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jameadows
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 08/24/2005 : 8:59:14 PM
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I'm learning to work with, rather than against, my subjects' 'resistance' when doing a hypnotic induction. For example, if a client can't relax, or their mind wanders I can assure them that this is okay, and that this is just how some people go into a trance, etc.
In discussing hypnosis with a friend he said that he would like to be hypnotized, but is quite certain that he is too much of a cynic for it to work with him. I believe that the stronger the conviction the more powerfully it may be leveraged to help the subject develop a trance, but I'm somewhat at a loss for ideas in using cynicism or skepticism.
I know that I could work the induction by telling him that it's okay to be skeptical and still go into a deep trance, or that your conscious mind can be doubtful and your subconscious mind can still enjoy a nice trance. But I'm wondering what other ideas might be possible. It seems to me that this is a good opportunity for a powerful double bind, but I haven't come up with one yet.
There's a great example of dealing with resistance in 'Monsters and Magical Sticks' by Steven Heller. He has a guy who wants to be hypnotized, but doesn't like to do what he's told. Heller tells him to directly disobey his every suggestion. This is a great double bind! If the guy disobeys a suggestion to 'raise your right arm', then he is cooperating. If he raises his right arm then he is obeying. The subject ended up very confused and of course went into trance. I'm wondering if there is something along these lines to use with regard to my friend's belief that he is too cynical to be hypnotized.
Thanks for any and all ideas - jam |
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anthony
Canada
305 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2005 : 2:55:28 PM
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| I wonder if I misread you, since I am curious about your statment of overcoming resistance. Why should a client coming to you for help be resistant to that help? I can only surmise that it is due to some lack on your part, since I have never had a problem dealing with resistance except when challenged to put someone into a trance who states that they are not hypnotisable.... I usually overcome this by demanding that they put up a large sum of money which becomes mine if I succeed. I have never failed to collect...... |
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jameadows
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 2:34:20 PM
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Hi Anthony,
Thanks for your reply and advice. This question is academic, no real client but this came up in talking with a friend who feels that he is too cynical (his words) for hypnosis to work for him. It raised an intriguing question which is how to handle this particular type of 'resistance'. I think the easy, obvious way is always to give the client 'permission' to be cynical, or skeptical, unfocused, etc and let them know that it will still work. Just as a matter of personal interest though I find it most fascinating when the resistance is used to his advantage (like my example above) rather than merely dismissed as inconsequential. This is why I enjoy reading accounts of Erickson's brilliant and subtle inductions and suggestions.
Since I first wrote I've been thinking about this and have a couple of ideas. First is that my friend's self-described cynicism may be at least partially due to the fact that he is around a lot of 'new-agey' friends and family and he is not of this mindset himself. I suspect that he groups hypnosis in with crystal healing, chakra work, psychic healing etc. So perhaps just educating him on the proven scientific validity of hypnosis would help reduce his cynicism.
Another idea that I, as a computer programmer, find somewhat interesting is to think of cynicism as a subroutine in a computer. Data comes into his head, gets processed by the cynic algorithm and the results are output. By understanding the transforms that take place within the algorithm and knowing the desired output it may then be possible to craft a particular input to arrive at the desired output. Yeh, pretty nerdy, I know ;) But along those lines I think I will ask my friend what *he* means by cynicism and to maybe give me an example or too. Any programmer knows that it's easier to figure out an algorithm if you've got a working test case and some documentation - LOL
Cheers,
Joe |
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anthony
Canada
305 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 3:58:00 PM
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| OK now I understand. What your friend said in not in fact resistance, but a strong desire to experience this new, and to him exciting experience. To go along with that believing as you do, would be foolish and doomed to failure for both of you.... Of course I don;t know your friend, and what would be his hot button, but in a face to face I could readily overcome objections of this sort. For example, one evening I was in company of three friends who were in sales. One was using me to help her increase her selling ability, and the other two were keeping her company out of curiosity.. One challenged me in the same way your friend did, so I offered a challenge in return. First, I pointed out that I charged for my services as was proper since they had value, but in his case I would do a deal with him. I offered to have him put down a sum of money equal to what I was charging at the time, and in return, I would either succeed in hypnotising him, or he would get his money back. If I succeeded I kept the money. He agreed the fool.... I then pointed out that he was a salesman, and he agreed, so I then pointed out that he was very good at sales, he more than agreed to that. I then said, if you are good at sales, it means you also have a very good imagination, and if you have that, it is impossible for you NOT to be hypnotisable because hypnosis uses the imagination to help the client. By this time he was in a corner. Either he was hyonotisable or he was a lousy salesman, and of course he went into the trance state instantly. So much so that he was lucky he wasn't driving that night because he reentered the trance on the way home. Now that is a case of understanding suggestion both in the waking state and the trance state, and I can't give you a foolproof method for your friend, you know him I don;t, but it might aid your understanding. |
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jameadows
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 2:33:55 PM
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quote:
OK now I understand. What your friend said in not in fact resistance, but a strong desire to experience this new, and to him exciting experience.
Yes, good thought. I came to a similar insight yesterday as I was talking to yet another friend who was skeptical that he could be hypnotized. This time I realized that he really would like it to work despite his doubts. So I reframed these doubts as a glass half full rather than half empty scenario by pointing out that he did believe it could work but that he was not 100% certain that it would. That simple redirection helped him realize that he really was a 'believer'. Too bad he lives about five hours away from me so I didn't have the chance to make him a *confirmed* believer :)
BTW, good move linking the subject's self esteem to his ability to be hypnotized, that one's going in the toolbox!
Thanks,
Joe |
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Suggest-o-Man
Australia
15 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2005 : 10:21:01 PM
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jameadows -- your posts seem to be concerned with particular factors capable of limiting, restricting or, even, entirely blocking any potential for hypnotherapeutic success.
Perhaps it may help to be able to distinguish between five different sorts of subject: a "non-compliant" subject, a "resistant" subject, a "reluctant" subject, a "cynical" subject, and a "skeptical" subject.
A "non-compliant" subject is one who does not complete a prescribed course of treatment (i.e., in precisely the way the treatment was prescribed). It is a well-established and well-verified fact, across w wide range of medical, therapeutic, and health-care domains that at least 2 out of 3 clients (some researchers say it might be as many as 5 out of 6 clients) are "non-compliant".
A "resistant" subject is one who fights against the treatment. Resistance can appear in at least four forms: i.e., passive resistance, active resistance, conscious resistance, and unconscious resistance.
A "reluctant" subject is one who attends against their will. And, whilst "reluctant" subjects are always "resistant", they are "resistant" for an entirely different reasons from the typical "resistant" subject. Fortunately, unlike the case of, say, school counselors, clinical hypnotherapists very rarely have "reluctant" subjects.
A "cynical" subject is one who strongly asserts that there is no such thing as hypnosis, that every claim made about hypnosis and its benefits are bogus, that everyone offering support for hypnosis is a fraud; and, furthermore, if it were ever to be determined that there was such a thing as hypnosis, the would argue that their mind was so strong, and their character was so perfect that they could never be hypnotized.
A "skeptical" subject is one who demands evidence before they express an opinion. Their view would be that, although they have heard certain things about hypnosis, hypnotism, and hypnotherapy, they have no direct knowledge of whether or not what "believers" claim is true or false.
Now, in what follows, I am assuming that none of the "non-compliance", "resistance", "reluctance", "cynicism", and/or "skepticism" that you describe is due your manner, your attitude, your displayed level of proficiency/skill, your mind-set, your appearance, your way of speaking, your gender, your race, your religious affiliation, your choice of décor, your use of apparatus (dim lights, reclining chair, hypno-disk, pocket watch), or your mode of dress.
Perhaps what you suppose is "resistance" may simply be that your subject is not comfortable with you or your chosen technique.
However, if they are truly a "skeptical" subject (i.e., not a "cynical" subject), they are usually a dream to work with; specifically because they will always do exactly as they are instructed.
I have always had great success with "skeptical" subjects.
One simple way to deal with your "resistant" friend is to do something like this: In a moment I am going to ask you to close your eyes and pretend that you can’t open them. Now, please close your eyes, and I want you to begin to pretend that you can’t open them, and to pretend that you feel your eye-lids, etc.
The benefit of this approach is that, at any time they open their eyes, you’re able to say something like: Fine, we know that you CAN open your eyes, but I want you to PRETEND that you can’t, etc.
As a final point, I suspect that your "resistant" friend is only too aware that there is such a thing as hypnosis, and is only too aware that he/she is a good subject; it is just that (for whatever reason) they don’t trust you as the operator.
One of the best ways to avoid this sort of challenge from friends ("YOUR hypnosis won’t work with ME!!") is to state that, as a principle, you will never hypnotize your friends; specifically because the change that will possibly occur in the normal "balance of power" (through the act of hypnosis) may have serious consequences for the ongoing "relationship of equals" that is the basis of every true friendship.
Hope this helps |
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Exploration_la
2 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2006 : 12:53:47 AM
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There are therapeutic techniques to dealing with cynicism, so maybe you might want to work with that first before you tackle anything else so you can have that out of the way…. It would sound like priority to me..
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Utilizing subject's cynicism
