Hypnotic Language

Its structure and use

John Burton, Bob G Bodenhamer

• Publisher: Crown House Publishing
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781845905262
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Teoria, pratica e riferimenti medici

Milton Erickson's complex language patterns form a major part of most therapists' work. This remarkable book develops the language further and includes comprehensive scripts and case studies. "Should be part of every therapist's tool chest." Jeanie Phillips MA LPC

Part One

The Three Facets that Allow the Mind to be Susceptible to Hypnotic Language Patterns

Introduction

Hypnosis and the Cognitive Pathways it Travels

Suppose you treat a mistake, any mistake, like an oil spill at sea? What then? The oil recovery team will place barriers around the oil to contain the spill. As you imagine this, notice how the ocean outside the containers remains clear and clean. Also, knowing that oil is lighter than water and floats, resting only on the surface. This allows the water underneath the oil to remain clear and clean.

This means that the only task remaining is to remove the oil by skimming the oil from the sea… so that you can see it disappear slowly or quickly and as you do, noticing the feeling as the oil departs to leave more and more sea to see and feel…the clear and clean return. Now, how will you enjoy the sea sight as you set your sights on your future?

I used the above hypnotic language pattern with a client who came in complaining of depression. He had a foolproof way of creating depression. Any time he made a mistake he would generalize from the mistake and contaminate his whole self. He would conclude, ‘I made a mistake, therefore I am a bad person’.

Does that sound familiar? He was an expert in making a bad person out of himself. He would stew for days in self-criticism, which resulted in constant feelings of depression. A vicious circle of self-criticism, pessimism and self-depreciation would put him in and keep him in a state of depression. He had the depression strategy down pat. Once he heard this pattern, it changed his way of viewing his mistakes.

From this point on, he saw any mistakes he made as isolated errors and relied on his positive memories of his many successes to nullify these mistakes. Instead of generalizing from his mistake to the whole of himself, he generalized to the part making the error and thereby brought his successful self to bear on this part. In doing this, he thus nullified any depression (a Meta-stating process—more about Meta-states later).

He reported in our next session how he had made some errors, but was not upset by them, rather he went right on working toward solutions. He stated that, for a change, he was enjoying being in a good mood and that he was feeling very competent. That was our last session.

A follow-up over six months later revealed that he continued feeling good and no longer had any of those self-criticism spells. He even began resuming some of his favorite hobbies that he’d given up while trying so hard to prove his competence.

What happens in the mind that empowers it in such a way that it can hear a few hypnotic words, and the listener turns her world totally around? You will find out as you learn the concepts in these first three introductory chapters.

All communication invites the receiver into a hypnotic trance.

In this text, a hypnotic state or trance refers to a focusing of attention on a thought, idea, concept, thing, etc. which excludes all other focusing on anything else.

It is important to recognize that all communication invites the receiver into a hypnotic trance. Whenever we make a statement, the person hearing our statement cannot help but respond to those words and to the thoughts that they stimulate. They will connect some meaning to what we say, and, at least for a moment, as they focus on that meaning, it puts them into a state—a hypnotic state of inward focus. When they focus on the meaning that they give to our statement for that moment, they enter trance.

In this text, a hypnotic state or trance refers to a focusing of attention on a thought, idea, concept, thing, etc. which excludes all other focusing on anything else. Now, as we focus on just one chunk of data, we are able to move or transport that chunk to another. In effect, we take the first thought and apply it to another thought.

For instance, if I have a problem and, during hypnosis, my focus moves from my problem to focusing on a resource for healing my problem, I can so focus on the resource that I realize its ability to solve my problem. Then, I can move that resource to the problem and solve my problem by putting new meaning to the problem (Meta-stating). The process resembles using a computer to put up a picture of a person’s face on the screen and then ‘try on’ different hairstyles or colors. In hypnosis you can take the problem to the infinite collection of possibilities and select the one that works for you.

The content of the problem becomes open to change from the new information that exists in our memories or imagination. This information resides in the unconscious mind. Trance permits taking conscious mind material (the problem in this example), cut off from the unconscious mind, and integrating it with the rich resources of the unconscious mind (the resource). To distinguish conscious from unconscious mind you could think of your conscious mind as represented by where you are physically, right now, as you read this. Your unconscious mind is everywhere else in the universe. And since your response to this statement is a trance, just imagine the possibilities.

Chapter One

The Conscious–Unconscious Mind Split

This book explores the function of three particular factors that allow the mind to be susceptible to hypnotic language. These three factors are the conscious–unconscious mind split, the cognitive style of processing information that we rely on during our childhood years and the perceptual principles of Gestalt psychology. After describing these concepts and their dynamics, we will explain the role they each play in generating hypnotic language. This will allow us to identify and understand the construction, purpose and effect of hypnotic language.

The bulk of the text consists of hypnotic language patterns that will illustrate these three principles. We will explain the logic and purpose of these language patterns. Additionally, case examples will show the application and effect of these language patterns. Hypnotic language rarely provides the entire solution to a client’s problem; rather it may provide a sort of linguistic loosening or tightening device. This means that in the process of arriving at a solution, hypnotic language provides this loosening device that allows the client to release rigid thoughts, emotions or behaviors.

Hypnotic language rarely provides the entire solution to a client’s problem; rather it may provide a sort of linguistic loosening or tightening device.

Hypnotic language may also provide the final tightening after a mental, emotional or behavioral shift to hold the change in place. And certainly, at times, hypnotic language may truly stimulate the full change process. This now leads to identifying and explaining the concept of hypnotic language through the three facets that allow the mind to be susceptible to hypnotic language.

The Conscious–Unconscious Mind Split

Most forms of communication create a trance. It happens when we develop an exclusive focus on the message that the communicator is sending to the receiver. Communication occurs through any one of the five senses alone, or in combination.

Consider the chef who creates a collection of flavors and textures for your palate. If prepared properly, you will lapse into a trance filled with delight over the flavors, texture and other aspects of the culinary masterpiece. You will want more and will probably return to that restaurant. Even the invitation to partake in the gustatory trance involves trance through the visual and olfactory and, at times, auditory senses. The foods you choose and the style of foods you prefer come to be so, in part, because the chef succeeded in ‘trancing’ or entrancing you. Of course, while in this trance you will decide if the experience is satisfying enough for you to want to repeat it in the future. But a trance must happen before you determine the quality of the experience.

The way all communication involves trance holds true for your other senses. Consider having a massage from a masseuse. The pathway to the intended relief travels through a trance state. You miss the message of the massage if your mind wanders from the physical sensations to some task in your past or future. One of the reasons some people buy the clothes they wear is because of the way the clothes feel on their skin (kinesthetic buyers). Before purchasing they will feel the material with their fingers and evaluate if the fabric feels right to them. This evaluation involves a light trance as this person focuses on the ‘feel’ of the material and then imagines what it will feel like when they wear that piece of clothing.

Music easily induces an auditory trance-state. The musician’s ability to induce a trance through music determines whether or not the listener accepts the music. Music-induced trance makes for one of the most popular and easily accessed kinds of trances. Lovers of music spend millions of dollars each year buying music just because it induces an enjoyable trance within them. There are even certain sounds that induce a trance and pre-determined response. Various bells, whistles and sirens automatically activate a certain response. Some research indicates that various types of background music can encourage a person to buy more in a store or to eat more in a restaurant than normal.

Think about trances induced through the olfactory (smell) sense. Remember the enticing scent of a perfume or cologne. Or recall the emotionally warming aroma of bread baking. What about the concept of aromatherapy? This treatment banks on the trance inducing ability of scents for improving health and well-being.

Scents for the sense to make cents, how do all those words I sent to you sound?

Certainly we do not want to overlook trance induced through visual means. The visual artist, whether painter in any medium, sketch artist or photographer seeks to induce a trance by getting the attention of those who view her work. Go into an art gallery and watch the intense observers go into trance. If the visual aid propels you into a trance and in this trance your experience appeals to your emotions, you may buy the work of art. And what is very often the first catalyst of attraction between two eventually romantically involved people? Before you meet someone, what you see and then think provides the motivation for getting to know this person.

No doubt you can think of many other examples of how communication through the senses produces a trance in the receiver. If effective, the receiver of the communication goes into a trance. Consider these questions:

♦ What features make some communication more effective than other communication for inducing a trance?

♦ What makes the receiver of linguistic communication respond to the invitation and go into trance?

♦ What takes place while one is in trance that makes this form of communication produce change in the receiver?

Hypnotic language presupposes a conscious mind and a rich resource filled unconscious mind.

To answer these questions we first explore the mental ingredients that play a role in hypnotic trance. Hypnotic language presupposes a conscious mind and a rich resource-filled unconscious mind. Another way of viewing the ‘split-mind’ involves what I refer to as primary and secondary awareness.

Primary awareness (the conscious mind) consists of your current awareness, in any given moment, your conscious mind. For instance, you are focusing on the words on this page right now. This is primary awareness. Secondary awareness (the unconscious mind) consists of all the other information you have gathered throughout your life, but do not presently realize in your primary awareness. Secondary awareness refers to the storehouse of information residing in your unconscious mind. You probably were not aware of your right big toe until these words just now called attention to it. Well, your unconscious mind or your secondary awareness knew about it all the time. You just weren’t aware of it consciously.

George Miller (1956) determined the nine value upper limit of your primary awareness. His studies indicated that we can consciously hold 7±2 items in awareness at any given moment of time.

George Miller (1956) determined the nine value upper limit of your primary awareness. His studies indicated that we consciously hold 7±2 items in awareness at any given moment of time. Yet, it would appear that we experience subtle ‘knowings’...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Preface
• Part One : The Three Facets that Allow the Mind to be Susceptible to Hypnotic Language Patterns
• Part Two : Case Examples Showing the Application and Effect of Hypnotic Language Patterns
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright