Compliance in Hypnosis

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Permalink Reply by James Malone on December 20, 2009 at 7:02am

Conca, there are numerous models of hypnosis "works" and social compliance/domination by the hypnotist is one of them. Like any model, accuracy isn't as important as usefulness. I would guess many of us here at Hypnothoughts who focus on the clinical aspect of hypnotism would not agree that hypnosis is all about compliance/dominance.

In the helping interaction the hypnotist builds rapport with the client which opens the metaphorical door to the subconscious and then works with them in exciting their imagination so as to move past fear, pain, limitation, etc. Although I am not a stage hypnotist I suspect a similar dynamic is present there too, however some entertainers do develop a personna that suggests they have some out of the ordinary power.

A major reason why the clinical hypnotist might reject the compliance model is that a primary objective is to develop the client's sense of control and personal power. If the changes they experience are perceived as being contingent on what we do, this could foster an unhealthy sense of dependency.

That said, a certain degree of compliance is needed in that the client is seeking the advice of an "expert" and may be given homework assignments like practicing self-hypnosis or autosuggestion that they need to follow through on to increase the chance of being successful However I like to think of this more along the lines of a partnership or mentoring.

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Permalink Reply by Connor Wyatt on December 20, 2009 at 8:02am

So you wouldn't say that it is a state of compliance? I just don't like to think of it this way that's all.

Conca

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on December 20, 2009 at 8:55am

The "social compliance" model is often touted by critics of hypnosis, who insist that the trancer is operating out of a desire to please the hypnotist, whether it's a stage hypnotist or medical doctor.

However, I've known women who used self-hypnosis for hypnobirthing while the obstetricians were rolling their eyes and telling the nurses to get the painkillers ready. Those women were clearly not seeking some kind of approval from their doctors.

James

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Permalink Reply by Reg Blackwood - The Quicknotist on December 20, 2009 at 9:03am

Hi Conca,
There are many definitions of Hypnosis. Some you'll like, some you won't.
What's most important is finding the model which works best for you.
If YOU "don't like to think of it this way" then this will get in the way of your intent.
This in turn will affect the subject's expectancy and therefore it simply won't work, for you or them.
Cheers!
Reg
http://quicknotist.com/

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Permalink Reply by James Malone on December 20, 2009 at 9:20am

Then don't- as long as your model of hypnosis helps you to produce the desired results then it doesn't matter if your outlook isn't in "compliance" with someone elses.

Conca said:

So you wouldn't say that it is a state of compliance? I just don't like to think of it this way that's all.

Conca

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Permalink Reply by Connor Wyatt on December 20, 2009 at 11:18am

Thanks, I like your pun!

Conca

James Malone said:

Then don't- as long as your model of hypnosis helps you to produce the desired results then it doesn't matter if your outlook isn't in "compliance" with someone elses.

Conca said:

So you wouldn't say that it is a state of compliance? I just don't like to think of it this way that's all.

Conca

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Permalink Reply by Ricky Strode on December 20, 2009 at 1:04pm

I think of it more as a an overload of the consciousness and they just follow suggestion due to inability, or lack of a logical response. Except for PR, of course that would be more of a want to do it, I would think. You can hypnotize people that don't wan't to be hypnotized with just talking and they could be ignoring you and which that just makes it easier. I've hypnotized several ppl on accident, just messing around with some of my ideals with some people at work. Presupositions and embeded commands go along way if placed in the right order, even if they know what you are doing, because to understand you have to process the information. It's just when to hi jack their trance, or not, because as soon as we have a change it can be drastically changed in the matter of seconds, or less.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on December 20, 2009 at 5:31pm

Hi Conca,

If you ask 50 hypnotists about their model of hypnosis you are likely to get 50 different models -- My suggestion is to get to know the different models and model your theories and practice in your image-

Michael E.

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Permalink Reply by Connor Wyatt on December 21, 2009 at 1:02am

Thank you that's very useful Ricky :).

Conca

ricky strode said:

I think of it more as a an overload of the consciousness and they just follow suggestion due to inability, or lack of a logical response. Except for PR, of course that would be more of a want to do it, I would think. You can hypnotize people that don't wan't to be hypnotized with just talking and they could be ignoring you and which that just makes it easier. I've hypnotized several ppl on accident, just messing around with some of my ideals with some people at work. Presupositions and embeded commands go along way if placed in the right order, even if they know what you are doing, because to understand you have to process the information. It's just when to hi jack their trance, or not, because as soon as we have a change it can be drastically changed in the matter of seconds, or less.

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Permalink Reply by Connor Wyatt on December 21, 2009 at 1:03am

Where can I find information on different models?

Conca

Michael Ellner said:

Hi Conca,

If you ask 50 hypnotists about their model of hypnosis you are likely to get 50 different models -- My suggestion is to get to know the different models and model your theories and practice in your image-

Michael E.

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Permalink Reply by Connor Wyatt on December 21, 2009 at 1:06am

Thank you Conrad, that's what I thought, I knew that in street and stage hypnosis compliance can be used as a tool to almost guarantee success but I didn't think that hypnosis was just purely compliance.

Conca

Conrad Cook said:

Compliance is useful, but it's not hypnosis.

Compliance is useful, because it ensures that the subject will follow your direction even when it goes against their inclination. That's important, because in the therapeutic stuff you're working against the way they've been doing things. So testing for compliance weeds out 'resistant' subjects.

Also, if someone is not compliant then there's a strong likelihood that their heart isn't in changing. One way to get compliance is to do a values elicitation around their desired future. Then you stack those values and link them to the hypnotic situation. Now if they don't comply, you know there's some ecology check or secondary gain, or so forth, that's working against change. Or they're just ornery.

But, if you're asking a technical question as a hypnotist, then no, compliance has nothing to do with hypnosis. If you can get a nice strong polarity response -- a "no set" -- then you can amplify it, accelerate it, and tell the person, "...then it's absolutely impossible for you to go into trance, now..." That's not compliance; that's resistance. You can use either one, because both are reliable responses. (But be quick with resistance. You have to keep laying it on; if you pause to take a breather, they'll adapt their resistance strategy. When someone adapts their compliance strategy, that can work against you, too, as when they decide to consciously help out.)

The general pattern is to look for reliable responses that you can leverage. Confusion inductions aren't compliance or resistance. They're just ways to take advantage of reliable responses.


Conrad.

ps - The other general pattern is to offer value. When people understand at a deep level that you're working toward and in alignment with their values, you get cooperation from the unconscious mind. And that's golden.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on December 21, 2009 at 3:23am

I am sure you can find most of them fishing around right here HT.com or simply punch "how does hypnosis work" into your browser and be sure to fasten your seat belt--


Conca said:

Where can I find information on different models?

Conca

Michael Ellner said:

Hi Conca,

If you ask 50 hypnotists about their model of hypnosis you are likely to get 50 different models -- My suggestion is to get to know the different models and model your theories and practice in your image-

Michael E.

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