Do you begin to get an idea of how simply subtle this is ? Many years ago I began to experiment with embedded commands during my stage shows . At one performance , I remember the subjects were slumped over in their chairs and some were lying on the floor . I said something like : And you ’ re fully aware ... of all the surroundings ... and very comfortable where you are ... as you relax completely … To my amazement , the entire group suddenly sagged as their bodies relaxed and they went deeper .
Did You Know ? A Brief History of Embedded Commands
In 1930 , Dr . Milton H . Erickson joined the staff at Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts , USA . He was a psychiatrist with a keen interest in hypnosis . He worked with schizophrenic patients who , he noticed , would speak in " word salad ". They ' d say things that made no apparent sense . He eventually discovered that there were often understandable , logical statements embedded in this " word salad ". Erickson got the idea for embedded commands from this experience . To test out his own “ word salad ”, Erickson encountered a hospital secretary . She would regularly suffer from severe migraines during the onset of menstruation , and she had a migraine during this experiment .
Erickson insisted this secretary perform dictation , which was common in this day . There were no tape recorders back then ! She reluctantly sat down to do her job . Erickson embedded commands in the middle of his word salad . She certainly didn ’ t notice the commands consciously . She was too busy writing down his words to think about them .
After 15 minutes she interrupted Dr . Erickson to excitedly tell him something . Her migraine was gone !
Offering Options Offering options is one of the most powerful conversational methods you can use . By offering different ways for the subject to respond , it becomes impossible for him to do it wrong . A highly directive hypnotist might say “ Your hand is rising in the air ! It ’ s rising higher and higher !” But if it doesn ’ t rise , it will be interpreted as failure , or worse , that the person is being resistant , or is a “ bad subject ”.