Creating Or Re-Experiencing A Pleasant Scene Hypnosis - Part 3

DEEPENING

(Subject's name), among all the different aspects of your pleasant experience, perhaps there is one very vivid or memorable thing, maybe a feeling on your skin, maybe the thought of being there in that experience, maybe a color or a scent, a deep breath, or something else. Now in a moment I'm going to ask you to imagine one of those things, that's the way, and when one very pleasant thing from that experience comes to mind, let me know by nodding your head ... good ... and I'd like you to continue thinking of that one thing now, feeling and experiencing it, while I count out loud, from ten down to one, and as those numbers descend you can imagine yourself sinking even deeper into that pleasant experience ... ten ... nine ...


REALERTING

After the therapy portion, the subject may be realerted (speaking with a bit more volume) by, "As I count from one up to five you will begin to feel alert, and by the time my voice gets up to five you will feel alert and refreshed ... one ... two ..."


DEBRIEFING

Subjects are often fascinated by the way they can become absorbed in a rather simple exercise, especially one that is generated from their own experience. You might ask, "Do you wish to tell me what pleasant situation you imagined?" Most subjects will be eager to reveal this. Then foster their interest or fascination by asking about the quality of their experience, e.g., "Tell me more about walking along that beach ..." It is important to focus on the aspect of the imaginal experience elicited in the deepening, as this will both ratify trance and give you valuable information about the subject's capacity for imaginal absorption.


NOTES FOR PRACTICE

This induction works best if drawn out with ample pauses and silences, which allow the subject time to experience suggestions. Notice how pleasant was seeded early on, and later activated, in the induction.

Occasionally, subject may be unable to imagine something when asked to do so. If you do not receive a head nod, simply proceed with something like, "I'm going to count down now from ten to one and as those numbers descend you can imagine, in your own way, going deeper and deeper into trance." Debriefing is vital in finding out what does work and what does not work for the subject. With this information, you can adapt subsequent trancework to the subject's particular needs. We take note of virtually everything the subject says during debriefing, as these responses are most valuable in utilization. Fragments, curious impressions, or idle wonderings can become building blocks of therapy. The essence of utilization is being able to convert or reframe something negative ("If life hands you lemons, make lemonade"). For example, if a subject reports, "All I could think about was my dry mouth and how I didn't swallow," then next session would add, " ... and some people find it most curious - almost to the point of distraction - how they can notice certain feelings and sensations in their body, maybe something rather different than they expected, and these responses are perfectly normal and natural, and in fact sometimes people can become absorbed in these things, deepening their experience, and other times people pay passing notice before turning to something else in their body that catches their attention ..."

In this induction you need to be ready to place and lead a range of behaviours that may arise: changes in the breathing, moving around in the chair, flushing of the cheeks, eye flutter, etc. Eye flutter may mean distress or incongruence (feeling as if something doesn't "fit"). The subject may not remember this fleeting moment when queried during debriefing, so it is advisable to make a mental note of what you are saying when eye flutter occurs.

It is easy to understand how some subjects think you can actually read their minds when you become adept at pacing and leading. For example, the subject experiences eye flutter, which is followed by a positional shift and a long sigh. Your response is " ... and sometimes in trance a person may experience something upsetting, or maybe a strange thought or feeling, which can lead to changing position - or even perspective - and exhaling deeply can help a person appreciate the comfort of trance on an even deeper level ..."