Perhaps the Most Effective FREE Marketing Tool for Your Stage Career & Clinical Practice

Use the amazing power of hypnosis and hypnotic phenomena not only during sessions/shows with clients - but to GET clients, too!

>> Paula's Hypnosis Gurus Question of the Day

Every time we put out a new training resource, I get phone calls and emails asking, "What is this about and why should I learn it?" - and so this week's most popular question is: "Why whould I want to learn Street Trance?"

Half the questions I am asked start out like this: "I do traditional professional stage hypnosis shows - corporate gigs, high school events, comedy club acts - why would I want to learn impromptu hypnosis?"

Answer: Because it brings you referrals!

So you're a stage hypnotist - but when someone asks you to demonstrate hypnosis so they understand more of what it's all about and want proof that the subjects on stage are not 'stooges', you can't just break out into a full 90-minute show on the fly. But if you did a Speed Trance instant induction and a 5-minute Street Trance mini stage show demonstrating Hypnotic Phenomena with 1 or 2 people, you'd wow and astound, explain and prove, and possibly get a gig.

The mistake many hypnotists make is in viewing Street Hypnosis as a whole different genre of trance performance, when really it's just an abbreviated form that can be demonstrated anytime, anywhere, with anyone.

Street Trance is an excellent marketing tool that costs you nothing to implement, requires no props to carry around, and generates amazing results!

The other half of questioners ask me: "I'm a serious clinical hypnotist, not an entertainer, so why would I want to learn impromptu hypnosis?"

Answer: Because it brings you referrals!

Street Trance can help you to market yourself more easily - anywhere, anytime, with anyone - to gain more clinical clients.

As you likely know, when you're at a party or a clothing store or anywhere, and someone asks you what you do, and you say you're a hypnotist - they say, "Wow! Really? Does hypnosis really work? Can you hypnotize me now?"

I've seen this happen literally hundreds of times to numerous hypnotists, and I'm always a little disappointed by the more 'pure' clinical types who say, "Well, yes, I could, but this really isn't the most appropriate setting... Here's my card, why don't you call my office next week for an appointment..."

If that hypnotist had just said, "Sure! Come sit down over here...." - they might have actually secured one more appointment, if not several.

There is a myth going around that "Street Hypnosis" is all about comedy skits - mini-stage shows - and it certainly can be (as discussed above), but you can also certainly do mini-clinical sessions as well.

In only a few minutes with a Speed Trance induction and use of Hypnotic Phenomena, you can relieve a headache, reduce discomfort from aching back or feet, or just provide a general stress-reduction and rejuvenation experience.

All you need to do is convince the subject that hypnosis works - (which is easy, because it does) - and they'll become a potential customer who may also generate referrals simply by telling their friends about the awesome experience they had at the mall, the park, the bookstore, or wherever you met.

I'll say it again: Learn to use the amazing power of hypnosis and hypnotic phenomena not only during your paid sessions/shows with clients - but in order to GET clients, too!

Telling someone about hypnosis vs demonstrating it is rather like the difference between learning hypnosis by reading a book or watching an instructional video. Both formats will convey the same information, but watching a video and seeing the process in action generally makes a far greater impression on most than only reading a book - and experiencing a live demonstration generally has far more "ah ha!" impact than just listening to a description.

So use your skills! Don't be afraid to demonstrate off the stage or out of the office! Learn Street Trance and make a difference, no matter where you are!

For more information on Richard Nongard and John Cerbone's new Street Trance 2-DVD training set, feel free to message me, or see www.HypnosisGurus.com or www.SubliminalScience.com, or call (800) 68-HYPNO.

~ Paula Saxon Nongard, MA/CCH

Comment

You need to be a member of HypnoThoughts.com to add comments!

Join HypnoThoughts.com

Comment by Kent Fullarton on December 23, 2009 at 11:28am: I agree with Paula whole heartedly. She did elide a teeny point. A quick induction and deepeners and lots of feeling good. Then talk to your client, ask a question. This shows them a couple things they need to know. First, it feels good and is natural. Second, they remain in control and aware of their surroundings. Oh, that teeny thing, its easy.

Comment by Robert Dodge on November 18, 2008 at 10:04am: Here Here !!

Comment by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on November 17, 2008 at 7:33pm: Let me givre you three examples of Street Trance, and why the clinical hypnotist needs it:

1) Today I fell into the moat that surrounds my office. (This is not a joke, just a long story...) It hurt, and it was cold and wet. So after I went home and took a shower and changed my clothes, I drove to my chiropractor's office. When I walked in and told the receptionist what I did, she said, "I've been having a rough day, too!"

Just then, the doctor came out, and the receptionis said, "Hey, can you hypnotize me and make my headache go away?" Knowing that this was a busy chiropractor's office and that I would only have a minute or two to work with her, I also recognized the value of being able to teach her a skill and provide a solution while the chiroproactor (a potential referral resource) watched.

And so I did a Speed Trance induction, and a simple number count deepener, and then gave very specific suggestions to help her achieve her goal (ending headache).

The entire process took 2 minutes. And not only did it benefit her, but I guarantee I'll get referrals from this doctor - because although we have talked about hypnosis before, he had never seen it in action -- and now he too has a better understanding of hypnosis.

#2) When we go out to dinner, my kids' favorite thing to do is say, "Hey, my dad's a hypnotist!" The waitress then always says, "Really? Wow - hypnotize me!" And in this situation, I usually do a simple demonstration of eye catalepsy.

I have perhaps stuck more waitresses eyes together than any other hypnotist on earth.

There is nothing unethical, improper, or wrong with the above scenarios.

Discussion of liability in situations like this are rediculous. Hypnotists who cannot demonstrate hypnosis experientially are hypnotists who cannot effectively promote the profession and provide the public with needed knowledge.

Speed Trance and Street Trance skills are essential for a clinical person. And, I have to agree with Paula, that professional associations will never be able to make hypnotists without license or degrees stop practicing - and certainly they will never be able to stop impromptu demonstrations of powerful hypnotic methods.

Fear of the AMA or other professional associations is a tactic simply used to generate revenue by hypnosis organizations that sell fear.

~ Richard

Comment by Paula Duncan Nongard on November 17, 2008 at 7:19pm: I've put off responding to some of the comments to my blog post above, because I had to ponder them a few times, because I still don't quite get the dissodence...

As I mentioned, for gaining Clinical clients, one does not necessarily need to 'put on a show' from the comedic perspective - one can use Speed and Street Trance methods to do an instant clinical demonstration, as well - just as the methods can be used in crisis situations and a variety of other more 'proper' settings.

The more you can practice and demonstrate, the better skilled you will become all the way around, at both discussion and performance, whether for entertainment or clinical helping. This goes for brand newbies and seasoned professionals as well.

This post was (and is) about new ways one can seek and take advantage of more opportunities to educate the public about the benefits of hypnosis - which can lead to more paying clients. It's advertising and marketing your services outside the traditional yellow pages box. It's actively taking hypnosis to the people, rather than sitting around waiting for a classified ad to generate phone calls.

Think outside the box of your mentors, and try zomething a little zifferent for a change.

I'm not sure where it's written that a clinical session must take place inside the 4 walls of an office building - or that it must take 30, 60 or 90 minutes - before it can be classified as an official session - but if these things are written somewhere, perhaps it's time to get with the 21st century and update the policy and procedure manual.

And yes, I do understand that certain kinds of practice insurance in certain areas only covers certain types of situations - but there are other forms of insurance as well that do cover other situations, and it may also be time for insurance companies to rewrite their guidelines as well - BECAUSE THE WAY WORLD DOES BUSINESS IS CHANGING.

20 years ago, hypnotists were not sharing ideas on HypnoThoughts.com or posting videos on YouTube or learning from DVDs - because none of these things existed. TIMES CHANGE - and APPROACHES CHANGE.

75 years ago, we ordered everything from a catalog - Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Ward's. Then, we got mass transportation, so we didn't need catalogs anymore, and we built retail stores. Now, we have the Internet, and we can do both - order online, or hit the local mall to shop. TIMES CHANGE and BUSINESS PRACTICE CHANGES WITH IT.

Hypnosis, just like traditional therapy, has evolved greatly over the past 50 years. Different styles and approaches have come and gone and come around again, and new ones are created and introduced.

Street Trance is really not new - Erickson was fond of impromptu hypnosis and instant inductions. He was a showman deluxe - even when sitting in his living room with a client.

If he were around today, I suspect he'd have 1000 videos up on YouTube of his shock handshake inductions with pretty women sitting on park benches, rather than only on the old sofa.

Banning "lay hypnotists" will be about as easy as banning breathing by those who haven't taken a Red Cross CPR class...

Most licensed mental health counselors never take a single hypnosis class in college - not even when they get their Master's degree. I know this, because we've been teaching practicing licensed mental health professionals for almost 15 years. These are the true 'lay' hypnotists. On the whole, the average 20-year-old here on HypnoThoughts.com knows more about the hypnotic process than most PhDs.

~ Paula

Comment by James Hazlerig - HypnosisAustin on November 4, 2008 at 11:02am: Michael, the AMA and APA have been trying to use stage hypnosis shows and anything else they can muster to run "lay" hypnotists out of business; so it's a safe prediction that they'll try to use street hypnosis in the same way. And they'll fail for all the same reasons.

Let's not forget that Mesmer was inspired by a street performer.

As for street hypnosis being crude and disempowering--I've helped a number of people improve their lives while I was out on the street. I'm not ashamed to take advantage of the most affordable method of advertising I've found while still helping people to feel better.

Comment by Michael Ellner on November 4, 2008 at 10:35am: Hi Robert-

I am aware of the British attitude - Stiff upper lip and all --

I highly recommend hypnothoughts.com member Saul Rosenfeld's new book -- I am confident it will change the way you think about convincers...

An aside, I believe people do the best that can for the psycho-emotional (trance) states that they are in - I doubt people who are in stuck states are happy about it - and they have been socially hypnotized to feel weird about asking for help and only seem not willing to change...

Comment by Robert Dodge on November 4, 2008 at 6:47am: Hi Michael,
I can only base my comments on a UK attitude to the realm of hypnosis as it can still be hard to prove its amazing power and this maybe the kind of technique that may convince them otherwise.

Its the tough british attitude to not wanting the help or happy being where they are and not willing to change!
Robert

Comment by Michael Ellner on November 4, 2008 at 6:27am: Hi,

1) In my opinion, any one who considers themselves a skilled hypnosis "practitioner" should easily be able to convert inquires about hypnosis into clients without having to put on a show.

2) I have to wonder what is it that Mr Dodge thinks is being proved?

3) The "street hypnosis" videos that I have been watching are crude and dis-empowering.

4) My prediction is that if "Street Hypnosis" catches on and becomes popular - The AMA and APA will jump on it and use it and the many poorly done stage shows that are popping up every where as justification of their calling for a ban of "lay" hypnotists --

Just my opinion,

me

Comment by Robert Dodge on November 3, 2008 at 11:54am: Excellent Post Paula,
I agree 100% with your comments - as the saying goes "The proof is in the pudding" to show someone on the fly is such a powerful convincer and will indeed get prospective clients hooked.
Regards
Robert

Comment by Ian Read on November 3, 2008 at 11:41am: Some professional bodies ban their members from such actions. In the UK, the NCH, who are probably the most prestigious, do just that.