My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

This is the pre-talk and induction that I myself use during sessions.

There are a lot of built in tools and metrics, and both the pretalk and induction work very well
together.

As with all of my offerings, feel free to modify it to suit your own style or clients needs should you
choose to use it.

Start of Pre-talk:

Hypnosis is possible because capitalizes on two natural abilities we have.

The first ability is our ability to automatically react to outside input, without involving the intellect.

We learn how to do this via repetition.

We do something over and over again until we can do it without even thinking about it.

We call it learning the ropes, getting the hang of it, becoming accustomed to it, On the job training, etc.

Do you know how many repetitions it takes to begin making it an automatic reaction?

How many times would you have to do something over and over before you could do it without thinking
about it? Go ahead..Take a guess.

The answer is 3 (this is where the rule of 3’s came from)

Would you like an example?

Please spell “Stop” for me out loud.

S.T.O.P

Now spell “Shop”.

S.H.O.P

Now spell “Crop”.

C.R.O.P

What do you do when you come to a green light?

They will normally say “Stop” or spell it out.

Tell them: “Umm… Green means Go”.

(even if they have heard this before and say GO… they will admit that STOP jumped into their brain.)
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

I think the reason we have this ability to make automatic reactions is to compensate for a limitation we
have… to only be able to focus our attention on one thing at a time.

Think about two people trying to talk to you at once… you can be aware they are both there and are
both making noise… but in order to find out what they are saying you have to focus your attention on
them… and you can only do so… one at a time.

It’s the same reason they don’t want you to text and drive.

A hypnotic trance state manifests whenever the focus of attention is inside the body, and what you are
experiencing is being provided by your imagination in response to suggestion, instead of in response
from sensory input.

Let me tell you a little bit about the imagination.

Most people think that their imagination is just their creative side… the part of them that comes up with
all those neat ideas and solutions… but in reality, the imagination plays a much larger role in our day to
day lives.

The base purpose of the imagination appears to be… to provide us with an understandable
representation of what we experience or what we encounter.

Nothing screws us up more than if we don’t know WHAT IS GOING ON… or WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?

The imagination provides this understanding in a couple of different ways.

First; it provides an understandable representation of what our senses tell us.

We don’t get direct input from our senses… it’s interpreted.

As an example: Have you ever had a cut, a bruise, or a scrape… that you discovered? And it didn’t hurt
until you found it?

That was actual tissue damage that you were un-aware of… because when it happened your focus of
attention was elsewhere… but once you found it… OW!

This lets you know that we don’t get direct input from our senses… it’s interpreted by and presented by
our imagination.

Another way our imagination provides this understanding… is sometimes we don’t have all the
information…

So the imagination will act as a comparator to memory, to provide the closest match to what we have
experienced or encountered in the past.

This is why we can see patterns in things, and see faces and shapes in clouds… it’s all our imagination
trying to make sense of our world to us.
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

So, again… a hypnotic trance state manifests… whenever the focus of attention is inside the body, and
the imagination is providing reaction to suggestion, instead of sensory input.

What literally happens during a hypnotic trance state is that we lose the ability to determine what is real
and true… more accurately… we lose the ability to disbelieve… everything becomes true… just like before
the age of 7 or 8 and we had to have the talk about the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, etc.

The value of everything being true… is our second natural ability… which is our ability to automatically
adapt to a changing environment.

Think about getting into a cool swimming pool or a hot tub.

When you first get in it is “Oooohhh”, but in seconds, it becomes comfortable and refreshing.

That’s how fast we adapt… to anything we believe is real.

In a hypnotic trance state… everything is real…

So If I make a suggestion while you are hypnotized… and two conditions exist… you will automatically
react to that suggestion… and your body will automatically adapt to the new reality.

The two conditions that have to exist for you to automatically react to suggestion are…

1. You have to know how to react… If I asked you to start Dextroboping… what would you do?
I normally provide what the expected reaction is… so there is no confusion.
2. There has to be no reason not to… This is your natural protection. There is a part of you that never
sleeps, never goes into trance, and is always aware… looking for attempts to control you without
your permission. This is why they say you can’t be made to do something you wouldn’t feel
comfortable doing.

So…If these two conditions do exist… you know how to react and there is no reason not to… you will.

And your body will automatically adapt to the new reality.

That’s what hypnosis is… how it works… why it works… and why we get change because of it.

That said… I only do business one way… all my cards face up on the table. I will let you know what we
are going to do… what you can expect to experience… and I will get your approval first… each step of the
way… before we do anything.

No surprises… no verbal clutter.

Does that sound good?

Great!

Next, there will be no zombie-ism...You will be totally awake, alert, and aware for the entire session.
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

The session will also be very interactive, because I don’t know what you are experiencing… I will ask and
will expect you to tell me.

Lastly; I don’t care if you close your eyes or not... it’s not required.

That said; we just had the talk about only being able to focus on one thing at a time… and for a hypnotic
trance state I need your focus of attention inside your body.

So, if you are looking around the room, or focusing on something other than what I am suggesting… we
will run into problems

Understand? Good!

Now, the big question on your mind should be… “Well… what am *I* supposed to do?”

I will give that to you in a metaphor.

If I asked you to close your eyes, and said… ” in a moment I will touch you on the arm…” how would you
know when I touched you?

(the normal answer is… “Well, I would feel it.”)

We just had the conversation about the cut, the bruise, and the scrape… which was actual tissue
damage that you were unaware of… because your focus of attention was elsewhere at the time.

So what we are saying is… that if your focus of attention is somewhere else… I could probably touch you
on the arm all day long… and you’d never know.

The only way you WOULD know… is if you focused your attention on… “how does my arm feel” and
looked for my touch… then there would be no doubt.

Now, I am not going to be touching you at all… but I am going to be suggesting that different parts of
your body relax.

I don’t want you to “try” and relax them… this is about automatic reaction… not willful compliance.

What I want you to do… is to monitor that part of your body and look for the relaxation.

What literally is going to happen is that your imagination is going to go…”They are expecting to feel
relaxation… I am not getting it from my senses… so I will have to provide it… and it WILL.

When it does… I want you to lift the index finger of your right hand… I call that the “I feel it” signal.

When I see that… I will know that everything is working as it is supposed to and we can continue on.

If you don’t feel it… don’t raise your finger.

Then I know to find out what is wrong and fix it… or to shift gears and do something else.
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

I know 15 different ways to hypnotize someone so don’t worry about it… but I need to know if what we
are doing is working or not so I can know where to go next. Understand?

Great… are we ready to begin?

Part 1 of Induction:

In a moment, I will count from 10 down to 1. When I say 10… you will notice that your feet begin to relax
and it will feel really good… when you feel it, lift your finger.

When I see that, I will say 9.

When I do… you will notice that the relaxation spreads from your feet to your ankles and calves.

When you feel that… lift your finger.

When I see that I will say 8.

When I do… you will notice that your knees begin to relax… when you feel it… lift your finger.

Next I will say 7.

When I do… YOU pick the part of your body you want to relax next… lift your finger when it does… just
remember that by the time we get down to 1… your whole body needs to be relaxed.

Is that okay?

Are you ready?

10.

(Go through 10 -1 one at a time.

Take specific notice of how long it takes after you say the number… for the subject to lift their finger.

I normally count my pulse to time this.

This is how long it will take for the behavior/decision center to process, accept, and allow reaction.

This timing is different for everyone.

Use this timing information for future timing between numbers and timing for reactions to
suggestions.)

When they are down to one… “That feels good… doesn’t it.” (Verifying the job is done)
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

Part 2 of the induction:

Since we have done such a good job relaxing the body… now it is time to relax the mind.

In a moment, I will count from 5 to 1.

You won’t need to signal me with your finger any more. (We have the timing from part 1 so we don’t
need it).

This time, with each number I say you will notice your body relaxing even more… feeling even better…
but also, with each number I say… you will notice your mind starting to relax too.

With each number I say, your mind will relax more and more, until finally, when I get down to number
1… your mind will be so relaxed that even the numbers themselves will relax themselves right out of your
mind… leaving you with that black blank screen.

When this happens… just let me know by saying “They’re gone”… meaning the numbers are gone.

Is that okay?

Here we go.

5. (use the reaction timing info you already learned to space the number intervals)

4. 3. 2. 1.

When you are down to one… wait for them to tell you the numbers are gone.

Induction Part 3:

Great! Since we have done such a good job relaxing the mind and the body… in a moment I will count
from 3 down to 1.

When I do, with each number I say… both your mind… and your body… will relax more and more.

They will relax so much that soon, you will be able to leave them both behind and drop right down into
your safe and special place.

Your safe and special place is a protected area… filled with feelings of comfort and security.

No negative feelings or emotions are allowed in there.

When you make it down there… and there will be no doubt when you do… just let me know by saying…
“I’m there.”

Is that okay?

Here we go.
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

Three, Two, One.

(Again, use the established timing interval to space out numbers.)

Once they tell you they are there… they are ready to do whatever.

End of induction.

I routinely include a stress dumping protocol at this point, to both de-stress them and to start
manipulating the trance state with guided imagery so I can see how well they are reacting.

I will now ask you to use your ability to visualize.

Look around in your safe and special place, nearby… you should notice a trash can with a lid on it.

I want you to go over to the trash can and lift the lid off of it… and let me know when you have done
that.

Since no negative feelings or emotions are allowed here in your safe and special place… this is the trash
receptacle for any negative feelings or emotions that you happened to bring with you.

If you look inside the trash can, you will see a green glow.

You will realize that you can take all of those negative feelings and emotions that you have been packing
around with you… and you can throw them in the trash.

When they hit that green glow… you will see them disappear… you will actually feel them leave… and
then realize to your delight… that they really are gone.

So take a moment, and dump all that trash.

Dump all that frustration, anxiety, angst, fear, rage, or whatever… when it hits that green glow you will
watch it disappear, you will feel it leave, and realize that it really is gone.

And when you are sure you have dumped it all… put the lid back on the trash can,turn your back to it…
and let me know when you have done that.

But this is your one chance so take your time and dump it all… I’ll wait.

Just let me know when you are done.

(When they say they are done…)

Now you should notice that big empty area where all that negative stuff used to be…
 My Typical Pre-talk and Induction

Go ahead and fill up that empty area with what should have been there in the first place… all the
positive feelings and emotions… fill it up with happiness, joy, self-esteem, self confidence, a positive
mental attitude, even happy experiences from the past.

Keep putting those positive feelings and emotions in there until that area actually overflows… and you
can tell when it does because it will feel so good that you can’t help but smile.

(wait for the smile.)

When they smile… and they will…

Go ahead and open your eyes.

This is what hypnosis feels like… you might notice that while the center of you field of vision is still clear…
it is blurry around the edges now…

This is because your peripheral awareness has shut down and you are now automatically reacting to
suggestion.

This is where I ask you if you want to experience proof of hypnosis… like arm levitation, arm into steel
bar, lock eyelids closed, etc.

Does that interest you, or would you rather just get to work?