MODULE

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Hypnotherapy Training

Abstract
This training is designed for you to learn some of the key therapeutic
techniques enabling you to achieve the best possible results with your clients
of the future, starting from the applications and history of clinical
hypnotherapy, and how to bring about a hypnotic trance, through to a variety
of therapeutic tools that you can almost mix and match to help with a variety
of issues.

Andrew Farquharson
info@hypnotherapy-now.co.uk
Seminar and Workbook Training for the professional
Hypnotherapist.

COPYRIGHT WARNING:
ALL CONTENTS OF THE COURSE ENTITLED ‘A PRACTITIONER
DIPLOMA IN CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY’ ARE PROTECTED BY THE LAW
OF COPYRIGHT. NO PARTS HERIN MAY BE PRODUCED BY ANY
MECHANICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC OR ELECTRONIC PROCESS, OR IN
THE FORM OF A PHONOGRAPHIC RECORDING. NOR MAY IT BE
STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, TRANSMITTED OR OTHERWISE
COPIED FOR PUBLIC USE, INCLUDING TRAINING OF ANY THIRD
PARTY, WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF ANDREW FARQUHARSON.

INTRODUCTION

This training is designed for you to learn some of the key therapeutic
techniques enabling you to achieve the best possible results with your clients
of the future, starting from the applications and history of clinical
hypnotherapy, and how to bring about a hypnotic trance, through to a variety
of therapeutic tools that you can almost mix and match to help with a variety
of issues.

I have run a full-time practice for the past seven years using only a mix of
these techniques with profound results, and I’m sure that you can do the
same.

Applications for Hypnosis:

Hypnotherapy can change lives. It is a remarkable force for change. I know
this because I have seen it happen with many people and its applications in
the real world is endless. Take a moment to think about all the different
issues hypnotherapy may be able to help with.

So - what has Hypnotherapy the potential to help with?

Famous Users of Hypnosis:

Mozart (1756-91) composed the famous opera Cosi Fan Tutte whilst
hypnotised.
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) inventor.
Henry Ford (1863-1947) car manufacturer.

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Albert Einstein (1879-1955) physicist.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) politician, counted backwards in 3’s in
order to stay awake all night and avoid tiredness during World War II.
Kevin Costner flew his personal hypnotist to Hawaii to cure his seasickness
during the filming of Waterworld.
Andy Bryant, hair care consultant, hit the headlines when he underwent a
vasectomy under hypnosis without anaesthetic and, immediately after the
operation, went back to work.

And you, of course.

The History of Hypnosis:

(An excerpt from The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna - Faber and Faber Ltd
1993).
“The earliest references to hypnosis date back to ancient Egypt and Greece.
Indeed, 'hypnos' is the Greek word for sleep, though actual state of hypnosis
is very different from that of sleep. Both cultures had religious centres where
people came for help with their problems. Hypnosis was used to induce
dreams, which were then analysed to get to the root of the trouble.
There are many references to trance and hypnosis in early writings. In
2600BC the father of Chinese medicine, Wong Tai, wrote about techniques
that involved incantations and passes of the hands. The Hindu Vedas written
about 1500BC mention hypnotic procedures. Trance like states occur in many
shamanistic, druidic, voodoo, yogic and religious practices.”

Hypnotic Pioneers:

The modern father of hypnosis was an Austrian physician, Franz Mesmer
(1734 - 1815), from whose name the word 'mesmerism' is derived. Though
much-maligned by the medical world of his day, Mesmer was nevertheless a
brilliant man. He developed the theory of 'animal magnetism' - the idea that
diseases are the result of blockages in the flow of magnetic forces in the
body. He believed he could store his animal magnetism in baths of iron filings
and transfer it to patients with rods or by 'mesmeric passes'.
The mesmeric pass must surely go down in history as one of the most
interesting, and undoubtedly the most long-winded, ways of putting someone
into a trance. Mesmer would stand his subjects quite still while he swept his
arms across their body, sometimes for hours on end. I suspect that this
probably had the effect of boring patients into a trance, but it was certainly

pg. 3
quite effective.

Mesmer himself was very much a showman, conveying by his manner that
something was going to happen to the patient. In itself this form of indirect
suggestion was very powerful. Mesmer was also responsible for the popular
image of the hypnotist as a man with magnetic eyes, cape an goatee beard.
His success fuelled jealousy among many of his colleagues and this
eventually led to his public humiliation. Looking back, it is quite incredible that
hypnosis survived these early years, because the medical world was dead
against it.

Another forward thinker was John Elliotson (1791 - 1868), a professor at
London University, who is famous for introducing the stethoscope into
England. He also tried to champion the cause of mesmerism, but was forced
to resign. He continued to give demonstrations of mesmerism in his own
home to any interested parties, and this led to a steady increase in literature
on the subject.

The next real pioneer of hypnosis in Britain appeared in the mid nineteenth
century with James Braid (1795 - 1860). Primarily a Scottish eye doctor, he
developed an interest in mesmerism quite by chance. One day, when he was
late for an appointment, he found his patient in the waiting room staring into
an old lamp, his eyes glazed. Fascinated, Braid gave the patient some
commands, telling him to close his eyes and go to sleep. The patient
complied and Braid's interest grew. He discovered that getting a patient to
fixate upon something was one of the most important components of putting
them into a trance.

The swinging watch, which many people associate with hypnosis, was
popular in the early days as an object of fixation. Following his discovery that
it was not necessary to go through all the palaver of mesmeric passes, Braid
published a book in which he proposed that the phenomenon now be called
hypnotism.

Meanwhile, a British surgeon in India, James Esdaile (1808 - 1859),
recognised the enormous benefits of hypnotism for pain relief and performed
hundreds of major operations using hypnosis as his only anaesthetic. When
he returned to England he tried to convince the medical establishment of his
findings, but they laughed at him and declared that pain was character building
(although they were biased in favour of the new chemical

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anaesthetics, which they could control and, of course, charge more money
for). So, hypnosis became, and remains to this day, an 'alternative' form of
medicine.

The French were also taking an interest in the subject of hypnosis, and many
breakthroughs were made by such men as Ambrose Liebeault (1823 - 1904),
J. M. Charcot (1825 - 1893) and Charles Richet (1850 - 1935).

The work of another Frenchman, Emile Coué (1857 - 1926), was very
interesting. He moved away from conventional approaches and pioneered the
use of auto-suggestion. He is most famous for the phrase 'Day by day in
every way I am getting better and better'. His technique was one of
affirmation and it has been championed in countless modern books.

A man of enormous compassion, Coué believed that he did not heal people
himself but merely facilitated their own self healing. He understood the
importance of the subject's participation in hypnosis, and was a forerunner of
those modern practitioners who claim, 'There is no such thing as hypnosis,
only self-hypnosis.'

Perhaps his most famous idea was that the imagination is always more
powerful than the will. For example, if you ask someone to walk across a
plank of wood on the floor, they can usually do it without wobbling. However,
if you tell them to close their eyes and imagine the plank is suspended
between two buildings hundreds of feet above the ground, they will always
start to sway.

In a sense Coué also anticipated the placebo effect - treatment of no intrinsic
value the power of which lies in suggestion: patients are told that they are
being given a drug that will cure them. Recent research into placebos is quite
startling. In some cases, statistics indicate that placebos can work better than
many of modern medicine's most popular drugs. It seems that while drugs are
not always necessary for recovery from illness, belief in recovery is Sigmund
Freud (1856 - 1939) was also interested in hypnosis, initially using it
extensively in his work. He eventually abandoned the practice - for several
reasons, not least that he wasn't any good at it! He favoured psychoanalysis,
which involves the patient lying on a couch and the analyst doing a lot of
listening. He believed that the evolution of the self was a difficult process of
working through stages of sexual development, with repressed memories of
traumatic incidents the main cause of psychological problems. This is an

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interesting idea that has yet to be proved.

Freud's early rejection of hypnosis delayed the development of hypnotherapy,
turning the focus of psychology away from hypnosis and towards
psychoanalysis. However, things picked up in the 1930's in America with the
publication with the publication of Clark Hull's book, Hypnosis and
Suggestibility.

In more recent times, the recognised leading authority on clinical hypnosis
was Milton H Erickson, MD (1901 - 1980), a remarkable man, and a highly
effective psychotherapist. As a teenager, he was stricken with polio and
paralysed, but he remobilised himself. It was while paralysed that he had an
unusual opportunity to observe people, and he notice that what people said
and what they did were often very different. He became fascinated by human
psychology and devised countless innovative and creative ways to help
people. He healed through metaphor, surprise, confusion and humour, as well
as hypnosis. A master of 'indirect hypnosis', he could put a person into
a trance without even mentioning the word hypnosis.
It is becoming more and more accepted that an understanding of hypnosis is
essential for the efficient practice of every type of psychotherapy. Erickson's
approach and its derivatives are without question the most effective
techniques.

Over the year’s hypnosis has gained ground and respectability within the
medical profession. Although hypnosis and medicine are not the same, they
are now acknowledged as being related, and it is only a matter of time before
hypnosis becomes a mainstream practice, as acceptable to the public
as a visit to the dentist.

Laws of Attraction:

While many ‘laws’ can be, and are applied to hypnosis, three major laws are
general to nearly every form of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, including self-
hypnosis and conversational hypnosis.

The Law of Focus/Concentrated Attention

This law has gained some attention lately, thanks to a few books and films. It
has been called the ‘secret,’ and the ‘law of attraction,’ among others. In the
simplest terms, this law states that what we focus on becomes our reality. This

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is due to how the subconscious mind works. Whatever we focus on the most,
our subconscious propels us toward. If we are always anxious and thinking
about failure, we sabotage ourselves. If, on the other hand, we focus on the
best possible outcome in any scenario, we set ourselves up for success.

It refers to the principle of repetition of suggestions. When we concentrate

attention repeatedly on a goal or idea, it tends to be realised.
In other words if we focus on something, that thing becomes a reality.
(A classic principle in formulating hypnotic suggestions is to repeat them
several times.)

The Law of Reversed Effort

The principle of reversed effort primarily applies to making suggestions to

produce physiological effects. This ‘law’ refers to the fact that the harder you
consciously endeavour to do something, the more difficult it becomes to
succeed.

Have you ever tried to not think about something?

For example, try now to not think about a pink elephant. What’s in your mind
right now? If you’re like most, it’s a big pink elephant, while you’re struggling
with all you might to imagine it away.

This is a simple, classic yet powerful demonstration of the law of reversed
effort. When we try not to focus on something, our minds can’t do it. This is
because the subconscious is, in some ways, not very smart. It does not process
negative statements. When you think “I won’t think about a pink elephant,” it
only processes “I...think about a pink elephant.”

The law of dominant effect/emotion

This principle states that stronger emotions tend to take precedence over
weaker ones. Thus, once again, rather than appealing to the conscious will, you
will find it more effective to connect your suggestions to a dominant emotion.
In other words, a suggestion linked to an emotion will override any other
suggestion in the person’s mind at the time.

For example, let’s imagine that you wish to quit smoking. You could remind
yourself (or be told by a hypnotherapist) how bad smoking is for your health,
using cold, hard facts. You could also picture (or have a hypnotherapist

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describe to you) how devastated your family would be if you succumbed to
lung cancer. You might picture your own funeral, picture your spouse and
children trying to get by without you, picture the loneliness and anger they
would feel at your passing.

Which scenario has more emotion attached to it? Obviously, the second
example, and this is why strong emotional scenarios and statements are more
powerful in hypnosis (and in everyday life, for that matter).

Most of the general public have a misconception of what hypnosis really is.
This misconception is largely due to the comedy hypnotists they’ve perhaps
seen on the television. They believe hypnotists can control or manipulate
people.

It is important to explain to every client what hypnosis is and alleviate their

possible misconceptions, and to set the scene as to what the client can expect
or not expect to happen.

There is absolutely no question of being controlled or manipulated, or even

induced into a hypnotic state against your will. People in hypnosis are not
“asleep”. On the contrary, they are often more aware than usual of what is
taking place and their senses function far more efficiently than normal. People
cannot be made to do anything that they do not want to do, and they will only
accept suggestions that conform to their own attitudes and beliefs. The state
of hypnosis, which is a totally natural phenomenon, is a state that we go into
naturally up to 120 times a day.

Explanation of Hypnosis

The definition of hypnosis is “A state of relaxation and concentration at one

with a state of heightened awareness induced by suggestion”.

It’s important to remember that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis and as a

hypnotherapist you are merely a facilitator to help your client into self-
hypnosis.

Who can be hypnotised?

Every living human being can be hypnotised if they want to be, and of course
full co-operation is required.

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It is a natural state we go into as human beings up to 120 times a day. It forms
part of the sleep cycle, we go into hypnosis every night before we go to sleep,
and again every morning before we become fully awake.

Examples of how we go into hypnosis everyday:

Driving:
You may have experienced this when you are driving on a long route, or on a
familiar route you take every day. Suddenly you think to yourself, "I can't
remember passing a certain bridge," or "I don't remember going through those
traffic lights”.

Reading a book

When you read fiction or a novel, you lose all awareness of the people and

the room around you. You become so engrossed that you are “in there” with
the people in the story.
Watching television

You may have been looking at the television screen for the past 20 minutes,
yet you have no idea of what was going on. Your mind has drifted away to
somewhere else. All of a sudden you think “I missed that bit", yet all the time
you were actually looking at the screen.

Who can’t be hypnotised?

• Children under five because they don’t understand the language that you are
using.

• People with serious mental health issues.

• People who simply don’t want to be.

This is the little voice inside your head, the one that right now is saying "Oh
yes, that little voice". It is the part you use to think with, all day long. It is very
limited as it can only hold a limited number of thoughts or ideas at any one
time. This is why, for example, many people can only memorise numbers in
small chunks. 1943609315 is easier to remember as 194 (first chunk), 360
(second chunk) and 9315 (third chunk). On average the conscious mind can
retain only between five and nine units of information at any one time. The

pg. 9
conscious mind always analyses and sometimes criticises what it hears. It then
acts accordingly.

The Conscious Mind:

The conscious mind is like a watchman and the subconscious mind is like a
storeroom. The watchman has no intelligence on his own. He behaves on the
information in the store.

Suppose you tell yourself “you are good at study”. And the store has stored
other people’s comments such as “you are stupid, you cannot succeed”. The
watchman sees your sentences and compares it with the knowledge in its store
and says, “This information is wrong”. The watchman throws this new
information away. He does not put the new positive information in the store.
This is the fundamental difficulty in changing beliefs and behaviour of a person.

The Subconscious Mind:

The subconscious mind is the part of your mind that is responsible for keeping
everything within your body in control. Whether you are conscious wide awake
or even sleeping, your subconscious mind is always working, seeing to it you’re
your heart is always beating, that your lungs are working properly and
breathing. It is the part of your mind that makes sure that blood is pumping to
your entire system. It is even responsible for the growth of your fingernails.
Every function of your body is controlled by your subconscious mind.

Our subconscious mind takes everything that is said literally.

The subconscious mind:

• Cannot analyse and criticise

• Takes every piece of information literally from the conscious mind
• Cannot distinguish between what is real and what is pretend
• Does not have a sense of humour
• Does not understand sarcasm or negative
• Its language is the imagination
• It is there to protect the owner
• It will run all programmes it considers protective
• It never forgets

As all our present habits, mannerisms, and thought patterns are the
result of past subconscious ‘programming’ from parents, teachers,

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 peers, co- workers, television, a variety of sources. This programming
can either propel us into success, or keep us from it, despite our best
efforts.

Logic works with the conscious mind, but often not with the subconscious.
Hypnosis helps the subconscious.

Whilst a person is in hypnosis, the hypnotherapist can communicate directly

with the subconscious part of his or her mind. Since the subconscious mind
does not analyse nor criticise anything that is said to it, it will accept as literal
almost anything that is said and will do this automatically without the person
even knowing.

A good example of the conscious and subconscious mind is as follows. When

you are learning to do something, for example drive a car, you are using your
conscious mind. You may think " I'll never remember all this", but once you
have taken your examination or passed your driving test, then all of a sudden
things seem to come more easily. You seem to go onto "auto pilot". Well, this
is because all the information has been passed on to the subconscious mind, so
that you no longer have to think about what you are doing.

Remember how difficult it was when you were learning to drive, and compare
this with how easy it is now.

How does hypnosis work?

Why Does Hypnosis Work?

The answer in one word is suggestion.

Hypnosis works on the power of suggestion.

As a baby, we are born a completely blank canvas with no fears or hang ups.
But as we grow up and we become influenced by our parents, teachers and
peers, we are bombarded with suggestions as to how life should be. We take
on board these suggestions and make them our reality.

How many times in life have you not done something, because someone
suggested to you that it would be a bad idea? That person has altered and
influenced your life path.

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So, what you are today is a result of all your accumulated experiences from the
day you were born right up to this very minute.

Pre-suppositions of Human Behaviour:

The 10 presuppositions below are central principles. They form a set of ethical
principles for life.

1. The mind map is not a territory

People represent the world internally to create their own personal and
subjective realities. We respond mainly to our internal experience (map of
reality), not to the external reality itself.
How we represent things in our mind are our interpretations. Interpretations
may or may not be accurate. In any case, these interpretations determine how
we experience each moment, and therefore lay the foundation for our
experience of reality in the future too.

Having choices about how to interpret your reality now, changes your
experience of it. And having more choices available to you begins by choosing
to interpret each experience in a way that frees your thinking to explore
different points of view. So, how else can you look at your situation, and how
else, and how else?... In this way, your map of reality expands.

2. People make the best choice available to them

A person always makes the best choice they can, given their map of reality at
the time. The choice may be self-defeating, bizarre or evil, but for them, it
seems the best way forward. Give them a better choice in their map of reality
and they will take it. Even better – help them upgrade their map to one with
more choices in it.

Another way of putting this is: We all act according to the level of awareness
that’s available to us in that moment. The reason why people regret certain
past actions is because they have greater awareness now, and because of this
phenomenon, they eventually overcome their current regret too.

Based on the premise of this presupposition, whoever caused us pain in the

past, did so based on their level of awareness at that time. They were trying to
fulfil a certain value in their old map of reality and never knew how else to go
about it back then. Looking back on that past hurt from a broader and

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resourceful perspective in the present can enable healing and release of stuck
emotions.

Therefore, the broader our perspectives now, the more choices we have – in
the past, present and future...

3. All behaviour has structure

People function perfectly even if what they are doing is ruining their life. All
behaviour has a structure. When you understand the structure, you can
change the behaviour into something more desirable.
People carry out their behavioural strategies perfectly, but the strategies may
be poorly designed and ineffective. Finding out how you or others do what you
or they do, enables you or them to change the ineffective strategy to one that
is more suited to achieving useful and desirable results.

4. All actions have a positive intent

Our actions are not random; we are always trying to achieve something,
although we may not be aware of what that is.
Behind each behaviour there is a positive intention. This may be the
anticipation of pleasure or avoidance of pain. People want to achieve
something that they value and which benefits them.

A person is not their behaviour. When a person has a better choice of

behaviour that also achieves their positive intention, they will take it.
When the behaviour is undesired, find alternate ways to achieve the
behaviour’s positive intent. Seek to add choices and resources. When you take
away choices, other compensating behaviours can occur.
Internal conflicts, indecision, procrastination and lack of motivation are often
the result of conflicting values in our unconscious awareness. Establishing the
highest intention or purpose of each conflicting value enables integration and
inner alignment which results in greater choice and freedom.
To change unwanted behaviours, start by eliciting the highest positive
intention which drives that behaviour, then seek to satisfy that intention
through more appropriate means.

In order to be more understanding and compassionate towards others, seek to

establish what their highest positive intentions are.

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We act according you our current level of awareness. By bringing the
underlying purpose of particular actions into awareness, we create more
possibilities for ourselves and our clients.

5. You cannot not communicate

Resistance in others indicates a lack of rapport, or that the other person

doesn’t get your meaning. We all resist when we don’t understand. Your
intended communication is not always what is perceived.

You cannot not communicate. We are always communicating either verbally or

non-verbally. Even the absence of a response is information. Each person
deletes, distorts and generalises pure sensory information (input through the
senses). Our nervous system is conditioned to filter information in this way.

These filters are triggered by both verbal and non-verbal behaviours in others.

Which is more important: What you intend to communicate, or what you

actually communicate? Flexible communicators change what they’re saying
(and how they’re saying it, as well as their body language) until their desired
results are obtained.

6. We all have the resources we need

Everything a person needs to effect a positive change is already in them. They

may, however, not be consciously aware of it. Often people have resources
that they haven’t considered or are available in other contexts. Resources
mean the internal responses and external behaviours needed to get desired
results. Our most basic resource is our ability to learn.

There are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states of mind. As

response-able people, we can run our own mind and therefore move toward
getting the results that we want. The key to achieving this is through knowing
how to change your state, as specific resources are accessed only through
being in the appropriate state. States are the keys that either open or lock the
door to the infinite reservoir of resources inside you.

Appropriate states are those that match the kind of resources that you would
like to gain access to. For example, to be in a confident state shift your body
posture, breath and internal dialogue to that which matches confidence. You
will immediately begin to feel more confident.

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In the above way you can, through changing you body posture, breath and
internal dialogue, assume any state. Through assuming appropriate states,
your thinking becomes clear, new creative choices arise into awareness, and
empowered actions are the result.

Conversely, we’ve all had the experience of being in a miserable state, and you
know how resourceful you felt then!

The hypnotic state is highly versatile state, since it’s often referred to as the
“master key” to your inner resources. Hypnosis enables people to have direct
contact with the level of their awareness that’s usually unconscious.

Hypnotherapy uses the hypnotic state for the purpose of healing.

So, whichever way you choose to go about it, states are the way in which you
tap your inner wisdom and productive levels of thought to deal effectively with
any situation.

7. Mind and body are the same system

It’s clear how the mind-and-body affect each other: Prolonged stress or heavy
emotional spells often result in physical sickness. Likewise, positive attitudes,
joy and laughter are not only healing for the body, but also help prevent
sickness.

Since physiological cues reflect the functioning of your mind, by changing

physiological cues you can affect the functioning of your mind. For example,
slumping in your chair can make you feel tired, or taking a walk can uplift your
thoughts.

Mind and body interact and mutually influence each other. It is not possible to
make a change in one without the other being affected. When we think
differently, our bodies change. When we act differently we change our
thoughts and feelings.

Treating only mental/emotional or physical symptoms without taking
responsibility for the underlying reasons why such symptoms have manifested,
may disrupt the mind/body system. Ignoring the subtle causes of unwanted
symptoms can result in more complex complications later.

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For example, regularly taking sleeping tablets to get enough sleep at night,
without addressing the mental/emotional causes (like stress or dissatisfaction)
of not being able to sleep, may lead to burn out and/or disease.

Consciousness expresses itself through the system of your mind and body.
Mind and body are therefore intimately linked, and ultimately, they’re two
aspects of the same source. Any healing program must aim to optimise the
flow and balance of consciousness in both the mind and body in order for
healing to be effective and complete.

8. There is no such thing as failure, there is only feedback

Legend has it that prior to Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb, he was
interrogated by a probing journalist who demanded to know why Edison had
failed something like 200 times to invent the light bulb that Edison claimed was
an imminent reality. Edison ́s reply went along the lines that he hadn’t failed to
invent the light bulb 200 times, instead, he’d discovered 200 ways not to
invent it.

With that kind of attitude, Edison was quite likely able to maintain a
resourceful state and be positively motivated to persevere until his goal was
reached.

The attitude that we bring to a situation determines our response to that

situation.

Every result gives you feedback, maybe information about how to do

something differently next time. Feedback is helpful and sets direction. This
kind of attitude toward “failure” produces results that allow you to improve.
Results are the means by which you measure your progress and adjust your
behaviour in order to achieve your desired outcomes.

Every experience offers a positive learning, one from which we can grow
intellectually or in terms of emotional intelligence. Living is learning, even if
you loose, you don’t loose the learning.

9. If one person can do something, anyone can learn to do it

No matter how you define success, many successful people have got to where
they are through modelling the successful performance of others. Modelling is
not copying. Copying how someone became successful in the 80s is unlikely

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going to make you successful today. Modelling in NLP is the process of
identifying and replicating both the conscious and unconscious competence in
another, which results in that person’s excellence. Unconscious competence
(what we do effortlessly, without conscious awareness) can be identified
through careful observation, questioning and strategy elicitation. Once you
know the thoughts, beliefs, values and behaviours that result in excellence,
you can test the model and refine it to fit with you. Once you’re able to
replicate the same degree of success in a specific context, you’ve got that
model.

If it’s possible for someone else, it’s possible for you, and teachable to others
(provided they don’t have severe physiological or neurological damage). In this
way most people can learn to get better results in their own way, you do not
become a clone of the model – you learn from them.

Find a model of excellence in a field that you’re interested in. Identify the
sequence of components (thoughts, beliefs, values and behaviours) that are
necessary to achieve the desired result. Apply that model in a way that enables
you to get the same kinds of results, and success is yours.

10. If you want to understand - Act

Real learning is in the doing. Through application you will soon discover what
works and what doesn’t work. Keep doing (and refining) the things that get you
the results that you want. Remember, there is no failure, only feedback.

Sensory Systems

We take in information about the world we live in through our five senses. The
use of these five senses is called the VAKOG system.

V =

A =

K =

O =

G =

VISUAL

pg. 17
AUDITORY

KINAESTHETIC

OLFACTORY

GUSTATORY

TO SEE

TO HEAR

TO FEEL

TO SMELL

TO TASTE

We also use three of these sensory systems to induce hypnosis.

Rapport

Establishing a relationship with the client must always be considered the first
and most vitally important prerequisite for suggestions to be effective.
Because hypnosis is a cooperative venture, rather than something we do to the
patient, it is crucially important to devote time to the human relationship
dimension and not to simply concentrate on technical expertise in hypnosis
alone.

The rapport building skills we are about to teach you are all natural techniques
that all human beings use on a daily basis. We normally do this selectively. We
will be in rapport with the people that we like and out of rapport with those
we don't like. When we understand the basic dynamics of rapport, we can use
these skills to communicate effectively with almost anyone.

Create positive expectancy

Experienced hypnotherapists are probably more effective than new students,

at least in part because they act utterly expectant and confident that their
suggestions will occur. This inspires confidence in clients, Act and speak
confidently.

pg. 18
Salesmen use rapport building techniques all the time. In order to turn a
potential customer into an actual customer they need to have some kind of
rapport with their client. You could have the world’s best product, but if the
customer does not like you, it is unlikely that he will buy from you. On the
other hand, you could be selling the world’s worst product, and if your
customer is in rapport with you, he will like you so much that he finds it hard
to say “no”.

We need rapport in order to –

As a hypnotherapist we also need to gain rapport with our clients, this way the
client will trust you and work with you. Over the coming months, we will be
teaching you the basics of rapport building, and then taking it a step further,
where we can use various techniques to gain “rapid rapport”.

Rapport, either on a conscious or unconscious level, is the main ingredient of

all communication and change. Its definition is a feeling of oneness, harmony
and agreement.
To establish rapport with another individual we must pay attention to their
body language, both non-verbal and verbal language. Once we have elicited
these areas, our task is to match, mirror, cross mirror and pace that individual.

Eye contact

Appropriate eye contact is usually the most important way of communicating

one's full and undivided attention. It can easily be achieved by doing the
following.

1. Focus your eyes on the other person and gently shift your gaze from his or
her face to another part of the body, such as a gesturing hand or a tapping
foot, then back to the face and to the eyes. Occasionally moving your gaze
away from the person will reduce the chance of staring or of causing him or
her to feel anxiety or suspicion. Let yourself be natural.

2. Avoid staring at the person or feigning eye contact by fixing your eyes on the
person’s forehead. These behaviours can be mistaken for doubt, hostility or
insincerity.

3. Avoid looking away from your client for long periods. If you are distracted

by turning your gaze to others as they walk by, or by noises in the

environment, the other person may interpret this as lack of interest.

pg. 19
Non- verbal prompts

These demonstrate listening, and encourage the person to continue speaking.

1. Affirmative head nodding

These head nods should be used occasionally and paired with eye contact.

2. Appropriate facial expressions

Generally, your facial expressions should reflect the nature and intensity of the
person’s expressed feelings, rather than your own reactions to them. A frown
is appropriate if you do not follow or understand a person’s point.

3. The use of silence

Silence on the part of the therapist can communicate patience, and prompt
the client to start speaking in order to break the silence.

Open body posture

Relaxing your own body will usually encourage the client to relax also. When
your body shows openness and receptivity, the other person is likely to talk
freely and be less defensive. You can achieve open body posture in the
following ways.

1. Face the person, rather than sitting or standing at his or her side.

2. Uncross your arms and legs. Crossed arms can communicate superiority or
defensiveness, as well as serving as a barrier.

3.Lean slightly forward. This communicates interest.

Breathing
Match the clients rate of breathing with your own breathing rate. Repetitive
Phrasing
Hear and utilise the repeated phrases of the other person.

Matching

Matching is the process whereby you adjust the same aspects of your own
external behaviour to approximate those same aspects of the other person’s
external behaviour. The ongoing process of matching is referred to as PACING.
Mastering the art of matching will give you the ability, and choices, to establish
rapport with anyone you choose. A good way to “match” people initially is the
use of body language. This involves matching the client’s body posture. It’s a

pg. 20
well-known fact that when people are together, particularly couples in a social
situation, they mirror and match one another. They do this unconsciously, but
it makes them feel at ease with each other. Hand movements and facial
expressions when matched also help with rapport building.

Matching and Mirroring

Matching is the duplication of a client's movements. Mirroring is simply the

mirroring of their posture.

How to match and mirror to create rapport

1. Think of someone you have not seen eye to eye with-where a better

relationship would be good for you both. Imagine meeting this person.

2. Notice their posture and body language, and match or mirror it. You
don’t need total precision when matching. Are the arms folded? Is the
breathing fast, shallow or deep? Are the legs crossed? Notice the
gestures used and use the same gestures when you are speaking. Raise
or lower your voice tone and pace to match. When you speak

use the same words as they do. It is giving the other person a strong

message that you like them a lot.

Your Hypnotic Voice

New students of hypnotherapy need to develop their hypnotic voice. This can
only develop with practice. It means slowing down your speech to about half
its normal speed, deepening the tonality and speaking quietly.

Signs of Hypnosis

As the client starts to relax, the therapist should be able to see the difference
in breathing rate. Other signs to look for are fluttering eyelids, closing of the
eyes, signs of profound relaxation, the smoothing of facial muscles, and
excessive salivation or swallowing. You will be able to see facial expressions
relevant to the suggestions being made. Your client may turn pale due to a
drop in blood pressure. Head movements and motor signals will be very slight.

pg. 21
Trance Induction

I'd like you to find a small spot or mark on the wall, that you can really look at
and stare at, then just focus all of your attention, just looking, staring, gazing,
concentrating on that spot......check out the size of it...the shape of it, and in a
minute I'm going to count from one to three, and when I get to three you can
allow your eyes to close, but I'd like you to imagine that you can still see that
spot, it won't matter if you can't, just imagine that you can.......but for now just
continue, looking, gazing at that spot,it might become a little blurred, a bit out
of focus, or maybe nothing happens, just continue, looking and gazing, so I'm
going to count from one to three and when I get to three you can allow your
eyes to close, but just imagining that you can still see that spot.......so here we
go......one.......two.........three

So just imagining that you can still see that spot......doesn't matter if you can't ,
just imagine that you can, then you can just be aware of your surroundings,
the temperature in the room, how your back feels against that chair, and
sounds noises that you can here, either in this room or outside of this room.

Then I'd like you to notice how your feet feel, just resting there.....you can
notice the temperature of your feet, or any tiny sensations, just noticing how
your feet feel.
And your breathing has just started to slow down, that's what happens when
you start to relax.....the more you relax the more your breathing starts to slow
down.......the more your breathing slows down.......the more you relax.

Then just noticing how your hands feel.......just resting there......notice the
temperature of your hands......notice any tiny sensations......maybe in your
hands or fingers.......just noticing how your hands feel

Then noticing your arms and how they feel..........maybe it's your left arm that

feels heavier than your right arm........or maybe it's your right arm that feels
heavier than your left arm........just noticing which arm feels heaviest.....and all
the while just being aware of your surroundings....the temperature in the
room......how your back feels against that chair....and any sounds ......noises
that you can hear....either in this room or outside of this room.

So I'm going to start counting from one to ten.....and by the time I get to ten
you can feel calm.....comfortable......peaceful...
and I'd like you to use the power of your imagination, you were born with this

pg. 22
really powerful imagination.....and I'd like you to imagine.....pretend.......make
believe.....that chair that your sitting in is like a hydraulic chair, a hydraulic
chair that can take you down.......ten levels of relaxation, ten levels of
comfort...,,ten levels of peace..,,,just with every number that I count......and I'd
like you to imagine that like its real.

So I'm going to begin that count for you now........

So number one.........just allowing yourself to drift down to that first level, just
to that first level.
Two..............just drifting..... going deeper and deeper......just, allowing any
thoughts to come into your mind....and just disappear again.

Three..........just drifting.....feeling heavy, tired.......glad to just drift........

Four........,,,noticing the muscles in your neck and shoulders......and imagining
those muscles unwinding....unfolding.....relaxing
Five....noticing every breath that you take now.....every inward breath.....every
outward breath.....every breath that you take just relaxes you even more.......,
Six...........deeper and deeper........finding that most comfortable place.....deep
inside.....that most comfortable place

And seven.......just sinking......down and down and down.....nobody wanting

anything.....nobody needs anything........nobody demanding anything

And eight.....just drifting, just allowing any thoughts to come and disappear
again.....
And nine........just drifting......feeling calm......comfortable......peaceful
And ten........,,just drifting.......
I wonder if in your mind.....you can imagine a feather......you know this
feathers just twirling and whirling around......,I wonder if you can imagine that
feather......I wonder what bird that feather came from.....I wonder where the
bird is now.....probably just gliding around.....I wonder if you can imagine that
bird as it glides around.....peaceful.....free

Beach - Deepening the trance

(First it is important to find out if your client likes beaches. If not, you will need
to change this script, perhaps to a beautiful garden or maybe the countryside).

Now that you’re so deeply relaxed, feeling so good and so calm, I can talk to
the part of (client’s name) that knows all about (client’s name) ....... the part

pg. 23
that’s been looking after (client’s name) all these years....... And from now on
(client’s name) you don't have to listen to me any more. You can just allow any
thoughts to come to your mind, and then disappear again. I am now speaking
to the part of (client’s name) that’s always listening ....... the part that’s deep
inside (client’s name).

You was born with a very powerful imagination, and I would like you to use

the power of your imagination and simply imagine that you are standing at the

top of five solid, concrete steps. These steps lead down to a beautiful

beach ... .... A warm, hot, sunny beach ....... perhaps a beach that you have
been to before ....... Or maybe seen on TV or in a book ....... The sky is blue .......
The sun is shining ....... It’s a beautiful, hot day in this warm and beautiful
place. You can feel comfortable and relaxed.

And when you are standing there at the top of these steps ....... I want you to
gently nod your head so that I know you are there.

Good ....... Now I am going to count as you go down these steps and with every
step you will go deeper and deeper into relaxation ....... And when you get to
the bottom, you can imagine stepping onto this hot, sunny beach in this
beautiful place ....... so here goes ....... Go down onto the first step ..... .. Down
even deeper onto the second step ....... deeper still onto the third step .......
The beach is becoming clearer and more colourful as you step down onto the
fourth step and finally ....... So deep on the fifth step ....... And there you are on
this beautiful beach in this beautiful place ....... the sun is shining ....... The sky
is blue and you are so happy to be here.

And now you can go for a wander down on this beach ....... Take a gentle stroll
and drag your bare feet through the warm sand ....... and feel the warm sand
trickle through your toes as you gently wander down the beach ....... Maybe
you can hear the sea ....... maybe if you look over there you can see the sea
....... perhaps you can even smell the sea.

Perhaps there are other people around ....... maybe other noises ....... listen
....... listen to what you can hear .... ... and as you are wandering down

this beautiful beach in this lovely place ....... Perhaps you can feel or sense

pg. 24
the warm sun on your face ....... perhaps you can feel that warm, gentle breeze
....... Have a good look round and see what's happening on this beautiful
beach.

And if you just look over there ....... Just in the distance you will notice a lovely
sunlounger ....... that’s your sunlounger ....... Specially for you ....... I want you
to walk over towards that sunlounger and when you get to it ....... you can take
a nice deep breath and relax 100 times deeper as you gently lie down on that
sunlounger .......

Wait for response .......

Ok .... ... now that you’re so relaxed in this beautiful place ... .... On this
beautiful beach ....... the sun feels so warm as it shines down on your face. ......
and you feel so calm and peaceful ....... I need to ask you a simple question.

If you like, you could stay here a little longer. If you would like to stay here a
little longer, simply nod your head to indicate “yes”.

If client indicates “yes”, simply say that you are going to leave him/her in
silence for a few moments, and to think about anything in his/her life that s/he
may want to change, or to think about any decisions that need to be made,
because any decisions made here are always the right ones.

Waking your client

Ok, now it’s time to wake you, so I’m going to count from five to one and,
when I get to one, you can open your eyes and you will be wide awake and
fully alert, feeling good inside, feeling better than you have felt for a long, long
time ....... Having enjoyed this experience of hypnosis, feeling far, far better
than you felt for a long long time ....... feeling so good .......

So here we go then ....... I'm going to count from five to one and, when I get to
one, you can open your eyes and you will be wide awake and fully alert, feeling
good inside, feeling better than you have felt for a long, long time ....... So here
goes ....... 5 ....... slowly waking, waking, waking ....... 4 ....... Waking a little bit
more ....... 3 ....... Feeling good inside ....... 2 ....... And 1!

Change your tone and increase the volume of your voice on the number “1”.

pg. 25
Special Place

One of the first things we usually do with our clients is to help them to find a
“special place”. This is so that, if the client becomes a little distressed while
dealing with an emotional problem later on, we can take our client back to the
special place to feel good again.

TIP. Never tell your client to go to a “safe” place.

This is the kind of script you might use.
FIRST – Guide your client into hypnosis
First I would like you to find a small spot on the wall or ceiling.

Now stare at that spot and don't move your attention or gaze from it. Really
concentrate on that spot. Check out the size ....... Shape ....... Colour .......
Really focus all your attention on that spot ....... Look at it, stare at it until your
eyes feel tired. Continue looking, gazing and concentrating. Maybe it might go
blurred, or change shape or colour ... I don’t really know, but for now just stare
at it and concentrate on it. You may start to blink a little, that’s ok. Just
continue to look at that spot .......

Now when I count to three, I would like you to close your eyes and imagine
that you can still see that spot, but it won’t matter if you can't see it, just
imagine that you can.

1 ...... 2 .......3 ..........

Keep telling the client how well s/he is doing. Pause for a three seconds .......

Now use your ears and listen. Listen to all the tiny sounds around you.

Pause for a three seconds ..........

Now I would like you to feel how your hands feel as they are resting on your
knees.

Pause for a three seconds ..........

Now I would like you to feel how your feet feel as they are resting on the floor.
Maybe they feel heavy or perhaps they feel light ....... I don't know, only you
know exactly how they feel.

Pause for a three seconds ..........

pg. 26
Now I would like you to focus on your back resting against the chair .......

Pause for a three seconds ..........

I wonder if you’ve noticed how your breathing has already started to slow
down ....... This is what happens when you start to relax ....... your breathing

starts to slow down, and the more it slows down, the more you relax .......

and the more you relax, the more your breathing slows down.

Pause for a three seconds ..........

Now with your permission, I am just going to place my hand on your shoulder
and begin counting from 1 down to ten, and with every number, I would like
you to take yourself further and deeper into this wonderful relaxed state.

Here we go then ....

(place hand on shoulder)

(pace the numbers with each outward breath)
One ...... relaxing deeper and deeper
Two ..... Feeling more and more at ease
Three ...Just drifting down and down
Four ... Simply enjoy this wonderful feeling of deep relaxation Five .... Nobody
wants anything from you now
Six .... This is you time no, you special time
Seven... Going deeper and deeper

Eight ....Drifting more and more

Nine .... Drifting away now, nice and easy And ten.....
Pause ....

Now that you’re so deeply relaxed, feeling so good and so calm, I can talk to
the part of (client’s name) that knows all about (client’s name) ....... the part
that’s been looking after (client’s name) all these years....... And from now on
(client’s name) you don't have to listen to me any more. You can just allow any
thoughts to come to your mind, and then disappear again. I am now speaking
to the part of (client’s name) that’s always listening ....... the part that’s deep
inside (client’s name).

pg. 27
I want you to use the power of your mind and think of a time and a place
where you felt good.

A place when you felt confident.

A time when you were in control.
Some time in your life when you were totally at peace with yourself.

And when you have found that time and place, I would like you to gently nod

your head so that I know you’ve found it. Be patient and allow time for a
response. Good.
Pause.

Now really feel this place, this very special place. This is a secret place, only
(client’s name) knows about this very special, secret place. This is a place
where you will always be safe. This is a place where you will always feel calm.

This is (client’s name) very special place.

This is a place where you can feel calm and relaxed.
This is your special place, where the only sensations you can experience are
pleasant.
This is a magical place, where magical things happen .......

You can have anything you want here in this very special place ....... You can
have colours .......
Peace .......
Possessions .......

Love .......
Happiness .......
Anything you want, simply put it here .......

And every time you come here to this very special place, you will feel 10 times
more relaxed and 10 times more peaceful.

Really feel this place, this very special place. This is a secret place, only (client’s
name) knows about this very special secret place. This is a place where you will
always be safe.
This is a place where you will always feel calm.

pg. 28
This is (client’s name) very special place.
This is your special place, where the only sensations you can experience are
pleasant.

This is your special place.

This is a magical place, where magical things happen .......
You can have anything you want here in this very special place .......
You can have colours .......
Peace .......
Possessions .......
Love .......
Happiness .......
Anything you want, simply put it here .......
And every time you come here to this very special place, you will feel 10 times
more relaxed and 10 times more peaceful.

Now I am now going stop talking to you for a while so that you can enjoy and
really explore your very special place ..................................

While I am silent, I would like you to think about any changes you would like

to make in your life because this is the time and place to do so ....... So now I’m
going to go quiet for a while, so that you can think about these changes .......

Pause.

Ok .... Now that you’re so relaxed in this beautiful place ....... in this wonderful
special place ....... and you feel so calm and peaceful ....... I need to ask you a
simple question.

If you like, you could stay here a little longer. If you would like to stay here a
little longer, simply nod your head to indicate “yes”.

If client indicates “yes”, simply say that you are going to leave him/her in
silence for a few moments, and to think about anything in his/her life that s/he
may want to change, or to think about any decisions that need to be made,
because any decisions made here are always the right ones.

WAKING YOUR CLIENT

pg. 29
Ok, now its time to wake you, so I’m going to count from five to one and, when
I get to one, you can open your eyes and you will be wide awake and fully
alert, feeling good inside, feeling better than you have felt for a long, long time
....... Having enjoyed this experience of hypnosis, feeling far, far better than
you have felt for a long, long time ....... feeling so good ....... So here we go .......
I'm going to count from five to one and, when I get to one, you
can open your eyes and you will be wide awake and fully alert, feeling good

inside, feeling better than you have felt for a long, long time ....... And you will
find that whenever you come to this special place any time in the future, the
more real it will feel, and the more relaxed you will feel.

Here goes ....... 5 ....... slowly waking, waking, waking ....... 4 .... ... waking a little
bit more ....... 3 ....... Feeling good inside ....... 2 ....... And 1.

Use this page to take any notes

pg. 30