INDUCTIONS AND DEEPENING OF HYPNOSIS

When I was young, I loved to ride. I began with a tricycle, progressed to the bicycle. I even rode a motorcycle for a while.  My riding skills increased.  Perhaps you’re similarly skilled.

One hundred sixty years ago (back in the tricycle days of hypnosis), James Braid, a Scottish surgeon while working in India performed hundreds of surgeries with hypnosis as the only method of anesthesia. Chemical anesthesia was not yet available. There was one problem:  his inductions were long, really long — two or more hours.

Fortunately, like the rider with increasing skills, the understanding of hypnosis and hypnosis skills have advanced substantially since the time of Mesmer (1780s) and Braid (1840s).   As the theoretical understanding of hypnosis has advanced, inductions and deepening have become quicker and more effective.

Currently a progressive relaxation induction might last ten to fifteen minutes; a rapid induction two to five minutes and an instant induction only seconds.  Why a longer or shorter induction?  Two answers:  1) client preference and 2) hypnotist comfort and skill.

Once the induction is completed the next step is to deepen the level of hypnosis. According to Don Mottin, there are many ways to deepen hypnosis. Here are a few.

  1. Realization
  2. Compounding and pyramiding of suggestions
  3. Fractionation
  4. Visualization
  5. Post-hypnotic Suggestion
  6. Relaxation
  7. Repeated Induction
  8. Counting
  9. Metaphor

You might be asking, “Why is deepening hypnosis important?”  A good question.  To answer this question let’s look at hypnosis depth charts.

The Davis-Husband Scale was published in 1931. It identified 4 major levels and 30 minor levels.

The Lecron-Bordeaux Scoring System for Indicating Depth of Hypnosis, published in 1947, describes 50 levels of hypnosis.

The Arons Master Depth Rule (1961) measures six levels of hypnosis. The six levels are as follows:

  1. Lethargy, relaxation, eye catalepsy, arm catalepsy
  2. Catalepsy of isolated muscle groups, heavy or floating feeling
  3. Smell and taste changes, aphasia
  4. Receptive to post hypnotic suggestions, analgesia
  5. Age regression
  6. Anesthesia

Would you like to know a secret?

Achieving an effective depth of hypnosis is important for hypnosis to be effective!
Oops, now it’s not a secret any longer.

Why MSP Hypnosis?

If you’ve read this far, you have some interest in hypnosis or you hope to receive some benefits by using your subconscious mind more effectively.

I use a variety of hypnotic techniques and one of my specialties is using  deepeners effectively.