Can a beginner hypnotist avoid looking like a failure? Yes, and in this short post, we'll explain exactly how. We've even included an awesome accompanying video from Mike and Chris!
Brand new hypnotists always ask us how they can practice with people while coming across as competent and confident. They want to avoid looking like a failure, especially in those early days of practicing hypnosis.
Mike Mandel often quotes his mentor Derek Balmer who said, "Feel free to fail spectacularly." And that's sage advice since we eat our own cooking around here. We believe in failure as feedback. But we understand that you can still "fail" at things you intended to have happen without looking like a failure to others. Failure is helpful (and necessary!) to build up confidence when you're a beginner.
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How should you present yourself to others?
Imagine two brand new hypnotists. They each approach someone who they'd like to practice on. The first hypnotist says, "Hi, I'm a brand new hypnosis student. I was wondering if you might permit me to try to hypnotize you?"
And the other student says, "I've been studying hypnosis for some time now. Would you like to experience it?"
The first request wreaks weakness and insecurity. The second approach casts off powerful rays of confidence!
What about your environment and audience?
A quiet environment will be more effective than a loud house party, dance bar, or public subway car if you're just starting. Also, make sure you focus on finding subjects you deem genuinely interested in hypnosis. Proper calibration is helpful here! If someone mentions that you're a hypnotist and nobody shows any interest, avoid the temptation to offer to demonstrate. Let others show interest before you provide a demo.
Finally, your family and close friends may not be the best practice subjects initially. You're just "Bob" or "Mary" to them, not a hypnotist. They are less likely to take you as seriously. You're better off practicing with people who are more acquaintances than loved ones and best friends unless that best friend genuinely has a positive, interested attitude.
(Read: Should You Practice Hypnosis With Friends and Family?)
If you must practice with people close to you, consider starting with an exercise that doesn't appear as "hypnosis." Instead, frame the activity as "a cool experience to help you remember great feelings." Then guide them through the revivification exercise we teach you in the very first lesson of our hypnosis academy.
When you're new, make sure you master your presentation and engineer your environment and audience to the best of your ability. Then, practice simple techniques until you feel confident with your verbal pattern and overall flow. Get good at introducing concepts like yes sets and compliance sets. Build your skills in baby steps, and rock on!
If you'd like to go from total beginner to confident hypnotist, start right here: The Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.
