Trance is the heart of any hypnotist’s work, so let’s ask ourselves …
- How do you know your subject is going deeper into trance?
And more importantly,
- Are they deep enough to do the change work?
We'll answer these questions and give you a few extra tips in this blog post and accompanying video.
Calibration - The Key to Good Hypnotherapy
A lot of hypnotists run into the problem of wondering if their subject is deep enough into trance to do serious work.
We should always aim for the deepest trance we can. After all, if the subject is only in a fairly light trance, we might not get the results we want.
Many people use various ‘depth scales’ to measure the depth of trance, but they’re generally unreliable, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many.
We suggest a much simpler solution. We call it calibration.
Experienced hypnotists can tell if their subjects are going deeper into trance just by looking at them.
They first get a baseline of what that subject usually looks and behaves like, then they notice when that pattern changes.
We’re talking about really subtle things that most people usually overlook or dismiss entirely, when interacting with someone.
As hypnotists, we know this is a mistake. Hypnosis is just another form of communication, and many of its principles apply in everyday conversations as well.
Things like:
- Breathing shifts: When the subject’s breath becomes slower and deeper, that’s a sign of body relaxation, and hypnotic trance.
- Facial flushing: A person’s skin color might change slightly as they fall deeper into trance.
- Muscle relaxation: Subjects in a profound trance may exhibit various signs of profound muscle relaxation. When their head tilts forward and their face is blank and expressionless, you can be almost sure they are in a deep hypnotic trance.
Practice Makes Perfect
Cliché or not, this maxim holds true for hypnosis as much as for most other abilities. We can teach you what to look out for, but you must train yourself to notice the signs that tell you the person you’re working with is going into hypnotic trance.
We always stress the importance of practice as it is crucial to developing the skills you need as a hypnotist. It might be difficult, though, to spot these subtle changes when you’re just starting out. To make things easier, we’ll share a neat trick that beginners can use to notice when a trance is happening in front of them.
Although, as we said, it can be difficult to notice subtle changes, it’s extremely easy to notice huge ones.
It’s impossible to not notice, for example, a floating hand that slowly sinks down as the subject falls deeper into trance. This phenomenon is known as catalepsy, and it is utilized in a variety of different inductions, including the one taught in the video down below:
As Mike said in the video, this version of Milton Erickson’s floating hand induction is really easy because it has gravity working in our favor, as the subject’s arm already tends to drop slightly due to its own weight. It also provides a very clear indication that it’s working.
Just tell the subject that they’ll go deeper and deeper into trance as their hand sinks down, and when it touches their lap, the arm of their chair or whatever surface, they’ll be deep enough to make all the changes they need.
Then just watch their hand sink as you constantly give directions for going deeper into trance. As simple and easy as it may sound, that is a clear and accurate gauge of the depth of their trance.
Learn Hypnosis With the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy
When you are ready to continue your journey toward becoming a world-class hypnotist, we'd recommend getting started at Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy (MMHA).
At MMHA, you can go from absolute beginner to confident hypnotist FAST.
With bite-sized, easy-to-understand videos, you’ll learn foundational principles and skills of hypnosis, meaning you’ll NEVER need a script. You’ll interact directly with us, guest trainers, and students worldwide.
In addition to building and reinforcing a solid foundation in hypnosis, MMHA contains tons of advanced techniques which you’ll learn quickly and effortlessly, making it the perfect training for beginner and experienced hypnotists alike.
You get the first few lessons free for 14 days without ever needing to put in your credit card details. It's the easiest way to start learning hypnosis today.
Click here to get started at the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.
