In between Richard Bandler’s trance inductions, I spent time on the Mexican beach doing self-hypnosis. Maybe you remember the "hear the waves crashing and watch the pelicans soaring" trance. Or perhaps you’re more familiar with the "feel the sun on my skin and don’t even listen to the sounds blending in the background" trance. It’s all about focusing attention, engaging various representation systems (seeing, hearing, feeling) and slipping easily and effortlessly into trance.
And, for this Hypnosis Trainer, it does not get much better than February, the beach, trance and Bandler’s week long program on Hypnosis as an Application to Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). I was very curious about where NLP and hypnosis have evolved, 30 years later, for the provocative co-founder of NLP whose trademarks are humour, shock their socks off, evocative hypnotic language patterns, keen sensory acuity and unwavering commitment to results rather than popularity.
What Is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state, something we do automatically, easily and effortlessly. We’ve all experienced the trance phenomenon of time distortion, the "where did the time go," when we’ve been in the gardening trance, the TV trance or perhaps the golf trance. Or how about the amnesia phenomenon, the "I don’t even remember parts of the trip," of the driving trance.
"Trance, relaxation or comfortable self awareness" is how hypnosis was described by Dr. Milton Erickson, a renowned psychiatrist who was influential in having hypnosis recognised by the American Medical Association as a therapeutic technique.
In trance there is a focused awareness, a paying attention to what is really important and when you wish, you can pull the background into conscious awareness. In this way, trance is a tool to facilitate change, learning or skill development, with the desired results occurring naturally.
All hypnosis is actually self hypnosis. I do not do it to you, you do it to yourself. The subject is always in charge, deciding if, when or how deeply to go into trance. Whether I guide myself, or am guided by another, it is always about me choosing to hypnotise myself and invite the unconscious mind to access resources, share insights, undertake learning or make changes.
Betty Erickson’s Self Hypnosis Protocol
Dr. Erickson would often invite his wife Betty to demonstrate self-hypnosis. Using Betty’s protocol, we begin with some very basic statements to engage three of the representational systems (seeing, hearing, and feeling). In the first few rounds, just name the experience. Then add a sense of permission for the awareness to take you deeper into yourself. And finally allow the experience to be a vital part of the solution or outcome you’re seeking.
At the outset you might choose to identify something you’d like to experience, a goal or an outcome. It could be something general (like I want to relax) or something specific you’d like to work on. Setting aside 20 -30 minutes, centre yourself and begin.
Start by saying to yourself, in your real or imaginary voice, "Now I am aware that I see" (and let it bubble up, whatever you are aware of seeing, just let it in). Then say "Now I am aware that I hear" (whatever you are aware of hearing, just let it in). "And now I am aware that I feel" (whatever you are aware of feeling, just let it in).
Repeat the sequence for a few rounds and then add the permission to go deeper.
Now I am aware that I see..….and I can let this take me deeper into myself. Now I am aware that I hear…...and I can let this take me deeper into myself.
Now I am aware that I can feel……and I can let this take me deeper into myself.
Let the images bubble up, repeating the sequence for a few rounds. Then invite your unconscious mind to do the learning or change work on your behalf, whenever it is ready. Take all the time in the world to enjoy the state.
When you are ready to begin to reorient your way back into the room, take your time and tell yourself "Now I am going to come out of trance and when I do I will be awake, alert, refreshed and energized."
And then, I don't know just when, your unconscious mind will delight and surprise you with the awareness that your experience may have been as restorative as lying on the beach, hearing the waves crashing and watching the pelicans soar.