Can you hypnotize a skeptic person?

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Permalink Reply by Antonio on November 19, 2008 at 2:26am

I am a skeptical person...I don't think you could hypnotize me, and take me down to a deep trance and then give me a post hypnotic suggestion that when I wiggle my right thumb and say "purple poppies" that I will return to this level of trance or deeper.

:)

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Permalink Reply by Antonio on November 19, 2008 at 2:28am

You might be ale to tell him that your time is worth money, and that since he's not going under right away, he will have to pay more cash. Don't think he would want to toss more cash your way.

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Permalink Reply by Leo Gopal on November 19, 2008 at 2:52am

Hi Doreen,

I have met a few people like you described, since im not yet a hypnotherapist, I would just leave them, but on one occasions, a good friend, had the similar experience, she just wouldn't trance, but she honestly wanted to, but she was skeptical that she could actually be hypnotized... so i ended up doing waking hypnosis then trancing her...

This is also my friend whom i spoke about being agoraphobic in earlier posts... and im glad to say, shes out now partying as we speak since her exams are over and her agoraphobia is gone :)

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Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on November 19, 2008 at 2:58am

Hello Doreen,

Well done for hypnotising him with his eyes open.

If he wants to keep opening his eyes, reasure him that this is OK.

In the same way, if he is spontaneously laughing, encourage him to do it as much as he needs.
This is a discharge of fear. You could call it catharsis or an abreaction. Whatever you choose to call it, it is probably serving a usefull purpose, and once he has let of some off enough of the fear through approved of laughter, he will feel safer to keep his eyes closed for longer periods, and respond better.

Hope this is useful.

Love and hugs,

Fable

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Gruber - www. ask-the-hypnotist.com on November 19, 2008 at 3:13am

Doreen,

Just wanted to comment on the eyes open aspect.

I have a client now who would not close her eyes when we started off. Claimed it "hurt" her eyes if she did. So I just went ahead and did the hypnosis anyway, telling her it was ok to keep them open. She would regress with her eyes open and then start to close them for longer and longer periods of time as we went along. Now she closes her eyes from the begining of the session.

A couple of weeks ago I found an old research report that compared hypnotizing people with their eyes open versus shut and guess what the finding was-- no difference.

I suspect that having the client's eyes open might be more uncomfortable for the hypnotist than the client. There is also the question of expectation. Clients typically close their eyes as soon as they sit in the hypno chair because they think this is what they have to do to go into hypnosis. What the mind expects......

Stephen

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Permalink Reply by chris john on November 19, 2008 at 4:10am

i could put you in a deep trance.

also, gotta ask why would a skeptic want to practice something he does'nt believe in?
isnt that a contradiction?

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Permalink Reply by chris john on November 19, 2008 at 4:21am

it may be worth remembering a few instant inductions for real nervous clients.

ive had a client who wouldnt go under with a rapid induction,
so i did an instant and boom....they're totally under.

as for, ' What about if the person is willing to be hypnotized no matter how skeptical they are, and they allow you to hypnotize them but unconsciously they cannot let go?'
id ask if they really want to be hypnotised.

and i also have to say, if he was that skeptical, he would'nt be in your office.
so he believes in hypnosis, otherwise he would'nt return again.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Strube on November 19, 2008 at 5:28am

Hey Doreen,

I find it interesting to use covert language patterns, and then a 'closed eye' process or visualization to help a person into the level of trance that they need. If I have a skeptic and I am working like this I won't test for arm catelepsy, but I will look for all of the other signs. Even if the person has been hypnotized before, and feels that they can't / won't be again, I just work around it. I find it to be fun to challenge my creativity, and my ability to be in a deep enough state that they just follow along!
Incidentally, the clients that I find the most challenging are not the clients who know they have anxiety or panic, rather, the clients who tell me they are really quick thinkers and high energy. You know, the same people who vibrate so fast that your cloth chair is shiny when they get up.
I always remember the words of Milton,
'Now Joe, I know you didn't come here to talk about tomato plants..."
and smile inside and out!

Stephen

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Permalink Reply by Wizardoftrance on November 19, 2008 at 8:13am

This is exactly what I found. Eye closure is not necessary for hypnosis at all. Come to find out, neither is relaxation, or sleep, or even rapport. Skepticism has never changed reality. I put several videos on here of wide awake hypnosis, with two of the subjects being skeptics. Then I demonstrated trance effects (arm levitation) with them. The only thing required is desire and permission on the part of the subject. Expectancy plays a much larger part than most realize, which was the point of my videos, but this is not to be confused by pre-conceived notions of the subject, and Hollywood has given them plenty of those in advance.

John

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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Robinson on November 19, 2008 at 8:28am

I am most definitely a skeptic. In some ways that makes it better when I believe. I analyze, tear part, try to figure out everything. I am the type of person that replays conversations in my mind both my side and the other persons. I have always done this as long as I remember. When I first took the weekend introduction class for Hypnosis I went in with the attitude of "prove it to me". When the teacher started to do the first induction I will admit I was trying to figure out what he was doing more then "listening" to what he was saying. Then my mind said, if you don't just go with the flow as it were then you will not experience the entire thing and that's what you paid good money for. So I let myself relax. I actually had an abreaction to it so we had to use a different tech. I think though in retrospect that probably convinced me more then if I had just felt "good" afterward like everyone else. However, once convinced I am totally there. Then I went on of course to take the full certification course.

I think when you work with a skeptic and you convince them it's all "real" then they are some of your best "salesman" as it were.

On instant inductions I've never done one yet although thinking of doing one tomorrow as I have to presentation at my daughters work and only have 30 minutes. I'm a bit nervous about using these as I've seen how they can work great but also totally flop. During our classes, it was the next to the last one our teacher did two of these. One gentleman it worked great on. The other gentleman who was very much the analytical personality, think stereo-typical computer geek here (no offense intended but that is how he described himself) the teacher did it, the gentleman's head went down then jerked up and you could tell it scared the crap out of him, he never came back to class again. I don't know for sure but I think that scared him so bad that is why. We asked the teacher why he didn't come back and he said he didn't know he hadn't been able to get in touch with him at the next and last class.

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Permalink Reply by Doreen Cohanim C.Ht on November 19, 2008 at 8:37am

Hi Chris,

I am glad you pointed out the question: as to myself, that was exactly my personal blockage with hypnosis in the beginning, I remeber when I used to practice 101 in hypnotherapy, I was laughing out so loud even that my eyes were closed I could not stop the tears or the laughter,with practice and understanding the mind I have allowed myself to be hypnotized and today I am actually reaching somnambulism if I allow myself, therefore I do believe in hypnotherapy and all other healing modalities, but I am sure others still may have that specific problem, like I said, I was able to hypnotize my client with his eyes opened, just wanted to start a discussion about that and later you will find out why :)
By the way, It will only be a contradiction if I was still skeptic when it comes to hypnotherapy or other healing modalities, but I am talking about people in general that still are and they don't work with the therapist to heal even that at times they really want to or sometimes they just want to blame the word that nothing will fix them..

Doreen.

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Permalink Reply by Doreen Cohanim C.Ht on November 19, 2008 at 8:46am

lol i have done that but in a very diplomatic way.
In the end of the session I did tell him, OK i will see you next week at the same time, you are doing good, and believe it or not when you was relaxing with your eyes open, you were actually in hypnosis, and I also gave him the post hypnotic suggestion that with number three (3) he will lough louder and when I say the next number it will be contagious, and it work the same way as if he had his eyes closed and I have explained to him that this action actually indicates that hes mind did get the positive suggestions.

Thanks for your response...
Doreen

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