I am just thinking aloud . A person could . We can hypnotise someone , help them have all kinds of experiences , and never once directly ask them to do anything .
“ Perhaps , possibly , maybe ...”
If I say “ You will get sleepy !” or “ You are getting sleepy !” the person may be thinking : “ No I ’ m not !” They may feel that they or you or both have ‘ failed ’. But if I pepper my language with permissive words which don ’ t demand but simply question whether a response can happen , then I take the pressure well and truly off .
“ Perhaps ... you ’ ll notice feeling a little sleepier as I talk ...”
“ Maybe as that hand feels a little lighter [ a presupposition there !] you ’ ll start to ... notice
beautiful and pleasant ideas or images come to mind [ embedded command ]...” There is no chance of failure if you don ’ t ask directly .
Okay , lastly , you should always aim to use the hypnotic phenomena you produce for the benefit of the person you are working with .
4 . Tip four : Never waste a good hypnotic trance
I tend to use hypnotic phenomena for some kind of therapeutic or performance gain . For example , I might say to someone whose arm is drifting up :
“ As that arm drifts higher all by itself ... you can notice the rest of you resting deeper ...”
“ When that hand drifts and touches that face , you can notice what it ’ s going to be like to be calm and confident in those meetings at work . But you are not going to notice this new way of being at work until that hand touches that face .”
“ And those eyelids won ’ t unlock until your unconscious mind lets you know that it ’ s going to make sure you enjoy all of these wonderful changes in the coming days , weeks , months , years , and decades ...”
“ And as that arm locks there , immobile , it ’ s a physical manifestation of the immovable unconscious determination developing right now ... inside of you ... to remain free of those cigarettes ...” ( Arm catalepsy can also be used as an ‘ organic metaphor ’ in the treatment of psychological impotence .)
So you can see that I am using the hypnotic phenomena therapeutically ,