Hypnotherapy For Smoking Cessation: The

Ultimate Guide On How To Stop Smoking With

Hypnosis
Want to help someone stop smoking with hypnosis? Without relying on pure willpower, prescriptions
or gimmicks? Then hypnotherapy is the perfect choice.
And there are several good reasons why this is the case:
• When someone is hypnotized, they become relaxed
• Their conscious mind takes a back seat
• Their attention is turned inward
• They’re able (with your help) to communicate with their unconscious mind
• This makes it possible to implant powerful suggestions that the unconscious will act on
And the result is that you can change the way they think about smoking at a deep and profound
level, helping them find the motivation to quit within themselves.
Nothing new there. You probably know this stuff already. Hypnosis has been shown time and time
again to be an effective way for people to kick the smoking habit. More effective than nicotine
replacement therapy or going cold turkey.
So we know it works a treat. We know how powerful hypnotherapy can be. The only other thing we
need to know is this: how do you conduct the perfect stop smoking session?
Let’s break the whole process down so you can see exactly what’s involved. Once you get familiar with
it you should be able to complete it comfortably in about 45 minutes. For a typical 1-hour session, that
gives you 10 minutes to meet and greet your client at the beginning of the session, as well as 5 minutes
at the end to let them fully recover.

How To Conduct A Powerful Habit-Kicking

Smoking Cessation Hypnotherapy Session
There are 2 essential parts that need to come together in order to help your clients kick their nasty habit
for good!
Both are made up of several different components. So let’s dive straight into part 1.
Part 1

1. Induce A Trance
You might find it useful to do an instant induction. This can be done quickly so you don’t waste any
time. That also means you can get on to the deepening work faster. If you don’t know how to do an
instant induction, don’t worry, just carry on with your frame control work and look out for signs of
trance.

Their eyes might glaze over, they’ll move around a lot less. They might start agreeing to everything
you suggest. Once they’re in a trance, hit them with the Non-Awareness Set.
It’ll take just a few minutes and will show them:
1. You know what you’re doing (authority)
2. That the process is working (convincers)
The non-awareness set takes their mind in another direction, away from the conscious and towards the
unconscious. You might simply ask: did you notice how your breathing slowed down a minute ago?
The idea is to show them that if they can control their breathing, they can control other things, like their
desire to smoke.
>>Learn how to do an Instant Induction here:Hacking The Instant Induction: Igor Ledochowski
Reveals How To Master It [VIDEO]

2. Enter Their Reality

You need to enter their smoking reality in order to help them change it. There are 2 possible ways to do
this:
a) Using Piggyback Statements – Address the problem and start piggybacking solutions onto it. Start
from where they are right now and build motivation into your speech. For instance:
You’ve smoked a pack a day for 25 years, and now you’ve had enough. You don’t want your kids to
smoke. You don’t want smoking to ruin your health. You’re sick of throwing money down the drain and
you just don’t want to do it anymore.
b) Unconscious Errors – Here you reframe their reasons for smoking, identify them as unconscious
errors, and then reframe each of those errors. They might think smoking gives them confidence, helps
them relax, makes it easier to concentrate or provides a time for contemplation and future planning. But
people can do all of those things without smoking. Their unconscious mind has created positive links to
smoking, but did so in error.
Smoking can’t give you confidence. It doesn’t relax you – in fact, it does the opposite. It won’t help
you concentrate or think clearly because it distracts you. Your mind can do all of these things without
the need for a cigarette.

3. The Change Ritual

At this point you give them a mechanism they can hang onto, as if to say “I have changed.” This is
where they start to move from being a smoker to a non-smoker.
There are 3 techniques you can use to accomplish this:
a) Regression – Take them back to their first cigarette. Let them see themselves taking that first puff,
choking and coughing on it. Like their body was telling them not to do it. Not to fill it with poison.
Then get your client to suggest ways to get their younger self to resist that first cigarette. To think about
the future consequences.
Cigarettes aren’t cool or sexy. They won’t make you a rebel. You can be cool, sexy and rebellious
without smoking. Plus you won’t have to be addicted to nicotine. You won’t stink of smoke. You won’t
risk your health unnecessarily. You won’t become a social outcast.
Let them see their younger self refusing the cigarette and then get them to step inside the younger body
and experience it for themselves. The pride, the bravery in standing up to peer pressure. Kicking the
habit. Feeling confident. Growing up as a non-smoker with the coping mechanisms to resist it.
b) Symbolic Journey – Create a safe or relaxing place where they can feel good about themselves.
Somewhere they can experience freedom and happiness. It could be a garden, a forest, a beach or
anywhere they prefer. Get them to visualize it, pointing out the details and using all their senses.
Then ask them to find a gateway. It might be a ladder, a hole in the wall, a well, or something else. It’s
a gateway to the symbolic unconscious. Once there, they’ll find an unconscious symbol that’ll change
their relationship with smoking and make them a non-smoker for the rest of their life. A trap door. A
boat across a lake. A bucket.
Whatever symbol they discover, use it to detach them from the whole smoking experience. Be creative
and use the symbol as a means for change.
c) The Crossroads – Use this technique only when you’re sure they’ve decided to quit smoking. Get
your client to imagine themselves standing at a crossroads. One path leads to a lifetime of smoking and
misery. The other path leads to happiness and freedom from smoking. It’s a black and white frame that
creates a powerful sense of motivation. A place where your client can decide they no longer want
anything to do with smoking and choose to be free from it.
4. Pause & Reflect
This is where you start to ingrain the idea of being a non-smoker into their head. Get them to
acknowledge or confirm their own transition. You can do that by asking them what it feels like to be a
non-smoker. If they say it feels great, you keep echoing that trance word (great) back at them.
Congratulate them on having achieved it. Pile on the compliments and positive energy by saying how
proud they must feel, how relieved they must be, how determined they are to stick to their guns and
never smoke again.
They’ll be happy. They might even be glowing with pride. So at this stage you get them to pick a
symbol that represents their freedom from smoking. A flower. A crushed cigarette pack. A big badge
with the words: “You did it!” on it. Whatever symbol they choose will act as a mental trigger to bring
the feelings of pride, relief and success flooding back.

5. Test, Test, Test!

This where you test the client to see if the work has been successful. If they’re going to break down, it’s
better that it happens in front of you. At least then you can do something about it.
Get them to imagine themselves holding a cigarette and ask how it feels. Run a few similar scenarios to
see if you can get them to cave in. The reason for doing this is so you can supply them with a coping
mechanism in case they experience cravings a few days later.

6. The Craving Buster

If they feel like they really want a cigarette, they’ll notice some kind of sensation. Maybe a tingling on
their tongue. That’s the craving.
Explain that whatever they resist will persist. The more energy they put into fighting the craving, the
more the craving will grow. Instead they have to confront it. They have to talk about it. They have to
tell you how it feels, what it feels like. Then get them to bring in their freedom symbol, which will
restore their feelings of pride and relief, just like before. And they can use the same technique in the
real world, whenever someone offers them a cigarette or they’re surrounded by smokers.
That brings us to the second part of the session.

Part 2

1. The Resource Blitz

Here you blitz them using hypnotic language. You focus on the reasons they thought they were
smoking in the first place, such as:
• Smoking gives you confidence
 • Smoking helps you relax
• Smoking helps you concentrate
Health and family are two of the best reasons to quit. No more smelly clothes or stinky breath. Less
chance that their children will develop the bad habit in the future.
If they’re worried about hunger pangs and gaining weight, tell them they quit smoking naturally. Food
will taste better as their taste buds revive, but they won’t feel compelled to eat more. They’ll simply
enjoy the foods they eat more. And being able to taste more of the food will mean they can relax and
savor it, which might actually make them feel full faster.

>> Related article: 5 Highly Effective (And Creative) Ways To Isolate The Conscious Mind And
Speak Directly With The Unconscious Mind

2. New Behavior Generator

At this point you need to help them learn how to be a non-smoker. You do that by addressing all the
triggers related to smoking through the course of a day. Those times when having a cigarette used to be
a habit, such as:
• First thing in the morning
• After breakfast
• During break times at work
• After lunch or evening meals
• While relaxing in the evening
Give them behaviors they can adopt instead of smoking. These might be simple deep breathing, taking
a short walk, drinking a glass of fresh water, reading a book, chatting to a colleague, and so on.

3. The Craving Buster

Test them again. You want to make sure the alternate behaviors kick in. Try to build a scenario that
induces a craving. Get them stressed, tense, and in the frame of mind where they might at one time
have reached for a cigarette.
For instance: you’ve had a seriously stressful day. Your head is pounding. Someone nearby is smoking
a cigarette. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one? To feel that nicotine taste in the mouth?
Make it unpleasant to elicit as realistic a response as possible. If they spontaneously bring in other
behaviors, that’s good. If not, remind them about their freedom symbol and the kinds of behaviors they
can use to bust any craving, anytime, anywhere. It might help to put the behaviors in a My Friend
John context to show how somehow else coped with cravings.
Finally, remind them of their glowing future. They’ll be healthier. They’ll smell better. They’ll feel
better. They’ll be happier. They’ll enjoy life more. Their family will benefit. They’ll have stacks of
resources to keep them smoke-free.

4. The Saboteurs
People sometimes quit smoking
successfully but start up again. Here
you want to make them aware of the
things that could sabotage their
efforts. If they’re aware of them,
they can avoid them when they turn
up.
The saboteurs include:
• Other smokers, trying to get
you back into “the fold”
• Any stressful or major life-
changing experiences
• Curiosity to try smoking
again
• Arrogance, thinking they can
always quit again if they want
to
• Self-testing, to prove that
they’ve stopped smoking,
especially when they can’t
believe how easy it was to
quit
Finish up by reminding them about
their freedom symbol. This makes
sure that the main point they leave
the trance with is the idea of a being
a non-smoker.

5. Ending The Trance

Bring them out of the trance. Then
try to engage them in some conversational hypnosis about how it feels to be a non-smoker. How cool it
is to know they’ll never smoke again. How great it is that they’ve got all these tools to bust cravings. In
each case they have to look inside themselves to reinforce that those tools and feelings are there.
Even though the trance is finished, there’s more to come. There are some extra things you can do that
will ram the whole freedom from smoking point home for good.

6. Post-Hypnotic Blitz
Give them one final blitz to bring everything together. Blitz them about:
• Their resources
• Their future
• Resisting temptation
• Their craving buster
• Their freedom symbol
When you’re finished doing that, they’ll be a non-smoker. Then you can pile on the optional extras.

7. Optional Extras
These are tasks you give to the client either before or after the session. They include:
a) The Ash Jar – Use a pickle jar or similar to collect all the ash and cigarettes for a few days or a
week before the session. When the client brings it in, open the jar, add some water and mix it all up.
It’ll look disgusting. Open it and let them sniff it. Also disgusting. It’s basically a bit of aversion
therapy. They can even display the jar somewhere at home to remind them just how revolting smoking
really is.
b) The Diary – Get them to keep a diary of every cigarette they smoke before the session. Instead of
relaxing, they have to get out their diary and write. It’s a pain in the butt, which helps to break the
association between smoking and pleasure. They should write down:
• Every cigarette they smoke
• When they smoked it
• Where they smoked it
• Who they smoked it with
• What they felt like before and after they smoked it
c) The Cut Down – If you’re giving them a 2-hour single session, this won’t be applicable. But if
you’re giving a two 1-hour session separated by a week, or even multiple sessions, this might be of use.
Ask them to think about cutting down between sessions by:
• Inhaling less deeply
• Smoking less often
• Putting the cigarette out a little earlier
• Taking fewer puffs
d) The Money Jar – Ask your client to bring a jar to the first session. Find out how much they spend
daily on smoking. Suppose it’s $5 a pack. Instead of smoking that money away they can put $5 in the
jar every day.

Before long they’ll have a pile of money in there they can use for a special treat. The longer they keep
going, the more money they’ll earn. So being a non-smoker can be a profitable business for them. You
might even want to get them started by sticking $5 in the jar. Tell them it’s a gift get their new
“business” off the ground, since they don’t need to smoke anymore.
e) The Freedom Letters – Ask them to write a letter every day to a friend or family member. In the
letter they should write about:
• The fact that they’ve quit smoking
• How great they feel
• How long they’ve been smoke-free for
• How excited they are to be free from smoking for the rest of their life
This exercise reminds them on a daily basis why they’ve quit. It reinforces their reasons and success. It
creates social commitment too, because they’re telling everyone that they’re now a non-smoker, so
people have to start treating them that way. It also might help spread the word about your talent as a
hypnotist, which could bring more clients rushing to your door.

8. Client Resources
Give your clients lots of resources to read and take away. These will help them make the most of your
session.
a) The Info Pack – For example, a simple 4-page glossy booklet. Give it a snazzy title like: The
Simple Way To Stop Smoking…. For Good!

Put a seal on it saying Official Non-Smoker or something like that. On the inside front cover add text
congratulating them on giving up and getting a life of freedom. The booklet itself might contain:
• A written version of the blitz about how amazing their future will be
• A section on the evils of smoking, the chemicals in a cigarette, and so on *
• A section on how smoking affects health *
• A section on how quickly health recovers when you quit smoking *
• A description of the craving buster to remind them of the technique and to reassure them that
they can use it whenever they need to
• A final congratulation message and blitz on what the future holds
Finish off with an emergency telephone number and, if space allows, a simple X-step craving buster. If
there isn’t space, put this info and the number on a card they can carry in their wallet.
* You can get all of this information online.
b) A Relaxation CD – Which is self-explanatory, except that now they don’t have to turn to cigarettes
for relaxation
c) Craving Supplements – The nicotine will leave their systems within a week. They can’t have
cravings after that. If they do, they’re purely psychological. The supplements should therefore be used
only for a week to combat potential cravings.
Glucose Tablets – First, make sure they’re not diabetic. Also make sure they discard any unused tablets
at the end of the week. They can take one every hour which will give them a quick sugar spike and
keep those happy chemicals flowing.
Water Bottle – Carry a small bottle of water and sip it every 20 minutes or so. Instead of lighting up,
have a drink of water.
Lemon Juice – Get a bottle of concentrated lemon juice. When there’s a craving, squirt a drop on your
tongue. Or dilute it in the water bottle and sip that instead.
Unsweetened Grape Juice – The same as above, but perhaps a more palatable alternative.
And that’s the end of the session. It gives you everything you need to conduct the perfect stop smoking
session from start to finish. Once you get the hang of it, it could be a fantastic way to start your
hypnosis practice. Or you might even choose to specialize in this field of hypnosis.

If you do decide to specialize in smoking cessation hypnotherapy, here are some tips on how to go
about it:

Insider Tips & Tricks On How To Set Up Your

Specialist Smoking Cessation Practice
As a hypnotherapist, you’ve got specific goals in mind. You want to help people. You want to be a force
for good. You want to alleviate their fears and help them live a more rewarding life.
That’s all good stuff. To be able to do any of it, though, you need clients. You need a steady stream of
clients to keep your practice ticking over. And you need to be paid adequately for your services.
If thinking about the money bothers you, look at it like this. Someone comes to your house and does
work in your garden. You pay them. Another person turns your attic space into a luxury bedroom. You
pay them. Another installs an electric garage door. You pay them.
You wouldn’t expect any of these people to do the work for nothing, and neither should you. If you
don’t get paid, only one thing is going to happen. Your hypnotherapy practice is going to go bust.
So the first step in getting your practice up and running is to get yourself some clients. You only need
one success story to get the ball rolling. If they’re happy with what you’ve done, they’ll help get the
whole marketing process off the ground.
>>Related article: 5 Things To Consider When Setting Up Your Hypnotherapy Practice
Client Referrals
Anyone you help will tell other people. They’ll big up your powers. They’ll recommend your services.
They’ll help create a buzz about what you do, which will convince other people to give it a try. Here
are some of the best places to get referrals:
a) Previous Clients – Ask clients if they know someone who might benefit from your services. If they
do, ask if you can contact them. At the very least give them some business cards and literature they can
pass on. You can build a long list of clients just by word of mouth alone.
b) The Client Intake Form – You need information about the client. An intake sheet filed under their
name makes storing and retrieving that information quick and easy. The form can be a single page and
should include:
• Their name
• Date of the session
• Their age
• Their date of birth
• Their complete contact details
You also need to know:
• If there is any history of illness in the family
• Their doctor’s name and contact details
• Whether or not you can contact their doctor if necessary
• If their doctor or dentist has recommended they give up smoking
Somewhere on the form (possibly on the back) you need them to answer the following types of
questions:
• How long have you smoked?
• How many do you smoke?
• When and where do you smoke?
• Have you tried to quit in the past?
• What are your reasons for smoking?
These are not simple yes-no answers. They have to think about their responses. The questions also set
up the frames upfront.
This information gives your practice a professional feeling, but it also does something else. It gives you
the chance to market your services in the most unobtrusive way possible. Here’s how you do it.
• You know their date of birth – When their birthday rolls around, send them a handwritten
card. Congratulate them on becoming a non-smoker. It’s a nice gesture that also keeps you and
your practice at the forefront of their mind
 • You know the date of their session – 6 months after their visit, send them a letter
congratulating them on the anniversary. Stick some business cards and leaflets inside. Remind
them that you can offer other services as well, and invite them to refer other people to you.
c) Medical Referrals
Doctors (and nurses) and dentists can provide lots of referrals. But since you’re not a medically trained
practitioner, you need to prove to them that you can help people stop smoking. One way is to offer a
free seminar where you do instant inductions and other quick activities that wow them about your
skills.
But once you’ve secured some referrals from medical practitioners, and have done your best to make
these subsequent clients non-smokers for life, ask these clients if they would mind writing a letter (the
freedom letter) explaining that they’ve quit, how great they feel, and so on.
Next, write to their doctor detailing the client’s success and thanking the doctor for the referral. The
client came to see me because you said he needed to stop smoking. He’s a non-smoker now and I’ve
got a letter to prove it.
You’re giving the doctor the credit for your client’s success. What do you think they’ll do next time
they have a patient who wants to stop smoking? They’ll send them to you.
>>Related article: Hypnosis In Dentistry: How To Work With A Dentist As A Hypnotherapist
d) Local Businesses – Join a Chamber of Commerce or local business group. Go to meetings and
network by exchanging information and referrals. Ask shops to display flyers about your services in
return for referrals or a commission. Run evening seminars and invite local businesses to attend.
e) Family & Friends – Tell them that you’re specializing in non-smoking. Talk about what you do and
how it helps people. Hit them with a few success stories without naming names. Because they like you
they’ll tell others about what you do, and that will bring more referrals your way.
f) A Website – Set up a website with a simple letter that introduces hypnosis, your non-smoking
practice, and how you can help. Include a free report they can download in exchange for their email
address so you can keep them informed about your services. Keep the site simple and to the point. Even
people living around the corner will search for resources online, and if you’re that close they just might
look you up.

It’s also a good idea to set up a Facebook page so people can find you through this way too, especially
if you decide to run paid advertising to this page. Some small businesses today actually decide to only
have a Facebook page so they don’t have to worry about maintaining a website. The other benefits
include being able to build an audience on Facebook by posting updates about your services, engaging
and related content and even inspiring quotes or success stories. Furthermore, (and as mentioned
before) you can also run advertising to this page so you can get noticed and build up your practice
through Facebook.
g) Adverts – Place ads in local newspapers and in the Yellow Pages. A great way to get free publicity is
to write a story about hypnosis or about smoking. These could coincide with National Stop Smoking
Day or National Hypnosis Day. The paper gets their story and you get free advertising, with your
contact details clearly displayed at the bottom of the article.
Finally, remember that all of these things take time. Start with one client if you have to and do the best
job you can. Get testimonials or letters from every person you help and ask each one of them to spread
the word. Tweak and refine your hypnosis techniques so you’re providing a service that’s second to
none. Keep on doing that and before long you’ll have clients lining up outside your door.
Storytelling Hypnosis Induction – Ericksonian Style

I had a client once who used to tell me about her most enjoyable experiences of,
taking wonderful, long bike rides on a trail through a forest near her home.

In the beginning, she was very much aware of having to make an effort to push each
pedal to move forward.

But before long, she completely lost awareness of pedaling at all,

and she would become deeply absorbed in the delight of all Godʼs creations.

The fresh aroma of clean all air.

The chirps and peeps of the crickets, grasshoppers and birds around.
The refreshing and invigorating coolness.
All of the beauty of nature, such a welcome newness from her normal routine.
And the further she rode, the more and more r-e-l-a-x-e-d she began to feel.

And as she rode down the long, winding path… Going deeper and deeper... into the
beautiful woods.
Sometimes she would really begin to notice that the leaves were just beginning to
change into their fall colors.

You can really see the beautiful bright yellows, the deep oranges and glowing reds.

And sometimes the delightful colors were so transfixing that a person could really...
gaze at that one spot... and just fix your eyes there... N-O-W...
as it is so nice to find oneself enjoying - really enjoying the experience completely...
beginning to feel more and more relaxed, as all of the stress and tension just f-l-o-w-s
out of your body.

And she would continue going deeper and deeper into the forest, just becoming lost in
your own world of pleasant thoughts.

And thereʼs really no need to pay attention to anything at all,

other than the sound of my voice,
as you continue to enjoy, really enjoy, this delightful story,
allow yourself to enjoy the soothing images,
sounds and feelings in your own mind, in your own way.

And this client of mine would continue to tell me how a person could
become totally relaxed and

allow all of the stress and tension to just flow out of your body now
as one becomes deeply absorbed in the experience,
enjoying the wonderful, deep absorption in thought, and the wonderful deep relaxation.

And as you are listening to the story of this client of mine, and as you are enjoying the
soft, soothing tone of my voice,

1
Storytelling Hypnosis Induction – Ericksonian Style

and as you are allowing yourself to relax even more and more,

perhaps you may begin to,

allow your head to gently drop down so that your chin touches your chest.
Thatʼs right... your head going down... down... down... just let go... all the way down...
touching your chest...N-O-W...

And it really does not matter if your head begins to drift down slowly...
or if it drifts down quickly...
so long as it just happens at its own pace, in its own time... thatʼs right...

comfortably drifting down... and going deeper and deeper and deeper...
and even still deeper yet...
my client would continue on her most delightful ride through the
wonderful, deeply relaxing experience...

a person can, you know, allow themselves to just let go completely now
and become so very relaxed that
they become lost in the experience of feeling soooo good,
feeling soooo relaxed, feeling soooo wonderfully calm...
and peaceful... and safe... and secure... thatʼs right...
all of the stress and tension just flowing...o-u-t... n-o-w...

and perhaps you may begin to notice now a wonderful...

comforting warmth in the muscles in your neck and shoulders...

perhaps youʼre becoming aware of the soothing warmth now...

or perhaps it may take a few minutes to
really begin to feel this wonderful, comforting warmth...

and itʼs easy to imagine yourself... now...

sitting comfortably and safely in a private tub of warm water...

perhaps your own bathtub... or maybe a soothing whirlpool...

wherever you are now, begin to imagine yourself there...
make sure itʼs a place where you feel very comfortable... very safe...
and very secure... very pleasant... becoming more and more relaxed... feeling the
delightful, comforting warmth of the soothing water...

and you may begin to notice that your legs are starting to relax completely... feeling so
warm... so comfortable... so very, very relaxed...

all the stress and tension just melting away...

such a wonderful, comforting, delightful experience...
and you may begin to notice that soothing warmth spreading... now...

2
Storytelling Hypnosis Induction – Ericksonian Style

all throughout your body... up your legs... through your abdomen...

up into your chest... across your shoulders... down your arms...
all the way out your fingertips...

and I really donʼt know if you can let this happen completely now....
or if you already have...
or if it may take a few minutes to feel the relaxation so completely...
thatʼs right...

and this client of mine would enjoy these delightful rides frequently...
and times she wanted to feel good...
and times she wanted to feel completely relaxed...
and she would go to the special place as often as she liked...
when ever she needed to go there...
sometimes just for a short trip, lasting only a few minutes...
and other times for hours...

and a person can, you know, have those same experiences,

and enjoy those same wonderful feelings anytime they choose...
by revisiting the experience in the quietness of their own mind...

and it doesnʼt really matter if itʼs a real bike ride, or an imagined one...

because a person can, any time they wish, go to a quiet place,

close their eyes, and become fully absorbed in the experience

and feeling completely relaxed and comfortable...n-o-w...

Awaken Sequence

Iʼm going to bring you out of hypnosis now by counting to 5, and as I say each number
you will feel more and more healthy, cool, calm, relaxed and whole.

1. You are slowly coming back to the here and now, feeling relaxed, cool, calm,
peaceful.

2. Feeling overjoyed with health and vitality.

3. Your mind is clear and alert, your body balanced, restored.

4. Your eyes are starting to open and you feel great... and...

5. Eyes wide open, alert and feeling wonderful... Welcome back.

3
 The
Hypnotic
Storytelling
Checklist
By
Dr. Steve G. Jones
!
!
Copyright Statbrook Associates ! .
1
Welcome to the Hypnotic Storytelling Checklist.

One of the easiest ways to engage, influence, persuade, hypnotize

and communicate with people is by telling stories.

The human mind is hard wired to listen to a good story.

Armed with this knowledge you can take your communication

skills to the next level.

There is a science to telling “hypnotic stories” though.

This checklist will ensure that you are fully equipped to provide
your audience with the best storytelling experience possible:

1. Aims & Purpose - What is the main purpose of telling your

story? What are your other aims apart from the central objective?
These preliminary elements have to be crystal clear before
engaging your subject or audience with your story.

Without a clear purpose in mind, you will lack the necessary

confidence needed to convince everyone that your story is
believable and they should comply with the inner message that
the story contains.

Conviction and confidence are the result of adequate planning

and having a very clear idea of what you want to accomplish with
storytelling.

2. Subject/Audience – How well do you know your audience?

The biggest mistake that a hypnotic influencer can make when
he/she is about to share a powerful story with other is failing to
take into account the desires, needs and motivations of the
recipients of the story.

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Remember: you are creating stories to motivate other people to
agree with you. You are not creating stories to please yourself or
your friends. You may have a great narrative but without knowing
much about your audience, your story may end up falling on deaf
ears.

Reach out to your subject or audience beforehand to get a feel of

what they want to hear from you. You can adjust your story to fit
the needs of the situation, always remember that!

3. Core Personal Experience – What is the core personal

experience driving your story forward?

When a hypnotic influencer decides to share a story (whether

fictional or drawn from real life), the reason is usually because of
an important, core experience that changed how the influencer or
thought or behaved at a certain point in time.

Look back at your own story and think: what is the core
experience that is fueling your passion to tell this story? Use that
as further motivation to make the storytelling a success.

You need to know yourself well before you can go out and
motivate and persuade others. You have to reconcile these fragile
connections if you want to be as confident and genuine as
possible when reaching out to your subject/audience.

4. Core Message – What is your core message for the people who
will listen to your story? Your message has to be clear,
understandable and most of all, actionable.

If you want people to change or to implement a particular plan of

action, you need to make your message as clear as the day. There
has to be a sequence of steps implicit in the story so people will
understand immediately how they can take action, too.

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Also, don’t forget to perform a “litmus paper test” on your story.
You have to modify your core message if your story is an
essentially negative one.

Again, this is done to avoid rejection of your message as people

can be very defensive of their values and beliefs. People should
see your story as a positive motivation to achieve something
more in life and not as a command to drop their old beliefs in
favor of your beliefs.

5. Powerful Opening – Is your opening powerful enough to

induce a hypnotic trance? A powerful opening can silence a
crowd with anticipation and excitement.

Also, it helps if you don’t give away too many details in the
opening of your story because withholding information and
dropping vague statements are actually excellent ways to induce
a hypnotic trance on a person or in a whole group of people.

Strategic vagueness has always been in the classical repertoire of

clinical hypnotherapists because the human mind automatically
tries to fill in the “missing piece of the puzzle”.

A vague statement such as “this man lost everything and used his
learnings to build a massive, multi-million dollar empire” is
sufficient to catch the attention of many individuals because of
its catchiness and the missing information, which people will be
interested to know.

!
6. Hero & Characters – Is your hero ready to be presented to the
audience? Like an actor, your hero needs to ‘rehearse’ for his/her
role in the story. How familiar are you with the character that you

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will be presenting in the story? Can you make adjustments to the
dialogue if you need to?

You also need to review the plot strands and dialogues. You have
to be able to deliver equal power throughout the story so your
audience will be hooked from start to finish. Once you have
established that high energy at the beginning, be sure to do
everything to sustain it until the very end.

7. Paring Down – What needs to go in your story? This might be

surprising since we have spent a considerable amount of time
building up your story from scratch. However, a good story
contains all the vital elements and no unnecessary sections or
junctures.

To see if your story needs to be pared down for clarity, write down
a section by section summary of your narrative.

Examine it and ask yourself: what can I remove to make the

whole story clearer and more insightful? Additional details can
cloud your story, making ‘digestion’ of the facts more difficult.

Once you have removed the unnecessary junctures in your tale,

read your story again. Are you satisfied and happy with the
result? If you are, move on to the next item!

8. Emotional Content – Your story needs to trigger the right

emotions in your audience and at the right time. If your
emotional triggers come out flat, you’re going to lose your
audience’s interest very early in the storytelling session.

To test if your story has what it takes to make people smile, laugh
or even worry, share your story with close friends and family and
see how they react to it.

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If you can share your story with complete strangers or at least, an
objective analyst, that would be a much better way to ascertain
the effectiveness of what you’ve created.

If not, share your story with at least one person that you are
comfortable with and pay close attention to that person’s spoken
and unspoken feedback to your tale.

9. Sensory Engagement – A powerful story needs to be able to

make its narrator disappear into thin air.

Again, this can be accomplished by using a diverse set of mental

images that will appeal to the different senses, not just the sense
of sight. Remember the acronym VAKOG: visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory.

10. Veracity – How truthful is your story? If you want your

audience to believe in your story and in the embedded message,
you need to be truth to your audience, too.

Your story has to represent an undeniable truth that you can back
up with data or at least, personal experiences. You must not
confabulate any facts just to make your story interesting or more
believable. If you do this and are discovered, you will be seen as
manipulative and untrustworthy.

Congratulations!

You now know the key elements involved in creating a hypnotic

story.

But here’s the thing..

You can’t just walk up to people and start telling them stories.
You have to first “open” with a good conversation.

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Now let me ask you…

Would You Like To Learn How You

Can Set The Stage For Your Story
Using My Proven Hypnotic
Conversation Openers?
!
Click Here To Learn More
Talk soon,

Dr. Steve G. Jones

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