MODULE 3 Hypnotherapy Training
Abstract What is Entrainment? Entrainment is a principle of physics. It is defined as the synchronisation of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principles of entrainment appear in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and more.
Andrew Farquharson [email protected] Seminar and Workbook Training for the professional Hypnotherapist.
COPYRIGHT WARNING: ALL CONTENTS OF THE COURSE ENTITLED ‘A PRACTITIONER DIPLOMA IN CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY’ ARE PROTECTED BY THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT. NO PARTS HERIN MAY BE PRODUCED BY ANY MECHANICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC OR ELECTRONIC PROCESS, OR IN THE FORM OF A PHONOGRAPHIC RECORDING. NOR MAY IT BE STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, TRANSMITTED OR OTHERWISE COPIED FOR PUBLIC USE, INCLUDING TRAINING OF ANY THIRD PARTY, WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF ANDREW FARQUHARSON
Suggestion Therapy
Suggestion therapy is the simplest form of therapy, and you should always start your sessions using the simple techniques first. Suggestion therapy is just what it says, using the power of suggestion to get your client to update that computer programme in their head and run a new more beneficial programme.
For example: If a client reports feeling stressed, you suggest that they can feel calm and relaxed. Suggestion is an important part of hypnosis. Suggestion is a proposition for belief or action that is accepted by hypnosis subject without any critical thought. When you put someone into hypnosis they become more responsive to the suggestions you make. While making suggestions you communicate with the subconscious mind of the person which helps you to succeed during hypnosis.
There are 6 types of hypnotic suggestions, and we will cover these.
Relaxation Suggestion puts you at ease, introduces a state of receptivity and establishes comfortable foundation for further suggestions. It helps you to focus inward while shutting out external conditions.
Example, feel your muscle relax and feel your neck and shoulders relax and as they relax you will find your mind relax. . .
pg. 2 Deepening Suggestion puts you into a deeper trance. Deepening suggestions improve your trance state in a different way and provide an activity with a single focus.
For example, your eyes are closed and they are so shut that you cannot open them. Your eyes are tightly shut, very tightly shut and they are so tightly shut that. . .
Direct Suggestion gives you certain actions and instructions which are simple and direct to the point. Direct suggestions are given to respond to the words rather than images.
For example, you fall asleep gently and quickly, enjoying a restful peaceful sleep, sleeping soundly through the whole night and waking refreshed. . . Imagery Suggestion augments other suggestions. Imagery suggestions create mental pictures and set scenes for specific purposes, such as to relax or to create such environment that all behaviours can be reprogrammed.
For example, you feel you are as strong as the young man you were when you hit home runs on the sandlot. You can feel the bat in you arms. . .
Indirect Suggestions have two major types. In first, the desired emotional state is focused on interviewing his or her past experience. In the next type, the hypnosis subject is motivated during the induction to relieve the experience and positive emotion accompanied it.
For example, I wonder how aware you are that many people respect you, and admire you. . .
Metaphors and analogies are widely used in second type of indirect suggestion to give suggestions outside the conscious awareness of the subject. Indirect suggestions are highly individualised. Each suggestion must fit the subject and his (her) specific problems.
Posthypnotic Suggestion is a suggestion which is given during hypnosis for an action or response to take place after the hypnotic experience.
pg. 3 Formulating Hypnotic Suggestions
All suggestions must be positive ones and of real benefit to the client to accept, so they must be formulated in such a way that is acceptable to the client, so that they can be accepted by the subconscious and in turn become a reality.
It is important to consider what approach is most suitable for each individual client. Some clients will accept very direct suggestions, almost like commands, others may respond better to indirect suggestions.
Remember the subconscious will only accept a suggestion for change if it thinks the suggestion you are making is better than the programme it is currently running.
The following exercises are designed to teach you how to deliver suggestions.
EXERCISE 1
As you are already aware, suggestions can be DIRECT or INDIRECT. Some clients may prefer and react better to one rather than the other. Good hypnotherapists ensure that every suggestion is a positive one. The following suggestions are negative in that they mention the unwanted behaviour (remember we don’t mention the unwanted behaviour) Negative suggestions are unlikely to get you a result.
Please spend a few minutes examining these suggestions and write down an equivalent DIRECT POSITIVE suggestion, which means the same thing. I have done the first one for you so that you have some idea.
YOU WILL STOP SMOKING you will return to being a non smoker.
YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT
YOU WILL STOP BITING YOUR NAILS
YOU CAN STOP BEING ANXIOUS
pg. 4
YOU NO LONGER HAVE PANIC ATTACKS
YOU WILL NOT WET THE BED
YOU WILL NEVER FEEL PANIC ATTACKS AGAIN
YOU WILL NOT FEEL TIRED ALL THE TIME
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR TEMPER
EXERCISE 2
Having looked at the way we can change negative suggestions into positive ones, this time we would like you to spend a few minutes examining these suggestions again and write down an equivalent INDIRECT POSITIVE suggestion, which means the same thing. I have done the first one for you so that you have some idea.
REMEMBER: Your client may react better to indirect suggestions, if they don’t, then change your suggestions to direct one’s, but ALWAYS keep them positive.
YOU WILL STOP SMOKING Perhaps you could now return to being a non smoker.
YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT
YOU WILL STOP BITING YOUR NAILS
YOU CAN STOP BEING DEPRESSED
YOU NO LONGER HAVE PANIC ATTACKS
YOU WILL NOT WET THE BED
YOU WILL NEVER FEEL ANXIOUS AGAIN
pg. 5
YOU WILL NOT FEEL TIRED ALL THE TIME
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR TEMPER
Process for Therapy Sessions
Initial Consultation (most therapists offer a free half hour consultation.).
That initial contact
This is the first stage, and this is where the rapport building begins. Shake your clients hand and introduce yourself with a smile. Invite your client to take a seat in your therapy room and consider offering the client a drink.
How do you think I can help?
Asking this question will probably bring out their beliefs as to how hypnotherapy can help them. It will also lead them into telling you something about their past. Keep your language patterns positive and show lots of confidence that you are able to help them.
Expectations and Objectives.
Find out what your client expects from you and make sure that what they want is actually realistic. Talk about time scales, how many sessions it’s likely to take.
Explanation of Hypnosis, what it is/what it isn’t
This is an important part, ensuring that all their misconceptions are expelled and they have a full understanding of what hypnosis is and is not! – I suggest that you re – read this part of the course notes given on weekend one and here you can use the same “patter” with all your clients. N.B I usually take payment at this point, before starting the session.
pg. 6 Induction
Use an induction suitable for your client, by now you should have some idea of your client’s character and tailor your induction to suit him/her.
Deepener
Use appropriate deepeners to take them to a working level. Some may need a little more than others.
DELIVER APPROPRIATE THERAPY.
Pick me up and Positive Suggestions
End your therapy session with a quick round up, i.e. “you will now find that everything will happen – exactly as I have said it will happen”) ‘Over the next few days you will feel fantastic’
Awaken and dismiss
After you wake your client, immediately change there head space by chatting about “nothing” for a while. Give your client 5 minutes or so to come round before leaving.
Post-Hypnotic Suggestions
Post hypnotic suggestion is a suggestion which is given during hypnosis for an action or response to take place after the hypnotic experience. Post hypnotic suggestions may be for an action, a feeling or an internal physical change to occur.
For example, sometime in the next days before the end of the week you will notice a sudden flash of light, or hear an unexpected sound and that will instantly remind you of all you have learned here today and you will be filled with that wonderful feeling of release that tells you that you have returned to be a non-smoker. . .
pg. 7 They are suggestions made to your client whilst in hypnosis which will be carried out once the client is wakened.
Usually a trigger word is implanted and when the trigger word is "fired", the client will immediately fall into hypnosis, i.e. ‘sleep’ tends to be the word used by stage hypnotists.
Stage hypnotists use post hypnotic suggestions all the time. The hypnotist may say to the volunteer "every time you hear me say the word KING, you will shout "Elvis is King", or "every time you hear the next piece of music, you will think that you are a ballerina and dance just like a ballerina"
If you know your client well, you may give him/her the following post hypnotic suggestion prior to bringing out of trance.
"As soon as I awake you, you will immediately go and make me a coffee’’
Post hypnotic suggestions can be humiliating and dangerous if not treat with respect. ALL POST HYPNOTIC SUGGESTIONS MUST BE UNDONE ONCE YOUR CLIENT HAS NO USE FOR THEM. For instance, telling a volunteer that he will be Elvis every time he hears a certain piece of music could be very embarrassing for him if it is not "undone",
You will find that post hypnotic suggestions are very useful in therapy, for example, a lady suffering panic attacks can be given the trigger word "relax", and every time she feels an attack coming on, just saying the word "relax" will abort the attack. Sometimes a physical trigger can be used for example "every time you feel a panic attack coming on, simply touch the palm of your hand"
You may want to leave your client with this PHS
"For the next few days, weeks or even months, you will feel absolutely fantastic’’
pg. 8 Background Reading
You may think you're the absolute master of your emotions, but that whole "consciousness" thing is just a thin scraping of self-awareness over a huge network of evolved drives and compulsions. If you can honestly say you're not affected by your subconscious wiring then we're flattered, because we didn't think many Buddha’s read this site.
Some excellent experiments in behavioural research were conducted by Professor Susan Mineka in the eighties. She worked with monkeys and videotapes, and unlike most recorded work featuring monkeys from the eighties, hers did not feature skateboards, wacky escapes from inept hit men or even a single harebrained scheme to raise funds for the local youth centre. It was about fear.
Wild monkeys are deathly afraid of snakes - to the point where they'll starve to death rather than reach across even a fake snake to get food. Since learning this fear by experience is a literally short-lived solution, this fear was thought to be hereditary. Monkeys born in captivity exhibited no such fear, however, which seemed to hole the hereditary idea - until Mineka got together some primates for the ultimate horror movie.
By showing some monkeys footage of a wild monkey utterly terrified of snakes, she triggered the same hysterical responses in those who had never seen the object of fear would never see it and were never going to be at any risk from it. We can't comment on whether the US Department of Homeland Security read this research. Further, attempts to trigger a fear of flowers by showing fake footage of a monkey scared of plants failed. It seemed that the "snakes suck" wiring was always there, but until it was externally triggered it never manifested.
The same research also showed how to combat these phobic trip-switches: by showing them a monkey that wasn't scared of snakes, even if that was a fake monkey, the terror-reaction was strongly reduced. Which technically means you could make a child immune to letting them watch Chuck Norris movies when young. Because all these phobic-factors seem as applicable to humans as they are to other primates, with applications in child-rearing and anxiety management. They weren't just doing this research because somebody wanted the job "monkey frightener."
pg. 9 Anchoring Trance State
If you are not familiar with the term ‘anchoring’, it is a term that refers to the tendency of one element of an experience to bring back the entire experience. You have all had the experience of walking down the street and smelling something, and then you are back in another time and place. The ‘smell’ serves as a reminder of some ‘other’ experience. That’s an anchor. Couples might have a song that they call ‘’our song’’. That’s an anchor too. Every time they hear that song, they re-experience the feelings they had for each other when they first called it ‘our song’.
By anchoring the trance state, it can make it easier to induce trance on proceeding sessions.
This is usually done towards the end of the first session.
Anchor the trance state by giving your client the following suggestion.
IN THE FUTURE IT WILL BE EASY FOR YOU TO RELAX THIS DEEP. EVERY TIME WE WORK TOGETHER YOU WILL FALL BACK INTO THIS DEEP STATE OF RELAXATION, NATURALLY AND EASILY JUST BY LISTENING TO THE SOUND OF MY VOICE.
pg. 10 Conditioning your Client
During the first session with your client, it is important to anchor the depth of hypnosis, and also to give your client the post hypnotic suggestion similar to the following: -
“In the future, every time we meet for future sessions, you will find it easier and easier to enter the hypnotic state. In fact you will relax much much deeper with every session"
You can anchor the trance state as follows:-
"Anytime in the future that I touch you on the shoulder like this .... You will immediately come down to this level of relaxation"
You would normally do this towards the end of this and every session.
You will find that when your client presents for future sessions, the induction can be cut short and merle altering the tone of your voice will very quickly induce hypnosis.
pg. 11 Metaphors for Therapy
Background Reading
"Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lived just north of Whoville did not..."(Seuss, 1957)
For most of you who read this offering should recognise the above quote. Why? Because it is one of the most famous introductions to one of the most famous modern Christmas stories. Christmas, for many of us holds certain fond memories from our childhood. Christmas is anchored in many of us as a pleasant time to just enjoy family and fun. This anchoring makes the use of metaphors completely relevant in the hypnotic context. Metaphors are a key component to Ericksonian Hypnotism and in my view one of the most creative parts of all hypnotism.
Often with hypnosis we attempt to elicit a variety of states in our clients; more often than not these are positive states. Metaphors assist the hypnotist to elicit these states in a way that we are all accustomed to. Remember, for many clients there is a natural concern or fear relating to hypnosis; metaphors make it easier to guide the client into hypnosis.
Metaphors are not just stories for the sake of it. There are two different types of metaphors that can be used effectively by hypnotists: deep structure and surface structure.
Deep structure metaphors are stories which are told in which the meaning and purpose of the story is not obvious based on the plot. An example of this is the story of the Wizard of Oz. I often tell this story to explain the therapeutic process in that the hypnotist is an ordinary man who had insight which made it possible for him to assist Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to achieve their goals. Now the beauty of deep structure metaphor is that everyone can take whatever meaning they wish from it. In that, the hypnotist is not trying to direct the client, but is letting the client make his or her own way, based on their own cognitive process.
Surface structure metaphors are useful as well. These stories tend to have an obvious point. Case studies tend to be a common example of this; "A client of mine had a similar issue…….." This helps to foster both rapport as well as
pg. 12 allows the client to ease into the hypnotic experience as others have done previously.
Whilst metaphor is an effective way of inducing/deepening a trance, it can also be an effective way to deliver helpful suggestions. This method of delivery is referred to as indirect suggestion. This means that the suggestions are implied rather than stated absolutely. This method of trance was favoured by Erickson in the later part of his life.
The following is a reasonable formula which should help you to design metaphors which are unique to the client:
The major purpose of a metaphor is to pace and lead a client's behaviour through a story. The basic steps to generate a metaphor are as follows:
1. Identify the client's issues 2. How does the client manifest their issue? 3. What choices and/or resources are needed 4. Establish appropriate resources which a client can utilise throughout the story
Construction 1. Remove personal references to the client. The client should not appear in the story, but have a character represent him/her and others relevant to their issues 2. Create a story which mirrors the client's situation without making a direct link 3. Have a way for the client to access the resources he/she might need. 4. Finish the story so that the characters in the story come up with an effective resolution, in other words give the client a happy ending. 5. Keep your resolution as ambiguous as necessary or be specifically vague, it is not the hypnotist's responsibility to tell the client what to do, only to make the space necessary for the client to come up with their own resolution.
6.
pg. 13 Metaphors bridge the gap to new resources and choices. Metaphors allow clients to move from present state to desired state seamlessly. Both clients and hypnotists need to realise that there is a difference between the client's present state and desired state. Metaphors facilitate the necessary movement for the client to self actualise.
Metaphors are a powerful tool in order to embed important messages into patient's unconscious minds. At different points in the treatment process certain messages need to be planted for different reasons.
The Philosopher and the King
Once there was a king who had a wise philosopher living in his kingdom. The king hated the philosopher because, every time the king wanted to trick the philosopher and make him look like a fool, the philosopher turned the tables and made the king look like a fool. This time the king hit upon an idea to trick the philosopher so the king could have him killed.
The king commanded, "Bring me my philosopher." The guard brought in this old man with a long white beard.
"How can your humble servant be of assistance to you, oh mighty king?" asked the philosopher.
"See this?" the king shot back, showing the old man a tiny bird in the middle of his palm. The king folded his hand around the bird and put it behind his back.
"Now, wise philosopher," the king growled at the philosopher, "is the bird alive or dead?"
The philosopher thought fast. If he said "alive" the king would squeeze the bird to death and then kill the philosopher. If he said "dead" the king would show him the bird lived and would kill him.
The philosopher thought deeply for a long moment. A smile broke out on his face and the old man said, "As you wish, great king. The result will be whatever the king wishes."
pg. 14 A hypnotherapist uses isomorphic metaphors by offering direct suggestions to a hypnotized person with a story and a moral. The unconscious is theorised to make a one-to-one connection between the elements of a problem situation and the elements of a metaphor. A simple example is a child who is a chronic liar might be told the story of the boy who cried wolf. His or her unconscious mind would then create a parallel between the protagonist of the story and the child, which would make him or her realise that chronic lying could lead to disaster.
The interspersal metaphor is used when the hypnotherapist uses a story to distract the conscious mind. This story is called process instructions. This story also contains indirect suggestions that reach the unconscious, asking it to find a memory of a similar learning experience, and then use this memory to make a change in a current problem.
Metaphor is a device commonly used in legend, children's and fairy stories in which a seemingly innocuous tale full of colourful characters is used to carry a far deeper underlying principle into the reader's consciousness. As well as being a device for conveying such meanings, metaphor can also be useful for problem solving. The technique that follows demonstrates how to actively use metaphor as a tool for remodelling problems into forms which make them amenable to approach by tangential and original thinking in a form that can yield unique and otherwise inaccessible solutions when such are restructured in terms of the given problem.
Children’s stories, legends, and fairy tales often end with a “moral to the story”, this moral is usually based on the hidden meanings to the story.
Metaphors can be an extremely powerful tool in therapy. Most people talk in metaphors, for example:
“Six of one and half a dozen of the other” “Pain in the neck” “Two bags short of a load” “Thick as two short planks”
When designing a metaphor, the therapist must consider the mentality of the client. If he/she is going to tell a fairy story, will the client accept it?
pg. 15 Metaphors send the client on a Tran derivational search. The client will relate the metaphor to his symptom. Each client will translate the metaphor in a different way. The search goes on at unconscious level.
'The metaphors, when told, should make sense at conscious level. However, at unconscious level there will be a deeper meaning and thus the unconscious mind will relate to the symptom. An example of this could be a tree bending in the wind. The conscious mind may not interpret this as a metaphor for new behaviour.
Books have been written on metaphors alone. It’s worthwhile for the therapist who likes to tell stories, to buy one of these books. Some of the metaphors have beautiful themes to them. Even if they do not match the client’s symptom the client will find it a pleasant experience. Therefore, nothing is lost.
Apart from using the story to deepen trance it can also be a metaphor for life. Listening to the story, the client can be aware unconsciously that there is a parallel of their own life experiences. Because as a metaphor it is open ended, non-specific, the client can utilise it to suit their symptom.
People make sense of metaphors in their own way. A metaphor given to a group of people will have a different meaning to each person. This applies also to nominalisations.
When the metaphor parallels a person’s life experience, he will maybe make use of it therapeutically for change.
Should the client not make use of it therapeutically nothing is lost as it is still an ideal way of deepening the trance state.
I have amassed a collection of life metaphors. Some were personally authored by me, and some I obtained from the net and other sources. The comparisons of life to things and objects.
Life is like a seed. It will never grow unless planted and nourished.
Life is like a river. With all its bends and rapid falls, one must follow the right path or else you'll lose your way to the sea.
pg. 16 Life is like a bagel. It's delicious when it's fresh and warm, but often it's just hard. The hole is the middle is its great mystery, and yet it wouldn't be a bagel without it.
Life is like eating grapefruit. First you have to break through the skin; then it takes a couple of bites to get used to the taste, and just as you begin to enjoy it, it squirts you in the eye.
Life is like a banana. You start out green and get soft and mushy with age. Some people want to be one of the bunch while others want to be top banana. You have to take care not to slip on externals. And, finally, you you have to strip off the outer coating to get at the meat. Life is like cooking. It all depends on what you add and how you mix it. Sometimes you follow the recipe and at other times, you're creative.
Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, but you don't have the picture on the front of the box to know what it's supposed to look like. Sometimes, you're not even sure if you've got all the pieces.
Life is like a maze in which you try to avoid the exit.
Life is like riding an elevator. It has a lot of ups and downs and someone is always pushing your buttons. Sometimes you get the shaft, but what really bothers you are the jerks.
Life is like a room full of open doors that close as you get older.
Life is like a puppy dog always searching for a street full of fire hydrants.
Life is like a poker game. You deal or are dealt to. It includes skill and luck. You bet, check, bluff, and raise. You learn from those you play with. Sometimes you win with a pair or lose with a full house. But whatever happens, it's best to keep on shuffling along.
Life is like a novel. You are the author and everyday is a new page.
Life is like photography. We develop from negatives. Life is like money. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.
pg. 17 Life is like an onion. You peel off layer after layer and sometimes you weep.
Life is like a whisper. If you only try and stop wailing you'll suddenly realise that it is there.
Life is like a pencil. You can be sharpened, you can correct mistakes, and you can leave a mark.
pg. 18 THE GREAT AS IF
After inducing hypnosis, proceed as follows:-
I would like to tell you a story of a young prince who was determined to be the king of his country. Now, this young prince had some concerns about being king, for he was worried about his ability to be a leader. One day, he got out of bed waddling and quacking like a duck and refused to eat anything but duck food. The king was greatly upset so he called in the wisest man in the kingdom. When told of the situation, the wise man said, "give me three days with the prince and he will be cured." The wise man went to the door of the prince’s room, knocked and was invited in. The wise man waddled into the room and quacking like a duck. The prince and the wise man soon became good friends. That night the wise man slipped out of the prince’s room and told the king to have clothes placed on the chairs for the next morning When morning came, the wise man got out of bed, waddled across the room, quacking like a duck, and put on his clothes. The prince said to him, "you can't be a duck, ducks can't wear clothes." The wise man replied, where is it written that a duck can't wear clothes?" The prince said, "Well I guess you are right, and he, too, put on his clothes. That night, the wise man again slipped out of the prince's room and told the king to put duck food on a plate and put the plate on the table. The next morning, the wise man got out of bed, waddled across the room quaking like a duck, put on his clothes, sat down at the table and began to eat from the plate. The prince said, “You can't be a duck...ducks don't eat from a plate.” The wise man replied, “Nowhere is it written that a duck can't eat from a plate” The young prince said, "I guess you are right" And he began to eat from the plate. That night, the wise man told the king to put human food on the plate, and place fork by the plate. The next morning the wise man got out of bed waddled across the room quacking like a duck, put on his clothes, sat down at the table, picked up the fork and began to eat. The young prince said, “You can't be a duck, ducks don't use forks.” The wise man responded, “Where is it written that ducks can’t use forks?” The prince said, I guess you are right. “And he, too, picked up a fork and began to eat.” Later that day the wise man said to the prince, I must return to my own barnyard today, but I would like to leave you with this advice: Remember that our national holiday is coming up next week and as you know our nation's favourite food for the holiday is duck. If you don't want to end up as someone's main course for the holiday meal continue to act as if you were a prince." The prince did such a good job of acting as if he were a prince that he eventually became the greatest king his
pg. 19 country ever had. (Act as if you are a non-smoker and you are because a non smoker does not smoke.)
Now if you like you can apply a bit of direct or indirect suggestion therapy, or leave your client their for a while, or wake your client in the usual way.
Visualisation
VISUALISATION techniques can be quite simple and yet so effective. Visualisation methods are many and varied and if the therapist has a flair for visualisation s/he can invent many more.
Holiday scenes, the garden, beach or countryside we have already covered on the course. However, it is equally important that the therapist is aware of the dislikes of the client when s/he is proposing a visualised scene. It is no good suggesting a sunny day on the beach if the client dislikes that form of relaxation. This information will have been gathered in the questioning.
When using visualisation techniques, the therapist must get the client’s confirmation that s/he can visualise the scene the therapist is describing. This confirmation can be a nod of the head or an idea motor movement of a finger. It is not much use the therapist carrying on describing a scene if the client cannot visualise it.
Visualising crystal balls is one way of allowing the client to see them, as they would like to be. It is also a way of getting rid of negative thoughts and feelings.
Visualising a scene where there is a magic box involved is another. Most clients like to have fairy stories related to them, and a good therapist can make good use of such stories. Another visualisation which I find to be very effective is the "junk room" scene. This entails the client sorting through all the junk in their mind, ridding themselves of unwanted negative feelings.
pg. 20 GUIDED IMAGERY
Some students will have already done some guided imagery exercises in the past. However, the guided imagery can be enhanced by proceeding the journey with a hypnotic induction.
EMBEDDED METAPHOR
It is a good idea when using guided imagery or visualisation techniques, to embed metaphoric scenarios within them. For example, mentioning climbing mountains, climbing fences, opening gates, collecting and burning deadwood, will all have a significant and unique meaning to the client.
The following guided imagery is an excellent example of a guided imagery with embedded metaphor.
pg. 21 GUIDED IMAGERY WITH EMBEDDED METAPHOR
THE FOUR SEASONS
After inducing hypnosis, proceed as follows :-
NOW THAT YOU ARE FEELING SO RELAXED, I CAN CALL UPON THE PART OF ? THAT KNOWS ALL ABOUT ? ..... THE PART THAT’S BEEN LOOKING AFTER ? ALL THESE YEARS, AND DEEP DEEP INSIDE OF ? THERE ARE MEMORIES OF ALL KINDS, AND I WONDER IF YOU CAN REMEMBER A TIME , PERHAPS WHEN YOU WAS SMALL, A TIME WHEN YOU WERE ABLE TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION. A TIME WHEN YOU USED TO BE VERY IMAGINATIVE.... WELL THAT ABILITY TS STILL THERE AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO USE THAT ABILITY HERE AND NOW AS I SPEAK.
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO IMAGINE 5 BEAUTIFUL STEPS LEADING DOWN A PLEASANT PATH LEADING THROUGH A BEAUTIFUL WOODLAND, A NICE PLEASANT SPRING FEELING IN THE AIR. AND AS YOUR STOOD THERE WAITING TO 60 DOWN THESE 5 STEPS, I WILL COUNT EACH STEP AS YOU GO DOWN, AND WITH EVERY STEP, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RELAX DEEPER AND DEEPER.
Get conformation.
SO DOWN YOU GO THEN ONTO THE FIRST STEP, DOWN ONTO THE 2ND STEP, GOING DEEPER AND DEEPER AS YOU HIT THE 3RD STEP, ONTO THE 4TH STEP, AND SO DEEP ON THE 5TH STEP. AND THERE YOU ARE AT THE START OF THIS BEAUTIFUL WOODLAND PATH, ITS SPRING TIME, AND YOU CAN FOLLOW THAT PATH, AND AS YOUR WALKING DOWN DEEP INTO THE WOODS, PERHAPS YOU NOTICE THE LEAVES STARTING TO GROW ON THE TREES, MAYBE YOU CAN SEE THE DAFFODILS AND TULIPS STARTING TO BUD.... MAYBE YOU CAN SMELL THAT FRESH SPRING AIR AS YOUR WONDERING ALONG KICKING AT THE DEAD LEAVES ON THE FLOOR, DODGING THE PUDDLES AND STEPPING OVER ANY OBSTACLES. THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR THAT THE BIRDS RETURN, READY TO MAKE A NEW START, AND ONCE AGAIN BUILDING THERE NEST, READY TO REAR THEIR YOUNG, PERHAPS YOU CAN SEE THE SWEET BIRDS COLLECTING BITS AND PIECES FOR THEIR NEW HOMES .... PERHAPS THE SUNSHINE IS A LITTLE HAZY, BUT THAT FRESH SMELL OF SPRING LINGERS AROUND YOU LIKE A SCENT FROM HEAVEN.
pg. 22 AND NOW AS YOU COME TOWARDS THE GATE, YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO CLIMB OVER THAT GATE AND CONTINUE TO WALK ALONG THE PATH.
Get conformation.
NOW I WANT YOU TO NOTICE A VERY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE, ITS GETTING WARMER, THE SUN APPEARS HOTTER, THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING, THE BIRDS ARE SINGING, ITS VERY VERY HOT, THE SKY IS BLUE THE SUN IS SHINING, ITS SUMMER AND THE TREES ARE GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL, THE CATTLE ARE GRAZING, MAYBE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE OUT... WALKING ON THIS HOT SUMMER DAY, ... PERHAPS THEY HAVE A DOG.... YOUR FEELING WARM AND RELAXED, ... PLEASANT AND HAPPY .... AND YOU MAY NOTICE, JUST UP THERE IN FRONT, THERE'S A FENCE CROSSING YOUR PATH, NOW, FIND A WAY PAST THE FENCE.
Get conformation.
NOW THAT YOU ARE PAST THE FENCE, YOU IMMEDIATELY NOTICE THAT THE SUNS COOLING DOWN, ITS A BIT CLOUDY, AND THE LEAVES ARE FALLING FROM THE TREES, TURNING BROWN AS THEY CLUTTER YOUR PATH, YOU NOTICE A SCENT OF AUTUMN, PERHAPS A COOL AUTUMN BREEZE, AND BECAUSE YOU A DRESSED APPROPRIATELY, YOU FEEL WARM AND COMFORTABLE. YOU CAN CONTINUE TO STROLL ALONG, DRAGGING YOUR FEET THROUGH THE CRISP AUTUMN LEAVES, LISTENING TO THE GENTLE AUTUMN BREEZE, AVOIDING THE PUDDLES AND THE MUD ..... FEELING GOOD FEELING HAPPY .... FEELING CONFIDENT. YOU ARE NOW APPROACHING A VERY PLEASANT STREAM, WHEN YOU GET TO THE STREAM, I WANT YOU TO FIND A WAY OF GETTING TO THE OTHER SIDE. WHEN YOU HAVE MADE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE, YOU CAN LET ME KNOW Y ?????
Get conformation.
YOU NOW NOTICE HOW MUCH COLDER ITS BECOMING, DRESSED APPROPRIATELY, YOU DON'T FEEL THE COLD, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH IT MAY SNOW, AND AS WINTER SETS IN, PERHAPS YOUR BREATH IS TURNING TO STEAM AS YOU EXHALE, AND AS THE SNOW FALLS, YOU NOTICE ANIMAL TRACKS IN THE THICK SNOW, PERHAPS BIRDS, OR MAYBE EVEN SQUIRRELS STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE IN THESE DULL COLD DAYS. AND AS THE SNOW FALLS, YOU APPROACHING TO A LARGE OPEN HILL, A HILL COVERED IN SNOW, PERHAPS THE ODD PINE TREE ON THE HILL, YOU LOCATE THE PATH AND
pg. 23 PROCEED TO CLIMB THE HILL, YOU NOTICE A WOODEN COTTAGE AT THE TOP OF THIS HILL, A VERY PLEASANT COTTAGE, YOU SEE A GENTLE FLICKER OF LIGHT IN THE WINDOW, YOU PROCEED TO CLIMB THIS HILL LEADING TO THIS BEAUTIFUL COTTAGE TAKING TWO STEPS FORWARD, AND SLIDING BACK A STEP, THE SNOW IS FALLING AND YOU’RE STRUGGLING TO GET TO THIS BEAUTIFUL COTTAGE, BUT MAKING PROGRESS, AND YOU’RE FEELING TIRED, FED UP. AS YOU APPROACH THE COTTAGE DOOR, YOU NOTICE THROUGH THE SLIGHTLY OPEN DOOR, A BEAUTIFUL LOG FIRE, BURNING WITH PASSION, THE ROOM IS EMPTY, THERE'S NO ONE AROUND, ONLY YOU... YOU CAN WALK THROUGH THE DOOR AND INTO THIS VERY PLEASANT WARM ROOM, TAKE OFF YOUR WET COAT, HANG IT BEHIND THE DOOR... TAKE OFF YOUR WET BOOTS, AND LOOK AROUND, THE FIRE IS REAL, ITS WARM AND PLEASANT, AND JUST OVER THERE YOU WILL NOTICE A VERY PLEASANT CHAIR ... THE TYPE OF CHAIR YOU WOULD LIKE TO SIT ON, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THAT BLAZING LOG FIRE. SO OVER YOU GO, TO THAT CHAIR AND I WANT YOU TO TAKE A BIG DEEP BREATH AS YOU RELAX AND SINK DEEPLY INTO THAT CHAIR.
Now if you like you can now apply some positive suggestions that are applicable to your client. Or you could leave them there in peace for a few minutes, prior to counting them out.
pg. 24
Contingent Suggestions
Contingent suggestions connect the suggestion to an ongoing behaviour. This is a useful suggestion and has apparently been used for more than one hundred years.
Contingent suggestions can be given during hypnosis and with post-hypnotic suggestion where a trigger or cue is needed. The link words are: as, when, until etc., an example is: “you can go deeper as you relax more and more". Here we have the hypnotic suggestion linked to the ongoing behaviour.
It is commonly believed that suggestions may be made more effective by connecting them together. Here is another example: "be aware of your breathing as you relax more and more. By connecting two or more suggestions together makes it more difficult for the client to negate them.
When the therapist has become aware of the change in minimal cues of the client he can feed back, which in turn help to induce and deepen the trance state.
Embedded Commands Embedded commands are useful when you feel that your client may reject your suggestions, I also tend to find this to be very useful when working with children. Basically, you would fire lots of simple, true suggestions at your client, then the one suggestion that you want to emphasise is embedded amongst them.
pg. 25 Example.
“You are feeling relaxed” “You may feel tingling sensations around your body” “You can relax ten times deeper “You will now wake in a dry bed” “You can focus on the sound of my voice” “The more you relax, the more your breathing slows down” “You may feel the need to swallow, that’s ok”
pg. 26 Memory Regression and Revification
What is a Regression? A common self help technique is regression. As used by a hypnotist, a regression is a review of significant or remarkable events by the client with the hypnotist serving as the guide. This definition holds true for consulting hypnotists regardless of whether we are reviewing the events of a client’s present or prior lives.
What are the Applications in Hypnosis? Regression in hypnosis can help you uncover a memory. It can help with finding a seemingly lost item. Regression is a reliable vehicle for rooting out hidden, repressed or suppressed causal factors. In many cases of stress or or excessive worry, the causes are unknown to the conscious mind. But the subconscious mind, vastly larger and more powerful, is the seat of all memory. It can bring forth information and events related or pertinent to the problems being explored. Rapport between the client and hypnotist is a vitally important factor in successful regression. Hypnotic explorations into the past can uncover sensitive and personal revelations, and solid trust and comfort between the participants is essential to the achievement of goals.
Background Reading Look Into My Eyes: Forensic Hypnosis in Famous Court Cases
"You are getting sleepy. Very sleepy." Private detective Paul Grey thinks to himself and then laughs at this stereotypical belief of how hypnosis works. Only he knows it’s not that simple and a hypnotised person isn’t asleep even though the Greek root word in hypnosis is hypnosis, which means to sleep. Under hypnosis Paul might appear to be asleep, but he is actually in a state of altered consciousness characterised by heightened awareness, deep relaxation, and suggestibility. There is decreased activity in the muscles, slowed breathing and heart rate, but the mind and senses become more alert and memories become more accessible. When hypnotised, Paul can vividly
pg. 27 remember events from early childhood, like the first day of school, but in such detail he could tell you what he wore, what his teacher wore, and all of the surroundings he thought were long forgotten. On his way to his hypnosis appointment Paul is able to focus so precisely on his driving that he blocks out all the stimuli around him, yet he still knows what is going on. He drives his car, but then won’t remember how he got there. Yet, obviously, he was still in control of the car: he didn’t run any red lights or have a wreck. Paul has experienced a form of self-hypnosis, that practically everyone can achieve – he has lost track of time. Hypnosis patients are often surprised their sessions have lasted two hours or longer, yet they feel as if hardly any time has gone by. Upon arriving, Paul’s hypnotist dispels some common misconceptions about hypnosis spread through its portrayal in Hollywood movies, on television, and hypnosis stage shows. The hypnotist explains that Paul cannot be made to divulge secrets, be forced to tell the truth, or get "stuck" in hypnosis. Paul cannot be made to do crazy or embarrassing things like taking off all his clothes or acting like a chicken unless he is already motivated to do so or it is part of his underlying personality. It is important to realize Paul can lie or make up information while under hypnosis because of the highly suggestible state; however, this would have to be something he would already be willing to do. In other words, the hypnotist cannot control Paul. Even under hypnosis he will not do anything against his own will. Hypnosis makes Paul less inhibited, like the effects of alcohol or drugs, however it is not dangerous to him. Paul and his hypnotist know the multitude of uses for hypnosis besides entertainment. Its uses include the treatment of many mental and physical conditions like phobias, overeating, smoking, school or sports performance, and self-confidence. The most fascinating use of hypnosis and the reason Paul will be hypnotized is to use hypnosis to solve a crime – forensic hypnosis. Forensic hypnosis has been used in some high profile cases such as the Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy, and Sam Sheppard. First of all, forensic hypnosis must be conducted by a trained professional who knows how to get information without leading a witness or accidentally implanting a suggestion or memory. Secondly, very exacting procedures and standards must be met during the hypnosis session. Last, when the case goes to court the jury must consider the four dangers of hypnosis in deciding the case. The four dangers are: (1) suggestibility – a hypnotist could "suggest" a race, height, eye color, etcetera which the subject accepts as truth; (2) loss of critical judgment – under hypnosis personal beliefs and prejudices may influence how an event is interpreted during recall; (3) confabulation or lies – a person who has a reason to lie may create lies while under hypnosis or gaps in the memory may be filled
pg. 28 in with false material that supports a self-interest; (4) memory cementing – a false memory seems so real to the witness that he develops false confidence in it. If all of the above conditions are met, then hypnosis testimony may be used in court and has in many cases been used successfully. One such successful case is that of serial killer Ted Bundy. Theodore Robert Bundy was the handsome, charming stranger who stalked young grade school and college girls and confessed to killing more than thirty of them. No one knows for sure how many women Ted Bundy killed starting in 1974. On January 15, 1978 Nita Neary returned to her Chi Omega sorority house and saw a man running down the stairs, a club in his hand. She saw the profile of his face. Four girls living in the house had been brutally beaten; two of them died. One week later Nita was put into a hypnotic state and questioned. She selected a photo of Ted Bundy from a photo line-up. Approximately one month later, on February 9, 1978, a man in a white van abducted, brutalised, and killed twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach. Clarence Anderson was the one eyewitness to the abduction which took place near Kimberly’s school. Anderson underwent hypnosis twice to refresh his memory. Thereafter, he identified the man in the white van as none other than Ted Bundy, and the young girl as Kimberly Leach. After two escapes from prison and eleven years of trials and appeals, Ted Bundy was convicted for two counts of first degree murder in the Chi Omega killings and a death sentence for the murder of Kimberly Leach. Theodore Bundy finally confessed to nearly thirty murders and was electrocuted in February 1989 surrounded by cheering and celebrations including fireworks and "Burn Bundy Burn" t-shirt sales. In the case of Sam Sheppard, forensic hypnosis saved an innocent man. Sam Sheppard’s case is the one on which the movie The Fugitive was based. Convicted of murdering his wife, even though he consistently claimed that a "bushy-haired" intruder did it, Dr. Sam Sheppard was later legally exonerated of all charges. It began in July 1954 when Marilyn Sheppard went to bed, leaving her husband Sam downstairs where he fell asleep watching television. Sam awoke to his wife’s calls and found her being beaten by an intruder. He struggled with the man and was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. The media’s spin of the events included an "affair" and rumors of Sam’s "dark side" which resulted in a conviction. After ten years in jail and various appeals, Sam Sheppard’s case returned to court. His defense was conducted by the now famous and brilliant trial lawyer, F. Lee Bailey. Throughout the trial F. Lee Bailey was able to convince the jurors that the original police investigation had been sloppy, ignoring evidence such as a cigarette butt in the toilet although no one in the house
pg. 29 smoked, and that no motive had been established for why Dr. Sheppard would kill his wife. Dr. Sheppard had also been examined under hypnosis. He described the attacker and remembered feeling his neck crushed under someone’s foot and hearing someone talk about whether to kill him. He said the person walked with a limp. The juror’s votes in the case were for acquittal. The decision to use hypnosis in the case of Albert DeSalvo, a.k.a. the Boston Strangler is unique and controversial. Thirteen women were killed in the Boston area from the summer of 1962 to January 1964, all victims of a serial killer who liked to sexually molest and kill the women in their apartments by strangling them with articles of their clothing. None of the killings gave any indication of forced entry, which means the women had let the killer into their homes. Five police jurisdictions eventually became involved, interviewing over 30,000 people, collecting thousands of pieces of evidence including hundreds of thousands of documents. In 1961, Albert DeSalvo had been arrested for posing as a modelling agent, knocking on women’s doors. Those women who were interested had allowed him inside where he measured them; some had sex with him. He changed his methods, and in 1964 was arrested for entering women’s apartments and raping them. He would either talk or force his way in and caress the woman. Sometimes he would have sex with her. He claimed he never had sex if the woman was unwilling. The police psychiatrist believed that Albert DeSalvo was moving through psychosexual stages, in which murder of the women was the next logical progression. Albert DeSalvo confessed the crimes to defense lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, claiming he was the Boston Strangler. After more than fifty hours of questioning, Bailey was convinced Albert DeSalvo was telling the truth. Part of the interrogation included putting DeSalvo under hypnosis. While hypnotized, DeSalvo described the murder of one of the women, Evelyn Corbin. During his session he was able to give details that he couldn’t have known unless Evelyn Corbin had told him herself, including information about her medical condition and a warning from her doctor to not have sex. Descriptions of other murders and the women involved had similar results, enough to convince the police detectives. Forensic hypnosis was used in the Robert Kennedy assassination and the kidnapping of Jimmy Hoffa, as well as other high-profile cases. But forensic hypnosis isn’t just used for high-profile or famous court cases. It has been used hundreds of times for more everyday kinds of crimes from convenience store robberies to bank stick-ups to rapes and child molestation cases. So let’s get back to Paul, our hypnotism subject. Today Paul is being hypnotised to help solve the mystery behind the death of an Atlanta socialite.
pg. 30 Nikki Sills fell to her death from her seventeenth story apartment building. As a witness Paul could possibly remember under hypnosis whether he saw her jump, accidentally fall, or get pushed over. If she were pushed, his evidence and description of the culprit could solve her murder. The difference between Paul’s case and the others above is that Paul’s case is fiction, part of the novel Runner’s High, but the premise remains the same for both fiction and reality. For investigators and police alike, forensic hypnosis provides a valuable investigative tool in conjunction with other evidence, and aids them in their quest to find the guilty party.
One of the more impressive phenomena of hypnosis is the ability of the client to recall long lost memories when in hypnosis.
All memories are stored away in the unconscious part of the brain and most of them can be recovered when the proper association pathways are stimulated. The following hypnotic phenomena are related to memory, hypermensia, age regression and revivification.
HYPERMENSIA
This refers to an increase in memory recall greater than that achieved at non hypnotic levels. A good hypnotic subject can recall memories that have been forgotten for many years.
AGE REGRESSION
pg. 31 Before regressing a client back to a past traumatic experience, ask yourself the following questions:-
1. Am I doing this to prove that I can do it .... my ego.?
2. Is it really necessary?
3. Will my client really benefit?
Remember that you CANNOT change the past, but you CAN change the future.
Remember that your client has tucked these memories out of the way for his/her own good, you may uncover something your client was NOT aware of, this could in fact make the client worse.
Remember that the memories may NOT be true (false memory syndrome), so you could expose your client to a trauma that simply did not exist, thus worsening the situation.
Remember, your client has already gone through the trauma before, does he/she really need to go through it again?
In age regression the client is taken back to some earlier period in his life. He can remember all the incidents of his life of that particular period and can describe them vividly and accurately. Although the client goes back into the past and may describe past events with considerable feeling, he does so with adult intelligence and personality and uses the past tense in relating the recalled events. Some clients are able to go back into the past spontaneously, yet others need more time to achieve this phenomena. When regressing to a past experience and recalling the events the client can stay dissociated. This allows them to cope better with the memory if it is traumatic. Age regression is beneficial as a means of obtaining an abreaction for emotional traumas and as a means of uncovering repressed memories of a traumatic event. REVIVIFICATION
Revivification is a type of regression in which the client returns to a former point in time and actually relives his past experiences. He speaks and behaves as a child and experiences the emotions evoked by the event in the way that a child of that age experiences emotion. In revivification all memories following
pg. 32 the age to which the client has regressed are forgotten. In other words the client actually believes that they are the younger self.
When attempting a regression or revivification, the therapist needs to set the frame. This can involve times when the client remembers things they thought they had forgotten. As the therapist uses analogies and metaphors about lost memories the client starts regressing.
pg. 33
REVIFICATION (ASSOCIATED) REGRESSION (DISASSOCIATED)
Client will be speaking present Client will be speaking past tense. tense. Therapist speaks past tense. Therapist speaks present tense. Client is less emotional Client is very emotional Speaking in tonality and language Speaking in tonality and language of adult of child Client is aware that s/he is an No memory of being the adult adult.
Client feels emotional and physical Client feels no physical pain but pain may be emotional
During a session, clients often cycle between the two states.
There are a number of ways of helping a client towards regression or revivification. Here are some of them:
1.Getting a client to remember a happy time like a birthday, Christmas etc., asking them to go back a short step at a time. By gradually working backwards from now into the past the therapist can assist the client to regress. This can
pg. 34 be useful if the client has forgotten what its like to feel good. I often use this technique, but remember.... do NOT ask your client to go back, ... just ask him/her to "REMEMBER", the happy time and get the same feelings now as he/she did then.
2.Watching pages of a calendar. Flipping them backwards through time.
3.Seeing a photo album, real or imagined, of the clients life, again flicking back through the pages as time passes further and further into the clients memory.
4.Staircase technique: Asking the client to visualise being on a staircase and going through a door into a past memory. Another staircase can appear and another doorway taking the client deeper into the past.
Time line regression
pg. 35
The time line technique is probably the safest and most effective way of regressing people for fun or for therapy. It is a very accurate way of finding the root cause of a presenting problem.
With this technique, the therapist suggests to the client that s/he can imagine a line going back into the past. With some clients this line into the past can be directly behind, with other clients it may go off to the side. Once a client has acknowledged there is a line s/he is asked to float up above the time line and then float along it into the past the client is then asked to drop down into a past event in their lives and identify where they are.
Procedure
1. Induce trance state 2. Set the scene (i.e. suggest there is a line of time just behind him/her). 3. Identify colour of happy times remembered. (note colour) 4. Identify colour of happy times forgotten. (note colour) 5. Identify colour of “significant times”. (note colour)
pg. 36 Now ask your client to imagine walking back along the time line to a significant time (signified by the colour of the significant times). When client is hovering around the significant time, count to 3 and on three tell client to jump into the time and all will become clear.
Note: when using this technique for fun, it is important to identify the colour of bad times suggest to the client that under no circumstances will he/she explore these times today.
REGRESSION
USING “CLEAN” LANGUAGE
The use of what is often called “clean language” is essential for any therapist who is interested in giving only the very best of help to his/her clients.
It means not attempting to bring your client to a truth or realisation by any means other than their own thoughts and/or words. (subjective interpretations) it means not encouraging them, by spoken word or tone of voice, to search for something within them just because you believe OR wonder if it’s there.
It means using words and tones that convey only what you mean, and what you mean should be only what you say. Put more succinctly, it means GUIDING and not LEADING.
Of course, there are many therapists, Ericksonian in particular, who rely on the capacity of the human mind to read far more into words than is actually there; the use of metaphor is a good case in point, but then, the words are constructed in an “artfully vague” manner in order to... GUIDE and not LEAD the client!
Clean language is of primary importance to those who are orientated towards the talking therapies - regression and hypnoanalysis especially. But we should ALL remember that our clients are in a high state of suggestibility when they first enter our office or consulting room at the beginning of a session.
We should be aware that whatever we say to a client can carry hidden implications and that enhanced suggestibility can too easily be the cause of those implications acting like suggestion.
pg. 37
It’s the language employed within the therapeutic state that’s the most important, though.
GUIDING helps to uncover the client’s truth
LEADING implants the therapists idea of a possible truth but which will at best partially alleviate the client’s symptom(s) for no more than a short while, at worst positively guarantee that the client will never be able to find the relief they seek. Your clients believe that you are knowledgeable and aware of things which they know nothing about, and, of course, they are right; they would not be coming to you for treatment if this were not the case. They know you are an “expert” at understanding human behaviour and they believe that you already have some idea of what is wrong with them and why they have their particular set of symptoms. Therefore, if you suggest, albeit only by implication, that there may be something more to what they are telling you, then they will make strenuous efforts to find it... all well and good, except for the fact that they will be sure to find something even if there was, in reality, nothing to find.
If you find yourself doubting that fact, just remember that the human mind has a predisposition to keep on looking for what it expects to discover. If we are looking for evidence that somebody does not like us, for example - probably out of fear that we might find it - we will TOTALLY ignore the two or three or even ten instances that seem to show the opposite. We will keep on looking for that ONE piece of evidence that we are searching for until we find it - or something else that can be easily misconstrued as “proof”. Then we are triumphant! And that belief system has been reinforced and the knowledge that you are not liked has been confirmed.
This famous saying is certainly true:
“Be very careful what you look for, because you’ll find it.” Now consider the following.
The client says: “I remember Dad coming into my room.”
The therapist might say any of these:
“And what did he do, after he came into the room?”
pg. 38 “Aha! Did he, indeed!” “Did he often come into your room?” “And were you frightened?” “Oh no! I bet that scared you!” “How did that seem to you?”
Any of those statements/questions could lead the client into searching for some unpleasant, even sinister, reason for Dad having come into the room. If you’re not too sure about that, ask yourself what you think I’m suggesting your client might think... because I haven’t actually stated anything, so anything you believe I meant is exactly the sort of thing a client could “read”.
Of course, “Dad” may have simply turned out the light and left.
In this case, the therapists best response, at first, would be to say absolutely nothing, since the client is already engaged in a recall process. Only if s/he is silent for too long (more than 30 seconds) or is showing some visible sigh of emotion or reaction - grimacing, crying, breathing faster, etc. - would there be a need for the therapist to say anything at all.
Then, a “clean” response could be: “And what happened then?” or, perhaps: “And you remember Dad coming into the room... and what happened then?” Reflecting back part of what has been said is very powerful and the “What happened then?” carries no implications at all.
“THEN” AND “NEXT”
Interestingly, your client’s response to such a question will normally be to tell you what happened immediately after that, whereas if you say: “And what happened next?” s/he will be inclined to skip the rest of that particular event and move on to the next section of the recall. This can be useful; if your client is “standing on my own in the back garden” you could respond with: “And you’re standing on your own in the back garden. And what happened next?” Be sure that reflection is EXACTLY that - an exact copy of your client’s words and tonalities.
Another good “clean” response to situations similar to the above is: “Tell me more about that...” This has another use, too, on those occasions when you have not quite heard what has been said (in hypnosis, some clients talk very
pg. 39 quietly). “Tell me more about that...” is a WHOLE lot better than asking your client to repeat what they have just told you! Making sure your client does not hear what you have not said!
Interaction is fraught with all sorts of pitfalls, the worst being that you can easily lead your client into believing that they should feel a certain way or remember a certain event or even TYPE of event. What we need, of course, is to ensure that the client remembers what s/he needs to remember, feel/experience whatever s/he needs to feel/experience to find peace of mind.
The problems were generated by the thought processes that originated within their particular mindset; and it is from that same place that their answers should come. The trouble is, it is far too easy for the therapist to assume they know what their client is thinking/feeling and act or speak accordingly. What happens then is that THEIR therapy is based upon YOUR life experiences! (remember presupposition number one)
Not conducive to therapeutic success, therefore not conducive to helping you find new clients via recommendation - the most successful form of promotion.
So here is a working strategy using a regression technique that can help you overcome these difficulties. It does have certain limitations, but it can be very fast and effective far more times than you might imagine. The technique itself is not new, having been around for a while under various different guises, the most common one being the Watkins Affect Bridge. I’ve used that in the past, but this version of it seems to do better, especially when we have used any form of subconscious preparation work which has “geared” the client specifically towards this type of work.
First of all, you should ascertain that your client can get into their mind a truly vivid image of the last time they experienced their problem, or one of the symptoms of it. After the induction, continue:
“This feeling you have inside you has been in your mind, stuck there, for far too long... you’ve tried ignoring it, you’ve tried pretending it isn’t there, you’ve even tried to run away from it sometimes... but now, you deserve to let go of it. I’m going to count from one to five now and as I do so that feeling is going to increase in intensity until it’s as real as it’s ever been before.”
pg. 40 Count 1 - 5 slowly. Increase excitation, watching for signs of unease (you need as much of it as possible or better still, watch your bio feedback monitor) and slowing the count down if necessary until you find it. A bio-feedback meter helps enormously, here. Hypnosis will, of course, increase quite dramatically. Then:
“Now just stay focussed on that feeling in your mind while I count from ten to one... Your mind will try to move onto other things perhaps, thoughts, memories, places, maybe... but your task is to keep just that feeling, only that feeling, there in your mind, as I count from ten back to one... and as I count, your subconscious is going to take you back through time, as if there were no such thing as time, all the way back to a memory or a person or a place or maybe even just a thought from way back then, that has absolutely everything to do with that feeling in your mind. I want you then to tell me the very first thing you think of, without trying to make sense of it, just tell me straight away, as soon as I get all the way down to 1.”
Count 10 - 1 slowly. I usually allow a long pause between 2 and 1.
Most of the time, at the count one, your client will offer you something and you work with it, exploring it until its exhausted (this is where the clean language comes in). Then use it to start the whole process again, if necessary, until it becomes obvious that you have hit the originating cause. It’s easy to tell. If it IS the originating cause, the emotion will soon start to fade; if that does not happen, you still have some more work to do.
Sometimes, resistance kicks in and what you get is: “Nothing, sorry, nothing at all.” No problem! I just ask the client to answer what I ask them with the first thing that comes into their mind. What might follow is something like:
Therapist: “Ok, just give me your first impressions... is it light or dark?” Client: “Light...”
Therapist: “Ok, and are you indoors or outdoors when it’s light?”
Client: “Indoors...”
Therapist: “Good. And are you on your own or are you with other people when you’re indoors and it’s light?” (If you asked “Who’s there with you?” that would be leading)
pg. 41
Client: “My Mums there.”
Therapist: “Good. Your Mums there. And how old are you when your Mums there and you’re indoors and it’s light?”
Client: “I’m seven.”
Therapist: “You’re seven. And what else is there about that when you’re seven and your Mums there and you’re indoors and it’s light...?”
You get the idea - use as many of the client’s thoughts and as few of your own as you can. To improve your abilities with this technique, it will help if you can find a willing friend or colleague who will let you practice. Instruct them to tell you when you have got it wrong, then investigate any part of their life you have agreed upon and determine to get as clear a picture of it for yourself as you possibly can.
Listen to the questions you ask and any statement you make, and notice those which may carry any form of assumption or restrict the answering possibilities - “And did you feel happy or sad?” is an example; the correct question here must be: “And how did you feel?”
Of course, if you are sure that the answer is a “cover up” of some sort, you can explore. But then you must keep the exploration clean, too! You could, for instance, continue with: “And you felt (however the client says s/he felt) because...?”
During an interactive session, there are many other things you can ask to trigger memories, always feeding back as much of the information that your client has given you as you sensibly can. The following are useful (not in any particular order):
AND WHAT HAPPENED THEN?
pg. 42 AND WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? ARE YOU HOT OR COLD? IS IT SUNNY OR CLOUDY? HOW DO YOU FEEL WHILE YOU’RE THERE? HOW DOES MUM (OR WHOEVER) LOOK? WHERE COULD YOU BE GOING? WHERE COULD YOU BE? WHAT COULD YOU BE DOING? WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING THERE? WHERE COULD MUM (OR WHOEVER) BE? (when “My Mums not there” has been volunteered).
It’s not usually too long before your client will say something along the lines of: “Oh, I remember now, this was the time when...” Then, of course, you work with it, explore it and maybe free associate with it if necessary. This has often proved to be an astonishingly effective way of working and I’ve used it to get to phobic problems with astonishing ease - sometimes with only two sessions.
pg. 43