Conversational Hypnosis Tricks

The human mind has two parts: the conscious and subconscious. The subconscious mind is the foundation of our beliefs. We acquire these impressions from our childhood, families and environment. The conscious mind is the mind that evaluates and ultimately speaks the truth. If your body needs food, your conscious signals. Milton Erickson developed conversational hypnosis: by distracting the conscious mind and replacing old beliefs with new suggestions without putting the subject into a trance.

Create Rapport

• Establishing rapport is the first step in conversational or covert hypnosis. It is absolutely necessary. You can do it by exchanging a few words with your subject, or by agreeing with them or validating them. With other subjects it may take time to establish rapport and commonality with them.

Create Confusion

• Conversational hypnosis does not depend on the traditional "relaxation induction" where the hypnotist brings the subject into a trance. Instead, the conscious mind is distracted by creating confusion. For example, a patient in a doctor's office who is about to experience a daunting treatment may hear from their doctor: "You know Mr. Daily, in dreaming you are a caterpillar proud and sure, of one ultimate iron, fortitude, aptitude, attitude, latitude, endurance and many feet, one standing proud on a journey storm through windmills and wisdom. And as the wind fierce through the tunnel flows, out comes the glorious butterfly. Such a dream it will be..." (See Reference 2)

Suggestion

• The confusing example given about the butterfly deftly envelopes the powerful suggestions about successful transformation. Suggestions must always be mingled in with the confusing banter to best mask them. However, the confusing banter cannot sound irrational or the subject will lose rapport with the hypnotist.

Practice

• Bear in mind that conversational hypnosis requires regular practice and repetition to gain proficiency.