The
Hypnotic
Language
Handbook
Chapter 1: Introduction ...6
Chapter 2: The Switch ...12
The Hypnotic Language Formula ...13
Mental Lenses ...14
Hypnotic Language Patterns for “The Switch” ...16
Switch Pattern 1: “You Know Me and You’re Safe with Me” ...16
Pattern of Reassurance ...16
Switch Pattern 2: “Can You See What I See?” ...17
Sensory Switch Pattern ...18
Switch Pattern 3: “You Will Do/Feel/See/Think of Something… Soon!” ...19
Switch Pattern 4: “You Will Feel the Desire to Think or Act” ...20
Affirmative Action Pattern ...22
Empathy to Action Pattern ...23
Chapter 3: Hyper-Awareness ...27
Hyper-Awareness Patterns ...29
Induction Pattern 1: “Let Me Shock and Surprise You” ...29
Shock Pattern ...29
Shock Pattern Version 2: Comforting Analogies ...32
Induction Pattern 2: “I Know What You Are Thinking” ...35
Psychic Pattern ...35
Chapter 4: Circuit Shock ...42
The Two Halves of Your Mind ...43
Circuit Shock Pattern 1: “Watch Me and Follow Me” ...46
The Nonverbal Track ...46
Circuit Shock Pattern 2: “You Agree That It Is True” ...51
Melded Truth Pattern ...51
Selective Trigger Pattern ...56
Circuit Shock Pattern 4: “Yes, I Completely Agree With You, And…” ...58
Camouflage Pattern ...58
Chapter 5: The Hypnotic Stake ...61
What Makes a Good Hypnotic Suggestion? ...64
Stake Pattern 1: “You Feel Like Doing Something” ...65
Breadcrumbs Pattern ...65
Undeniable Fact Pattern ...67
Imminent Action Pattern ...68
Frozen Logics Pattern ...70
Phantom Comparisons Pattern ...71
Mind Control Pattern ...72
Stake Pattern 2: “You See Things Differently” ...73
Direct Consequence Pattern ...73
Train Ride Pattern ...75
Chapter 6: Stoking the Fires of Desire ...77
Desire Pattern 1: “This is What You Want” ...79
Basic Anchoring Pattern ...79
Desire Pattern 2: “You Will Enjoy Having/Experiencing It” ...80
Powered Association Pattern ...80
Ideal Transformation Pattern ...82
Desire Pattern 3: “This is What You Really Need” ...84
Future Life Pattern ...84
Chapter 7: Sealing the Gates ...88
Sealing Pattern: “The Power of Future Action” ...90
Subconscious Trigger Pattern ...90
Chapter 1:
Introduction
Social Sealing: The Power of Society’s Codes ...94
Social Pattern 1: Obligation and Reciprocation ...94
Social Pattern 2: Triggering Instinctual Commitment ...96
Social Pattern 3: Increasing Your Likability ...98
How can you become a master of influence by simply changing how you talk to people?
The twin skills of persuasion and influence are perhaps the most powerful talents that any person can master because the main purpose of human communication is to create change in people.
When people hear the word “communication” they often think of a simple, two-way process where two or more individuals exchange ideas. What many people don’t realize is that communication is molded by intention and human intention has always been driven by the desire to create change in how people think and act.
Think about it: can you think of any form of communication that doesn’t have any intention behind it?
The intention to create change extends to every moment a human being decides to communicate something verbally, vocally or even physically to another person. When a mother strokes the belly of a colicky baby, she is trying to influence her infant to stop crying. She attempts this by providing comfort through touch.
When an aspiring politician addresses thousands of voters in a public assembly, he does so with much passion and even anger at
perceived/real “enemies”. Of course, he does this with the intent to persuade voters to pick him instead of other candidates.
Now imagine a father teaching his 16 year old teenage daughter how to drive for the first time.
The elderly father crosses his arms and grunts every time the eager teenager drives too fast. His instructions are sometimes tinged with panic, especially when mailboxes appear too close for comfort.
Any sensible human being would be able to tell that the father only wants the practice drive to be as safe as possible and the father does so by continually persuading the student driver to drive more carefully.
How can you master these skills even if you’re simply at home, reading this book?
Now that’s a fascinating question: how can you do it? How can anyone engage in a systematic study of influence and persuasion? There are actually dozens of published books that tackle the art of influence. Many of them are considered seminal works that are “must reads” if you are serious about becoming more influential.
However, the majority of these available books on influence also have a major fault.
The major fault is that these books tell you about the different scenarios where you can become more influential or persuasive, but they don’t teach you exactly what to say when you find yourself in such scenarios or situations!
Naturally, people are driven to apply these influence theories without a guide or pattern.
There’s nothing wrong with experimentation. In fact, experimentation is actually the only way that you can find out if a theory works or not, if it has not been tested before. However, without a proper protocol to follow, an experiment can go awry even if the theory behind it is sound.
Enter hypnosis: the previously Unnamed “Element X” that has been eluding practitioners of influence… Until now.
Hypnosis is a powerful game-changer in the world of influence, for the simple reason that only a few people know how to properly apply the techniques of hypnosis to ordinary conversations!
Imagine being able to effortlessly create the perfect atmosphere for persuasion whenever you talk to someone. Visualize a deeper and wider horizon of opportunities when you set out to interact with others, for whatever ethical purposes you may have in mind.
Masters of influence have actually been using hypnotic techniques since time immemorial, but they didn’t know that they were actually hypnotizing people.
Only when clinical hypnosis was accepted by the mainstream medical establishment some decades ago did the experts realize the strong, parallel currents between the psychology of influence and the active techniques used by hypnotherapists to achieve beneficial outcomes for their clients.
This book revolutionizes the subtle art of persuasion by integrating a systematic, hypnotic formula into day-to-day social interactions. The world knows that hypnosis is a powerful tool – but this book answers the vital question: how do you use hypnosis to influence
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Your education as a master of hypnotic influence needs to be progressive so you will be armed with numerous tools for every possible scenario.
Before I show you the “secret formula” for hypnotic success, I have to remind every reader that in order to get ideal results with hypnotic language patterns, you need to use them dynamically.
Here are some guidelines that will help you accomplish this:
1. Be Selective– Select a pattern that is applicable to the person and situation. Don’t expect good results if you use patterns randomly, without thinking of the potential responses of your subject.
Additionally, some patterns are better suited for informal situations (e.g. day-to-day conversations).
If you are interacting with someone with a higher social status (like your boss) in a formal situation, you may be viewed in a negative light if you use a hypnotic language pattern that assumes that the subject has already agreed with you.
What you should assume is your subject is scrutinizing your technique/s! Be subtle when applying any of the patterns contained in this book!
2. Be Adaptable – Individuals who have mastered the fine art of persuasion know that even the best-laid plans can turn out to be “blanks”. Since you have many tools at your disposal (the hypnotic language patterns), you can avoid this scenario by changing your
tactics and recalibrating your approach when you observe that your subject is not responding to what you’re saying.
Some people are just naturally resistant and it takes a while for their minds to accept new ideas or to agree with people.
You may have to use a specific pattern or combine several patterns to overcome the mental resistance of some people. Again, you will only be able to accomplish this if you have numerous tools under your belt – thus, there truly is a need to continue studying hypnotic persuasion.
3. Keep Practicing – It is very common for people to feel that “something’s not right” when they apply hypnotic language patterns for the first time. This feeling often manifests when a pattern is applied mechanically, without any strategy or formula supporting its use.
Don’t worry – you will be able to overcome your anxieties by simply practicing these patterns as often as you can. Practice them at home or at work and as you do, don’t forget to take note of how people actually respond to you! Learn from bad attempts and celebrate your successes. Keep yourself motivated and keep moving forward!
Chapter 2: The
Switch
How can you gain the trust of your subjects, so that they will believe and follow you?
My method of influencing and persuading subjects is a combination of linguistics, clinical hypnotherapy and social psychology. These three powerful elements come together in a singular formula that makes the application of hypnosis easier and more systematic.
I call my unified method “The Hypnotic Language Formula”. The Hypnotic Language Formula
The Hypnotic Language Formula is divided into six steps. Ideally, these steps should be performed in proper sequence so you can achieve maximum impact on your subject.
These six steps are:
1. The Switch
2. Hyper-Awareness 3. Circuit Shock
4. The Hypnotic Stake
5. Stoking the Fires of Desire 6. Sealing the Gates
The current chapter will shine a light on the first step of the Hypnotic
Language Formula which is “The Switch”. The first step in establishing
control and influence in a conversation is to gain the subject’s trust and to appear as his natural leader. People have a tendency to gravitate toward others who know how to lead. Why? Because we have a strong herd instinct which is also present in many other mammalian species.
Mental Lenses
What are mental lenses?
When you interact with another person, two contending perspectives come into play: the subject’s perception of you and how you want to be seen by your subject.
These two images of yourself are not always congruent or aligned. The reason for this is that people tend to view the world on their own terms. The conscious mind utilizes different tools to protect itself from potentially risky people and ideas.
Yes – the brain knows that some ideas can be downright dangerous!
The parts of the brain that deals with processing memories and making decisions must be protected by the conscious mind. Otherwise, anyone can just walk in and influence people to do things that they shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
One of the major tools that the conscious mind uses to protect the entirety of the human mind is the mental lens.
Mental lenses allow people to make automatic judgments about other people and situations that occur in day to day life. These automatic judgments are made almost instantly because our brains are extremely efficient in using old experiences and memories to evaluate present experiences and situations.
Automatic judgments are not permanent; they can be changed by a skilled influencer. However, they must be changed as soon as possible because they tend to “harden” into infallible beliefs if you allow your subject to hold on to them for a prolonged period of time.
How can you transform yourself into someone that your subject can trust and follow?
Obviously, you won’t be able to persuade or influence a subject if he doesn’t trust you well.
In order to influence someone, you must transform yourself into an ideal projection of a natural leader. The image of the natural leader brings feelings of peace, trust, stability and safety. If your subject feels safe around you then he won’t have any second thoughts about accepting your message.
In order for this transformation to occur, you have to switch your subject’s mental lenses with your own lenses.
It sounds improbable but through the use of hypnotic language patterns, “The Switch” becomes incredibly easy and very real.
What are the objectives of “The Switch”?
Here are some of the main objectives of the first step of the Hypnotic
Language Formula:
1. To change any negative perspectives that the subject may have of you.
2. To improve your subject’s first impression.
4. To erase any obvious dissimilarities you may have with the person you’re interacting with.
5. To transform yourself into a leader that your subject would want to follow.
Hypnotic Language Patterns for “The Switch”
Switch Pattern 1: “You Know Me and You’re Safe with Me”
An obvious obstacle to persuasion is the feeling that you don’t know someone well enough to trust what he’s saying. This is a major obstacle in persuasion and we can take a leaf off the hypnotherapist’s book in order to solve this common problem.
Pattern of Reassurance
Hypnotherapists have a unique way of integrating with clients for the first time. Hypnotherapists commonly use the themes of
reassurance and safety to establish rapport with new clients.
Here’s a simple pattern of reassurance that will help put someone at ease:
“Hello there. I am happy to have you here. Today is your first day at work. Is this the first time that you’ve worked in a store? If yes, then that’s great, you will learn more by working with me and with other employees. If no, then that’s great too because I love teaching new employees so that they would perform as well as the others. Welcome to your new workplace!”
Let’s analyze the pattern. The pattern of reassurance utilizes a chain of positive statements starting with a welcoming declaration followed by a question. The question is not really a question, but rather a lead-in for the subject. The twist to this pattern is what follows after the “yes” and “no”.
You will notice that there is almost no difference between the “yes” and “no” statements. Both statements are stated in the positive and further deepen the affirmative nature of exchange. The final statement is a mirror or repetition of the first statement which is a direct greeting or welcome.
This type of hypnotic language pattern is effective because it instantly dissolves internal resistance by associating positivity to a situation that may have negative consequences in the future.
Normally, when a new employee has little or no experience in a workplace, some type of negative consequence follows. This is the main reason why it was necessary to mention that it didn’t matter if the new worker was familiar with store work or not, because there will be someone there who will be willing to help out the new employee.
By modifying the language pattern, the negative consequence is transformed into a positive opportunity (i.e. opportunity to learn). Switch Pattern 2: “Can You See What I See?”
A good friend of mine, a high school teacher, once told me of his difficulties in teaching new materials to his students. He has been teaching chemistry for several years now and every year, he says, it becomes harder and harder to make new students understand the essential concepts of science.
Right then and there I had a proposition for him: “why not make them see what you see?” He was intrigued by the idea and he asked me how to do that exactly.
I told him how it can be done and after a few weeks, he returned to me and reported excitedly that his students have become more engaged and animated during discussions.
By slightly changing the way he communicated with his students, he was able to reach them at a level that the students found interesting and therefore, relevant.
That was a great success story, wasn’t it?
Would you like to know how he did it?
Sensory Switch Pattern
My friend actually used the sensory switch pattern. The sensory switch pattern takes advantage of the mind’s advanced capability to connect our bodily senses to the imagination. This pattern is one of the finest proofs of the mind-body connection.
Here’s an example of how the sensory switch pattern can be applied to regular conversations:
“Don’t you just love the beach? Imagine the warm, smooth sand tickling your back. How about the smooth splash of azure blue water as gentle waves roll in? And don’t forget the sour lemon they use in cocktails… Heaven!”
Chances are, your head was swimming with sensorial representations of sand, rolling waters and of course – the sour taste of lemon! Many people report that their salivary glands really get going when they hear “don’t forget the sour lemon....”
These are the basic elements of this pattern: 1. General idea (e.g. “going to the beach”)
2. Context of the situation (e.g. the water in the beach)
3. Specific sensory representation (e.g. “smooth splash” – visual, auditory, “azure blue” – visual, “waves roll in” – kinesthetic)
This hypnotic language pattern helps keep people focused on what you want them to experience when a particular outcome is attained. This is especially useful when you are in meetings, conferences or when you’re negotiating with another party and you seem to be having difficulty getting your point across.
Switch Pattern 3: “You Will Do/Feel/See/Think of Something… Soon!”
The third Switch Pattern I want to share with you is the anticipation pattern.
As the title suggests, the anticipation pattern has something to do with anticipation or expecting something to happen. When you are persuading someone to believe in what you said, you can actually pre-empt his agreement by using specific words.
Here are some examples:
“As you can see, you’re having a great time reading!”
“Before you do this for me, think of all the benefits that you will get… Aren’t they great?”
“You are going to take your business to the next level by investing in new equipment.”
“Allow me to show you the benefits of this new product.”
“You will enjoy the changes in your hairstyle immediately after we’re done cutting it.”
What is immediately apparent from these sentences is that there is an assumption that the subject will do something for you. But unlike the
usual approach of asking someone to perform an action, you’re actually assuming that he has already made the decision to do so!
Sneaky! I can almost hear some of you as you read the sample
statements. Indeed, this is one of the “tricky” hypnotic patterns that can work wonders even in highly pressurized situations. The suggestion to perform an action for you is so subtle and so well-enmeshed that it actually escapes the conscious mind’s filters.
In my own analysis, this hypnotic language pattern is capable of evading the conscious mind’s filters because of the ratio of the hypnotic suggestion (first part of the statement) and the second part of the statement, which can either be a question or declaration.
The second part of the statement has more volume so the mind tends to focus on it more than the first part… This leaves the hypnotic suggestion intact!
This hypnotic pattern is more effective when it is used subtly. You can do this by timing its use carefully and by not overusing it. If you keep using the same pattern repeatedly in a series, the subject may begin to notice and his mind will then shift to analyzing it.
Your subject may not be aware that he’s already analyzing your words, but trust me – deep analysis can occur even if your subject doesn’t seem to be extremely engaged in the conversation. The human mind can be extremely efficient in picking out inconsistencies in language. Day to day conversations and interactions are not spared from this thought process.
Switch Pattern 4: “You Will Feel the Desire to Think or Act”
How can you encourage your subject to listen and accept your ideas more easily?
It is in our nature as humans to resist the idea that we can’t/ shouldn’t/wouldn’t do something, even if that something may bring unintended consequences. The majority of individuals (both young and old) find negative statements such as “you can’t park here” or “you mustn’t eat that” irritating or downright offensive.
Why do we naturally resist negative statements?
The answer to this question lies in our central belief that we should be able to independently determine the course of our lives. We value our freedom and independence as individuals and thus, we are subconsciously opposed to any statement that limits our freedom in any way.
This primal drive to think and act independently manifests in early childhood and continues into old age.
As a person ages, his conscious mind also matures and as a result, he becomes more analytical and cautious. The desire to oppose negative statements is not lost but rather, becomes even more developed because it is now guided by a lifetime of knowledge and experiences. So when you use negative statements on a person who has plenty of life experiences under his belt, he will have a natural tendency to resist you based on your choice of words. When you use statements that contain words such as “can’t”, “wouldn’t”, “shouldn’t”, etc., you are essentially communicating that you are limiting the other person’s freedom to think and act.
Affirmative Action Pattern
Instead of resorting to negative statements, you will get much better results if you state things in the affirmative.
Here are some sample statements of ideas that are stated in the affirmative:
1. “You will improve your driving skills immensely with this new
simulation software.”
2. “You can improve the quality of your lovemaking talents with this new
book.”
3. “You can overcome obstacles to learning and finish college even if you’re
forty-seven years old.”
4. “You can become a better driver by following my instructions.”
5. “You can enhance your appearance by getting a new, trendy haircut.”
How does the subconscious mind process negative statements?
When a person hears a negative statement, he consciously understands the meaning of the words but his subconscious mind transforms the negative statement in a positive statement. It has long been established that the human subconscious is only capable of understanding ideas in the positive form.
With these facts in mind, it’s easy to see what must be done to motivate people to agree with you: you must make an effort to use positive statements when addressing your subject so that his subconscious mind will not resist your message because of its structure/form.
It is also ideal to combine positive statements with reframing.
Reframing is a technique used in clinical hypnotherapy to shift a person’s perspective. The ultimate objective of reframing is to modify the subject’s mindset regarding a specific person, activity, physical object or situation. Clinical hypnotherapists find reframing extremely useful when they are helping clients who are struggling against addictive substances such as tobacco and alcohol.
Cognitive reframing is also considered a useful form of therapy for individuals who are suffering from phobias. A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear of specific objects and situations that are otherwise unremarkable for the majority of the population (e.g. balloons, peaches, public spaces).
Empathy to Action Pattern
How can you combine positive/affirmative statements with reframing?
I have devised a method of combining affirmative statements with the main element of the “The Switch”, which is reframing or replacing the mental lens of the subject. I call this method the
Empathy to Action Pattern.
This pattern is a variation of the main Switch Pattern 4 which focuses on giving the subject affirmative statements to encourage cooperation and reduce internal resistance.
Context:
You’re trying to convince your friend because he has recently been diagnosed with a respiratory problem linked to long-term smoking.
Statements:
“I know you’ve been smoking for as long as you can remember and you feel depressed that you have to give it up and you’re also thinking of ignoring your doctor’s medical advice because of what you feel right now. I want you to know that you can give up smoking cigarettes because your health is wonderful and valuable to you. You can give up smoking because there are tons of other activities that will make smoking an obsolete routine. Now imagine that you’ve already quit smoking. Imagine that you’re happily doing new activities and you feel great about yourself. What do you think was the process that helped you quit your habit in the first place?”
Analysis:
The monologue you’ve just read contains all the elements of the
Empathy to Action Pattern.
Context + Empathy + Positive Statements + Reframing Let’s break down each element of the Empathy to Action Pattern:
1. CONTEXT – Reestablishing the context of the conversation allows the influencer to avoid common rebuttals such as “you don’t know
anything about me” or “you don’t know what I’m going through”. By
repeating details that both parties already know, the speaker is essentially communicating that he is aware of what’s happening and by virtue of this knowledge, he can lead the subject to a more favorable situation.
2. EMPATHY – Empathizing with your subject not only reassures him that you understand what he is going through but also subconsciously enhances similarity between two distinct individuals.
In the sample monologue, empathy actually began as soon as the speaker reestablished the context of the conversation.
An individual’s personal history is an intimate and very private part of his life and is fiercely protected by both the conscious and subconscious halves of the mind.
By approaching the subject’s personal history in a very tender and caring way, common mental defenses are disabled and the speaker is able to continue with his message with little or no resistance coming from the subject.
3. POSITIVE STATEMENTS – By stating your ideas in the affirmative, the subject does not feel restricted and therefore, his automatic judgments and “reflex responses” are held at bay.
It doesn’t matter if the speaker was still indirectly suggesting that the subject should quit smoking cigarettes soon – it was how the message was stated that truly mattered. Empowering a subject through affirmative statements gives you power to persuade and influence your subject, too!
4. REFRAMING – The reframing took place in these statements:
“You can give up smoking because there are tons of other activities that will make smoking an obsolete routine.”
“Now imagine that you’ve already quit smoking. Imagine that you’re happily doing new activities and you feel great about yourself.”
“What do you think was the process that helped you quit your habit in the first place?”
These three statements shifted the subject’s perspective of the situation twice. The first reframing statement shifted the subject’s focus on alternative activities that can be put in place of smoking.
The second and third reframing statements utilized an outcome-based approach to switching the subject’s lens.
Instead of repeating the main message which is to simply stop smoking, the speaker encouraged the subject to visualize the desired outcome (a future time where the subject has already stopped smoking) and work backward from that point in the future. This reframing technique allowed the subject to focus on another angle while formulating solutions to his own problem.
Chapter 3:
Hyper-Awareness
How can you induce powerful hypnotic trances while engaging people in day-to-day conversations?
In clinical hypnotherapy, the subject of the hypnosis session must be put under a deep trance before therapy can begin. As you may
already know, self-hypnosis or simply, hypnosis, is a deep and powerful state of hyper-awareness.
When the mind is hypnotized by something or someone, the brain begins allocating a large percentage of its available resources to this mental activity. All the senses become highly attuned to whatever caught the mind’s attention.
Self-hypnosis can only occur if a person freely chooses to be induced into a deep trance. You cannot force someone to “go under” a hypnotic trance if he doesn’t want to in the first place. This makes hypnotic induction difficult for individuals who have little or no background in hypnosis.
Luckily, The Hypnotic Language Formula was designed to serve not only advanced practitioners of hypnosis and the art influence but also those who are new to both crafts.
You can freely induce hypnotic trances by using specific hypnotic language patterns that will only work after you’ve completed “The Switch”.
The Switch is the first step of The Hypnotic Language Formula. It
prepares the subject for hypnotic induction. It “primes the pump” and ensures a good flow of hypnotic power from the speaker-influencer.
Hyper-Awareness is the second step of the formula. It delivers the
necessary trance state that will make it possible for you to transplant hypnotic suggestions directly into your subject’s subconscious core. If “the Switch” reveals the doorway that leads to the subject’s subconscious mind, it is “Hyper-Awareness” that opens it to reveal the pristine and fertile subconscious.
Hyper-Awareness Patterns
Induction Pattern 1: “Let Me Shock and Surprise You” Shock Pattern
The Shock Pattern is actually very simple compared to the more ornate patterns that we discussed in the previous chapter. You see, the goal of “Hyper-Awareness” is to capture your subject’s attention and encourage him to focus on you and your message alone.
Hypnotic induction is not equivalent to the message itself!
When you induce a hypnotic trance, you’re preparing the way for the suggestion or message. It sounds simple right? It does… Until you realize that the person you’re talking to is preoccupied with something else. Trance states, big and small, can occur in a series and people can jump from one trance state to another state with very minimal effort.
Why? Because entering a trance state is just one of the many wonderful skills of the human mind. There’s nothing remarkable about experiencing hypnosis because the brain was designed to enter this state repeatedly, depending on the situation!
Self-hypnosis is the brain’s way of ensuring that you won’t miss the vital details of important events that transpire in your life. This is the main reason why hypnotic induction is so important to
The Hypnotic Language Formula. You can’t accomplish anything if your
subject isn’t in a state of hyper-awareness. Your hypnotic suggestions, the very message that you’re trying to deliver, will fall on unfertile grounds of the conscious mind if you try to transplant them before a hypnotic trance is induced.
How can you “shock” someone into a trance?
The Shock Pattern has actually been used for decades by skilled stage hypnotists because it works instantly. However, because of its nature it can only be used in select situations.
The pattern can be broken down into the following components: Context + Thought Interruption + Continuity + Dialogue
Normalization
Here are some sample statements that make use of the Shock Pattern: Context:
A salesman wants to sell a new product but his customer is preoccupied with the steep price of the product and his budget.
Statements:
“Hey! I know you’re feeling a bit depressed about the pricing of laptop computers. But did you know that billions of people are on the Internet right now, creating a massive Web of thousands of businesses that are just selling stuff like crazy at light speed? And you know what else is crazy? This computer right here is capable of entering that massive Web and so much more! And it comes with a free carrying case, the latest Windows and if you’re nice our manager can even throw in a discount for any game you want for you kids!”
Analysis:
1. CONTEXT – Establishing the context of the conversation reels in the subject’s attention for the first time. By restating what’s already
obvious, the speaker is able to gain the subject’s instant agreement without the possibility of resistance.
For example, if you find someone sitting on a green chair and you say
“you’re sitting on a pink chair”, that other person would probably think
you’re crazy. But if you say “you’re sitting on a fine green chair” then there is no other recourse but to agree with your statement. This automatic judgement (i.e. instant agreement with an indisputable statement) can put any speaker in a more favorable position within a conversation.
2. THOUGHT INTERRUPTION – After gaining the subject’s agreement to something, the next element in the pattern is to interrupt the subject’s current thought pattern.
The example I wrote seems fantastical and exaggerated – it’s supposed to be that way. Refocusing someone’s attention often requires a strong stimulus. In this pattern, the stimulus comes in the form of “shocking” information.
The thought interruption must be carried out in a way that the subject’s mind would be sufficiently interested to discard whatever it is presently focused on. In the case of the salesman and the customer, the thought interruption served to dislodge the idea that the laptop computer was too expensive.
3. CONTINUITY – Continuity is the bridge between thought interruption and the gradual return to normal conversation. In my example, continuity was established by the following sentences:
“This computer right here is capable of entering that massive Web and so much more!”
These two sentences contain bits and pieces of the thought interruption but at the same time, they provide factual information about the object of the conversation, which in this case is the computer that the salesman is trying to sell to the customer.
4. DIALOGUE NORMALIZATION – Normalization is necessary to evade the subject’s conscious filters. If you don’t normalize the thought pattern you’re using, your subject may begin rejecting your ideas outright because you sound unusual or strange.
The transition to normal dialogue must be carried out immediately once you’ve induced hyper-awareness in your subject.
The moment you return to normal dialogue, you will notice that your subject will be more engaged in the conversation and he will also be more interested in what you have to say. Why? Because you were able to break down the previous trance that was standing in the way of your success!
Shock Pattern Version 2: Comforting Analogies
Never underestimate the power of analogies during a conversation, especially comforting analogies. A comforting analogy is often used when the subject is resistant to your idea because it sounds too new or foreign.
For example, if you are a salesman and you’re pitching a new product to a group of customers, you may soon discover that not everyone is excited about using “hot new features” or “cutting-edge technology”.
Comforting analogies are used… 1. To create familiarity and ignite trust
2. To induce a deep hypnotic trance in your subject.
If your subject disagrees with you or resists your ideas because he is secretly afraid of new things, you can use analogies to make your offer more familiar and therefore, more acceptable.
Context:
You’re trying to sell a new rice cooker model with a computer chip that detects if the rice is cooked just right. Customers say it is overpriced “techno-hype”.
Statements:
“This rice cooker is like your own person rice chef. It’s as if there was an extra pair of hands and eyes in the kitchen, making sure that your rice comes out perfectly. Your “rice chef” also has global knowledge of different rice varieties so all you have to do is press a button and let the rice cooker do all the work. Whether you’re cooking round-grain Japanese rice or long-grained brown rice, you get the best meals, consistently.”
Analysis:
In my example, I used the “rice chef” analogy to shift the focus of the subject. The pattern is composed of the following elements:
Context + Thought Interruption + Reframing (Comforting Analogy) + Continuity + Dialogue Normalization
As we’ve already discussed, self-hypnosis can take place anytime, anywhere. It’s a natural state of heightened focus and people willingly enter hypnotic trance states if they trust the speaker well enough. People may not be completely aware of what’s happening but their minds become hyper-aware nonetheless.
This hyper-awareness is always guided by a person’s core beliefs, values and attitudes.
This is the main reason why you can’t hypnotize a person and ask him to do something that goes against deeply-held beliefs. For example, I can’t just hypnotize a random stranger in the street and ask him/her to do something that is known to be illegal (e.g. rob a bank).
Again, you must shift the subject’s focus because there’s another trance state blocking the way.
By using a comforting analogy you will have a chance to loosen the grip of the previous trance state and create a new trance state that will give you the upper hand.
Once a new trance state is in place, you can boost the strength of the hypnotic trance by creating tantalizing images and implanting them directly into your subject’s subconscious mind. We’ll get back to this point in the next chapter!
Important: At each phase of The Hypnotic Language Formula, you must create positive images and utilize affirmative statements to ensure that your subject’s conscious mind does not oppose you. By sticking to time-tested positive images and messages, it would appear illogical to reject what you’re offering!
Induction Pattern 2: “I Know What You Are Thinking” Psychic Pattern
Have you ever wondered why some psychics on TV are so effective in what they do?
Their instant impact is actually the result of their “patter” or the special set of linguistic tools that makes their performances more credible and believable.
To an extent, hypnotherapists also use “hypnotic patter” to speed up the hypnotic process and to make themselves appear more authoritative and knowledgeable. This isn’t a bad thing at all – every trade has its own special set of tools and it just so happens that hypnotherapists use special language formulas to accomplish their goals.
Not all hypnotic language patterns are complex or intertwined with many elements. Some patterns such as the Psychic Pattern are structurally simpler because they induce hypnosis simply by encouraging the subject’s mind to “fill in the blanks”.
Hypnotic patterns such as the Psychic Pattern are purposefully incomplete and vague/ambiguous.
The incomplete nature of the pattern compels the subject’s mind to focus on the hypnotic statement. After the initial shift in focus, a deep trance occurs because the subject’s mind continues analyzing the statement to make it more coherent, complete and desirable.
As this process of completion occurs, the speaker-influencer must be there to actively guide the subject’s reformulation of the information that he has just received.
The basic Psychic Pattern is composed of the following elements: Declaration + Ambiguous Claim
The extended Psychic Pattern follows this sequence:
Declaration + Ambiguous Claim + Supporting Statements Here are some examples of ambiguous statements:
1. “I know exactly what you are feeling right now.”
2. “I know exactly what you were thinking when I said that.”
3. “You said that you were afraid of trying to lose weight but look at what
you’ve just realized about yourself a second ago… Can you remember it? Try to remember this big, positive realization you just had. Isn’t it wonderful?”
4. “I see that you fully understand the process and because of this you can
start creating on your own.”
Analysis:
The first two statements follow the basic Psychic Pattern while statements 3 & 4 follow extended formula. Both formulas are effective but if your subject doesn’t respond immediately to the simpler pattern, using additional supporting statements can help induce hypnosis.
Notice that these statements don’t make any sense if you read them closely.
They’re not supposed to make any sense! Again, the ambiguity or vagueness is what makes them efficient in inducing hypnotic trance states. Because they don’t make sense the subject’s mind can’t help but focus on the statement and the speaker. This induces an immediate hypnotic trance… Perfect for persuasion!
Induction Pattern 3: “Do You Remember That Memory You Forgot?”
Memory Invention Pattern
The Memory Invention Pattern is a hypnotic device that invents memories for the subject – it jogs and jars the subject’s memory banks in a very specific manner. Three things can happen whenever you use this hypnotic language pattern:
1. Your subject will remember an actual lived experience from his past.
2. Your subject will tie together fragments of past experiences to create a new “memory” based on the requirements of your statement. 3. Your subject will create a completely new memory in his imagination and his mind will accept it as a true memory of a lived experience.
This pattern is useful because it achieves three things for the speaker-influencer:
1. It reduces resistance because the subject will be using his own memories and imagination.
3. It provides a positive launch pad for further dialogue because the subject provides you with the “raw material” from his personal history.
This is the pattern’s structure:
Context + Declaration + Memory Question/s
Here are some examples of statements that follow the Memory
Invention Pattern:
1. “I understand that you want to watch more TV tonight but I remember
that you have a difficult Math test tomorrow. Can you remember a really good test that you aced before? Can you remember what you did to ace that test?”
2. “We both need to go out tonight but I need to attend my night classes. I
recall a time where you took care of the kids and I went back early enough in the evening so you can go out, too. Can you recall that time for me?”
3. “You’re angry right now and I agree that your mother was unreasonable.
I think what you can do is to calm down because we don’t want to do anything brash. Hey, I remember when we had a great time in Vegas with the boys. That was hysterical that night with all the cocktails and Jim lost his shoe. You still remember it, don’t you?”
Analysis:
The three examples I gave you represent three different situations, all involving some form of conflict. As you can plainly see, the Memory
Invention Pattern is a good option for inducing hypnotic trances and
refocusing the subject when he is in a negative trance (e.g. when a person is consumed with intense emotions).
Like other patterns we’ve studied so far, this pattern requires the use of proper context (if you haven’t reestablished it prior to using the pattern).
The use of context minimizes resistance as it creates a direct connection with the subject, regardless of the subject’s position regarding the issue at hand. Harmony and similarity are two very important concepts that must never be left out in any step in The
Hypnotic Language Formula.
The memory questions are given right after the declaration and establishment of context to ensure that the speaker is still somehow aligned to the subject’s current mindset before he attempts to jog the person’s memory.
Individual subjects will provide distinct responses to the Memory
Invention Pattern. Your attempt is a success if the subject makes an
effort to recall a memory that you are trying to “shake” from his mind. It doesn’t matter if the memory that your subject recalls is vague or fragmented.
What is more important is that you are able to induce hypnosis while establishing a strong connection with your subject’s subconscious mind. At the moment of recollection or invention of a new memory, the conscious mind’s defenses will be disabled, too.
How can you deepen the impact of the pattern?
Covert hypnotists know that a person’s memories are active channels that lead directly to the subconscious mind.
When a person is recalling a memory, the mind’s conscious protection is temporarily disabled and the subject becomes more vulnerable to hypnotic suggestions and therefore, persuasion and influence.
What’s interesting about our memories is that they tend to shift and transform every time we remember them. As a hypnotist-influencer, you can take advantage of the nature of human memory to become more persuasive.
You can accomplish this by actively guiding your subject as he recalls a memory. The process is like tuning an old TV set. If you were born in the seventies or eighties or even earlier, you probably have seen or have used old TV sets with tuners.
A TV set with a tuner has knobs in the front. Like old transistor radios, you have to twist these knobs left and right until you get a clear picture. You can also manipulate the knobs so you can get a brighter, darker or more contrasted image onscreen.
You can guide a person’s recollection of a memory by making direct suggestions and by purposefully asking questions.
Here’s an example of a guided recollection of a memory:
“Are you having a tough time learning a new skill? Do you feel like giving up? I’m not going to tell you not to give up… I’m going to help you some other way.
Can you tell me about the time when you learned how to ride a bike or drive a car?
Now imagine yourself at that exact moment when you felt a sudden burst of happiness and confidence because you finally got it down to a science.
Now I want you to hold that feeling tightly… Now slowly tune out the old scene in your memory.
As the old scene fades away, bring yourself to the present, where you are attempting to learn a new skill.
Slowly, slowly build the picture. Add some color here and there. Add some lines up and down. Now you’re ready to put yourself at the center of the action. Now you’re ready to be successful!”
Chapter 4: Circuit
Shock
How can you bypass the conscious mind’s filters?
After gaining your subject’s trust and inducing a hypnotic trance, the next logical step is to begin bypassing your subject’s conscious filters. If you’re not very familiar with the essential mechanics of the human mind, it’s time for a quick review.
The human mind is divided into two distinct areas or “halves”: the conscious half and the subconscious half.
The Two Halves of Your Mind
Technically, the term “halves” is inaccurate because the subconscious mind is deeper and more expansive than the conscious mind. However, for the purpose of simplifying our discussion and sticking to conventions, let’s use the term anyway.
The conscious mind or “waking consciousness” is the part of the mind that deals with the following processes and tasks:
1. Thinking rationally and applying various forms of logic to problems, social interactions, activities, routines, etc.
2. Processing information in a chronological manner to produce a logical output such as a perspective, idea, frame of thought or plan of action.
3. Receiving and recording information and stimuli in a linear fashion (i.e. in the order that the inputs arrive or are received by the conscious mind).
4. Activities such as solving mathematical equations, making designs and formulating solutions.
5. Critical inquiry or analytical thought as applied to day-to-day events and experiences.
6. Accepting and rejecting old and new ideas.
7. Shielding the subconscious mind from potentially risky or dangerous ideas.
The subconscious mind on the other hand, is responsible for the following:
1. Studying a situation from a general or all-inclusive point of view. 2. Being the repository of deep-seated knowledge, intuition and is also a channel for the expression of primal drives and instinctual behavior and thought patterns.
3. Allowing a person to imagine and apply his natural creativity to specific tasks.
4. Being the nexus or center of “irrational” drives and the whole spectrum of all possible human emotions.
5. Processing and encoding information and experiences as memories that can be recovered, analyzed or even modified if the proper triggers or stimuli are present.
From the summary you’ve just read, it’s easy to see that the two halves of the mind are actually dependent on each other.
The conscious mind takes care of the day-to-day functions necessary to live a normal life while the subconscious mind lends its creativity to conscious tasks such as deriving solutions to problems.
A person’s waking consciousness is protective of the subconscious mind because the latter has the ability to create essential changes to the conscious mind. These changes tend to happen slowly over time but once the changes take place, they become permanent unless a more powerful idea comes along to influence the subconscious mind once again.
If the conscious mind allows potentially dangerous ideas to reach the fertile subconscious, things can go downhill fast.
You only need to look at the nightly news to see people doing things that they shouldn’t be doing. Unless a person is suffering from some form of mental disturbance or substance abuse, many of the illegal and harmful activities being reported on the news are the result of negative mental conditioning.
Mental conditioning begins in childhood and the ideas introduced early in life often crystallize during adulthood. What’s true and acceptable varies from person to person.
In short, what’s true and acceptable to me may not be completely true or acceptable to you.
“Truth” on the other hand is determined by societal norms and is maintained by the status quo. But despite the presence of the status
quo, people still have their own sub-variations of what’s acceptable
We’re discussing these details because you will need to understand how the two halves of the mind actually function before you can persuade or influence a resistant subject.
Subverting or bypassing the conscious mind’s defenses is essential to success.
You cannot implant your message in your subject’s subconscious mind without first “shocking” his conscious mind or logic circuit. Don’t worry: the conscious mind won’t actually be damaged by a dialogue with a hypnotist-influencer. However, it is resistant enough to discard your message. Again, this is why you have to work on disabling those conscious filters if you want to make any progress. The third step in The Hypnotic Language Formula is aptly called “Circuit Shock” because at this stage in the communication process, your task is to ensure that your subject’s conscious filters will not get in the way of persuasion.
The hypnotic patterns in this chapter will help you shock those logic circuits so you can finally hammer down your hypnotic suggestions.
Circuit Shock Pattern 1: “Watch Me and Follow Me”
How can you subdue the conscious mind by appealing directly to the subconscious mind?
The Nonverbal Track
Humans utilize three avenues when communicating with others: verbal language, nonverbal language and vocal language.
It has long been established that nonverbal language contains more than 50% of the message or what is actually being communicated by a person at any time. Less than 40% of the message is conveyed by verbal language or spoken words.
Of course, you still need to be an adept and intelligent speaker if you want to persuade and influence others.
However, for the purpose of disabling the conscious mind’s defenses, you can utilize a nonverbal track to subconsciously influence your subject into thinking that you are a natural leader and a true authority.
In the first step of The Hypnotic Language Formula, I mentioned that one of the fastest ways to “prime the pump” is to establish oneself as a leader. The six steps of hypnotic influence have confluences and are interdependent on one another. This means that at certain points in the process, you will need to strengthen what has already been done or established before.
If you have been able to establish yourself as your subject’s natural leader in “the Switch”, you can further intensify the image of authority in “Circuit Shock”.
How can you communicate directly with the subconscious mind?
There are many ways to establish control of a person’s subconscious mind but many of them require active disabling of a person’s conscious filters.
Here’s why: the conscious mind is responsible for expressing and processing verbal language.
Verbal language, like all aspects of culture, is consciously learned and remembered. The subconscious mind doesn’t have an innate
understanding of Urdu or French. You learned your local language through imitation, active study and practice.
When you verbally communicate with someone, you can be sure that the person’s conscious filters are working overtime to scan and analyze your words.
Herein lies the key: the conscious mind’s greatest strength is also its biggest weakness. The conscious mind is incapable of efficiently scanning and studying body language.
Why? Because it’s not verbal language. Body language or nonverbal language is not composed of utterances, phrases and sentences. It is composed of gestures, facial expressions and other bodily movements.
As such, it falls upon the subconscious mind to analyze and respond to body language whenever it is used. The subconscious mind has two main resources when analyzing and interpreting other people’s body language.
The first unconscious resource is instinctual knowledge. The subconscious mind knows that bared teeth and heavy breathing are equivalent to aggression and therefore, if such body language is presented then fleeing or fighting may become necessary.
The second unconscious resource is memory. All of your life experiences are analyzed and encoded by the subconscious mind. It performs nonstop encoding not just to store your memories but to ensure that you are able to learn lessons from your life experiences. Of course, your subconscious will not inform you directly about newly learned lessons. But deep in your mind, you are aware of the contents of these lessons and you freely use them to your advantage.
Some of these subconscious lessons have something to do with how people communicate through gestures, expressions and movements. A lifetime of observation creates an index of distinct nonverbal expressions and their meanings. This mental index is used when the subconscious mind encounters nonverbal expressions that are not instinctually understandable.
How can you be a persuasive and authoritative communicator?
There are several nonverbal strategies that you can use to transform yourself into a powerful authority figure in the eyes of your subject:
1. EXUDE CALMNESS – Calmness is a sign of stability, authority and confidence.
A jittery and anxious speaker may be seen as someone who isn’t very knowledgeable about what he is saying. Some people may even interpret anxious or nervous movements as a sign of deception (i.e. you’re lying because if you’re not, why are you so nervous?)
Being relaxed in front of your subject is also an excellent way to improve the overall atmosphere of the interaction. If your subject appears to be overly energetic, agitated or tired, being relaxed can rub off on him easily.
Humans are creatures of imitation – we imitate in order to learn new things.
Our natural instinctual drive to imitate is present when we go to school, when we watch television and of course, when we talk to other people. If you’re calm during a conversation, there’s a big chance that your subject will also have the same energy level as you.
2. USE AVAILABLE SPACE – Some individuals try to make themselves as small as possible when talking to other people. This is no way to disable a subject’s conscious filters.
If you try to minimize the space that you’re using by performing gestures such as crossing your legs or crossing your arms, you’re communicating that you’re not very confident about yourself at all. If you’re going to move your arms and use hand gestures, widen your personal space and don’t be afraid to move around. Moving into someone’s personal space for a few moments can also bolster your position as an authority. Just don’t overdo it!
3. EXPOSE YOURSELF – No, I don’t mean that you should take your clothes off but rather, don’t cover yourself so much with your hands and arms when talking to people.
Our bodies have three vulnerable regions: the chest, belly and groin area. If you observe anxious people, you will notice that they unconsciously “cover” these areas by crossing their hands over the table or by crossing their arms over their chest, etc.
There are many ways to “cover” these vulnerable regions. Don’t do it – because leaders are not afraid to walk and talk with their vulnerable regions exposed.
Place your hands in front of you only when you need to emphasize points using strong and firm hand gestures. If you need to place your hands at your sides, place them far apart so your body has a wide stance as if you’re ready for action any time.
4. EYE CONTACT – Consistent eye contact is another natural trait of leaders and authority figures. Making eye contact when you’re stating a fact or idea shows that you are ready to meet someone at their desired intellectual and emotional levels and you are not afraid to speak your mind.
Circuit Shock Pattern 2: “You Agree That It Is True” Melded Truth Pattern
One of the more challenging obstacles that you will face as a hypnotist-influencer is getting your subject to agree with you even with the foreknowledge that he has or will disagree with some or all of the things that you will say.
Disagreement is the strongest form of resistance that you can encounter as a hypnotist-influencer and it stems directly from the conscious mind’s defense mechanisms. A person can disagree with you because of his perception of you or simply because your idea is misaligned with what he deems acceptable and agreeable.
The Melded Truth Pattern is an advanced hypnotic language pattern that can be used to gradually remove resistance from the equation through two distinct avenues: guided agreement and the consistency principle.
Let me explain these two elements:
1. Guided agreement – Your subject doesn’t have to agree with your main point immediately. This is what many would-be influencers fail to see. Asking someone to simply say yes to you is difficult and admittedly a little immature.
Influence is not about forcing your message on another person: it’s about conditioning your subject to agree with you eventually.
Sometimes this process only takes a few minutes to complete. In other situations, you will see your target outcome manifesting after a few days of continuous dialogue. Your subject is the star of the interaction – it’s up to you to adjust to your subject. Your subject is not obliged to adapt to you!
Now, in order to get a resistant subject to agree with your main message, you need to guide him so that he will agree to a series of related statements. Agreeing to a series of statements that are only partially related to the main message or direct suggestion builds momentum and eventually erases resistance.
2. Consistency principle – The consistency principle has been used by influencers for a long time because it works like gangbusters. When a person agrees to something, he eventually commits to the bigger picture or to the bigger idea behind his small commitments. Eventually, a person feels responsible for the bigger idea because he has already partially committed to it.
How does the Melded Truth Pattern work?
The components of the Melded Truth Pattern are as follows:
Context + Agreement Chain 1 + Main Idea + Agreement Chain 2 + Normalization of Dialogue
Here’s an example of how the Melded Truth Pattern can be applied: Context:
Richard is trying to convince his wife Sandra to have a vacation in Southeast Asia. Sandra wants a vacation but is afraid of flying half a continent away. She’s also worried about the cost of the vacation. Dialogue:
R: “Honey, I know that you’re very tired from work but this is the only time
we can really talk about our first big vacation.”
S: “I told you already, I’m not ready to fly to Asia. It’s too dangerous. And
what about our bills, we have so many. Can’t this wait a little longer?”
R: “I agree that we have a lot of debts and we can’t really settle them all
right now, no matter how hard we try. But do you think that you deserve a vacation?”
S: “Yes – yes, wait, where is this going? ---“
R: “Just stay with me please. So first thing’s first, do you honestly feel that a
vacation would do you some good?”
S: “Of course it would. Everyone needs a vacation every now and then. My
parents used to escape to the South of France when I was a teenager. They said the rustic countryside there did them a lot of good.”
R: “Nice! How about me, do you think with my new work, some off time
would do me some good?”
S: “Haha, it’ll help grow some of your hair back, so sure!”
R: “Ouch. Okay well that’s what I’ve been really thinking about. Asia has so
many great tourist spots. Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines…. It’s like a slice of paradise there.”
S: “I’ve seen the photos and it’s warm there, that’s a plus…”
R: “Do you think movie night will ever be as relaxing as flying somewhere, I
mean I wouldn’t know because I haven’t really travelled abroad for a vacation.”
S: “I suppose it’s different. We’re at home, we’re relaxed but sometimes I feel