Now is a time to review what we do and how we do it in order to be more effective with our clients. In my classes I have found that by noticing the ‘HOW’ of the way we interact with clients, the power and effect have changed. When we listen to the trance that has worked for them, we gain access to the transformation they desire.