Following the deepener is the suggestive script, for suggestive hypnotherapy. Later we will talk more in depth about specifics of structuring suggestions, how to phrase things and what to do, but for now I want to briefly touch on the methods and the approach.
We perform the pre-talk, induction, and the deepener, and then we will give our client some suggestions. As mentioned earlier, suggestions fall into two primary categories: directive suggestions and in-directive suggestions.
We want clients to respond to the direct suggestions that we give. This is sometimes referred to as skill-building hypnosis, and it is used for promoting athletic skills, for developing study habits, and for changing destructive habits.
In directive hypnosis, we are suggesting to our clients a new manner of living. For example, we might suggest that they can go to the buffet and eat smaller portions, or only eat portions that are appropriate for the specific goals they have set for themselves, or that they are no longer a smoker, or no longer fear small spaces, etcetera, and we will do this in a direct manner. “You no longer feel the urge to smoke.” “You now have increased abilities to concentrate. You have the ability to draw from the knowledge that you already possess inside of you and recall that knowledge any time you choose to.” We are essentially telling our clients that they actually have the capacity to do what they want and should do, by instructing their unconscious mind to align with their conscious goals, and very plainly and specifically how to achieve the success they seek.
An indirect approach is commonly used for some of the more complex difficulties clients may have, including treating psychiatric disorders. It is also a way to deal with resistance in the client relationship, because with indirect suggestion, our clients feel more like they have total control. The approach uses metaphors, and we facilitate it in a conversational fashion. For example, instead of using direct suggestion and telling the client to close their eyes, during the induction with indirect suggestion we could use the following statement: “You may choose to keep your eyes open or you may 83
choose to close them at any time, whatever you feel most comfortable doing is just fine.”
In indirect therapy, we give our clients suggestions that really come from within their own desires that we have identified during the assessment. The use of metaphors in Ericksonian hypnotherapy, which is really an indirect approach, is certainly very common, but one of the problems with this approach is that sometimes we come up with complex metaphors and our clients simply do not have the cognitive or the intellectual abilities necessary to extrapolate how the metaphor that has been given to illustrate the point we are trying to make in therapy relates to their life, so when we use metaphors in indirect hypnotherapy, we need to make sure they do not go over our client’s head.
What is the best approach to hypnosis? The answer is up to the hypnotist. The best approach is the approach that works best for you, the one that you are most comfortable working with. Directive therapy is my personal inclination because it meshes well with my personality. Nathan, my co-author, tends to favor a combination of the two approaches. You should try out all styles and use what works best for you.
There are a few other components of suggestive therapy scripting that I want to talk about now. Later we will discuss writing them out and actually implementing them on a case by case basis with the clients on our caseload. And as a side note, you do not have to write out the suggestions you will be giving beforehand, but the process can be helpful to the new hypnotist. Nathan, for example, never uses pre-written scripts, as he feels the use of them limits his creativity and focus on the client. I, however, feel that scripts are a useful tool, and while I may not write out an entire script word for word, I generally jot down key words that I want to remember to include in the suggestive therapy process for each individual client. You should make up your own mind. Whether or not you eventually chose to use scripts or not, these sections the laws of script writing will certainly help you craft effective suggestions.
The prescriptive script or suggestion process is where we will use post-hypnotic suggestion, the ideas they will incorporate into their life once they leave our office. An example of a post-hypnotic suggestion in regard to weight loss is: “You will find that green, leafy vegetables are satisfying and taste good to you. When you find
yourself hungry, you will choose healthy foods based on the nutrition knowledge that you already possess.’ A post-hypnotic suggestion is acted upon (after the hypnotic session) in response to a trigger or specific stimulus (in this case, 'feeling hungry').
Post-hypnotic suggestions work particularly well in regards to smoking cessation. “If you ever feel the urge to smoke, you will simply take a deep breath instead and know that the craving for a cigarette will pass in three to five minutes, and in a few short days these cravings will be a thing of the past. Now relax and breathe deeply, feeling the cool clean air fill your lungs.” Here the trigger of feeling a craving is used to activate the suggestion for relaxation through deep breathing. These are new patterns of behavior that our clients are going to manifest after they leave our office when the hypnotic session has concluded.
Hypnotic scripts should generally be crafted using all five senses, with a bias towards visualization, as most people are highly visual, or, on the sense most leaned on by the client (in NLP terms, their primary representational system). Suggestions should be targeted specifically for the symptom or condition the client wishes to address, and should empower the client to use their own resources in order to get over old limitations and achieve success.
Awakening
Dehypnotizing our clients is the final stage in the hypnotic process. We go from pre-talk to induction to deepener, to suggestive therapy, and then eventually to awakening our client. As I said before, it is impossible for them to stay stuck in hypnosis so we don’t need to worry about dehypnotizing too much, but there are some things that are important to talk about.
Typically, the awakening is a fairly simple process, such as using the converse of our previous deepener and counting from one to five. Consider the following example: “I’m going to count from one to five. As I count up to five, with each number you are going to become more alert, more awake. You are going to feel more confident. You are going to feel energy coming through your body rejuvenating 85
you… One… beginning to awaken. Two… becoming more alert… Three… energy is flowing through your body. You are feeling more confident. Four… almost awake…. more aware of the room around you... almost there…. Five… totally awake, totally alert.”
That is a simple awakening and variations on the above theme are suitable for most clients. Awaking, however, can become more complex. Sometimes we have a client who really enjoys the feeling of hypnosis; they are in a profound state of trance, and they don’t want to wake up so quickly. We may expand the awakening process for them, giving more suggestions and acknowledge the comfort that they feel. For example: “I see that you have been enjoying the feeling of hypnosis that you are now experiencing. You like this tranquil spot. As you become more alert and more energetic, know that you have the ability in your mind to choose to return to exactly this spot at any time you want to.” This suggestive concept lets our client know that the good feelings they have are not a one time thing; they can return to these feelings again anytime they wish. This will typically overcome the resistance to emerging from a deep trance state.
This kind of complex awakening is generally only an individual preference, and individual needs are important. If you had all the time in the world and didn't need your office for another client, you could simply let the resistant client 'sleep it off' and awake naturally, but we don't really recommend that approach for the professional hypnotist.
Another approach for 'sound sleepers' is to blow a few quick puffs of air onto their eyelids. This causes an automatic response of fluttering the eyes – and they will likely pop right open – creating a more alert or conscious state of awareness.
The dehypnotizing or awakening process provides another excellent opportunity for imparting suggestions, telling our clients how to respond, how to feel, and how to interpret the session. We can give suggestions during the awakening such as: “As you become more alert and aware, you will become filled with confidence. Become more oriented to the room around you, knowing that you will now go about today feeling rested and relaxed, and feeling good and empowered to make the healthy choices.”