These are the ten hypnosis books every hypnotist should read, and they are the ones Mike Mandel recommends to his own students.

Start with Dave Elman’s Hypnotherapy for direct, clinical technique, or My Voice Will Go With You for the Ericksonian side. The list below covers NLP, Ericksonian method, classical hypnotherapy, rapid induction and the history of mesmerism, with a note on what each book will actually teach you.

Originally published May 2015. Last updated November 2026.

This top 10 list of hypnosis books is what I consider to be essential reading for any hypnotist who takes the craft seriously.

It doesn’t matter whether you are brand new to the field or if you have many years of experience. You’ll become a smarter and more resource-rich hypnotist after you get through reading … or even better … studying the books on this list.

This list represents a diverse mix of material, and is something my students have been asking me to publish for a long time. Rather than keep it private I thought it would be best to share it here on our website.

Take your time, make a plan, and read as many of these as you can. Your confidence will soar, your skill sets will grow, and your clients will thank you.

We’ve also made a Youtube video explaining our top 10, which you can watch down below. Leave us a comment and subscribe!

Note that these books are about much more than just how to hypnotize somebody. If that’s what you want make sure you read our ultimate guide to hypnotic inductions.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects which books make this list.

1. Trance-Formations: Neurolinguistic Programming and the Structure of Hypnosis (Bandler and Grinder)

Out of print for a long time, this is still an excellent book. It is worth hunting down a copy and buying it at a reasonable price. John Grinder was one of my brilliant teachers, and this book shows him and Bandler at their best, before they had a falling out. The reader gets the sense of attending one of their live trainings, where they show that hypnosis does indeed have a structure, which they deconstruct in NLP terms. Essentially Ericksonian in method, the authors teach through a mix of lecture and demonstration.

Mike gave a fuller set of Bandler and Grinder recommendations in podcast episode 58, if you want to go further down this road. If you want to see how they modelled Erickson in far more detail, their two volume Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. goes deep, though like this book it is out of print and easiest to find secondhand.

Find it on Amazon

2. The Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson (4 Volumes by M.H. Erickson MD.) (M.H. Erickson)

Although not for the beginner, this four volume set of purple books is a goldmine of hypnotic theory and experimentation. The volumes may be read in any order, and are excellent for hypnotic browsing on a rainy afternoon. Erickson documents his experiments and experiences, effectively demonstrating why he’s still lightyears ahead of all other hypnotists to this day. I know I’m cheating by listing four books as one book, but they’re really that good. It’s become de rigueur to criticize Erickson, but in view of his genius, and all he accomplished, it’s hardly surprising. When Bruce Lee was alive, everyone was scared to death of him. Ten minutes after he was dead, it turned out he wasn’t that good, and your grandmother could have beaten him in a street fight. Same with Milton Erickson.

A note on editions. The original four purple volumes are secondhand only now. The Erickson Foundation has since published an expanded Collected Works, which is the edition to buy today. We talked about Erickson’s written work, including Patterns I and Patterns II, in podcast episode 42.

See the current edition

3. My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson (Edited and with commentary by Sidney Rosen)

Milton Erickson was known for his remarkable, seemingly effortless therapy. By simply telling his patients stories, he would cause his subjects to enter trance and their lives would often be transformed. Dr. Rosen has gathered 100 of Erickson’s powerful tales, along with his own comments. These are not stories to copy, but are excellent teaching vehicles for those who wish to become storytellers who can change lives.

Get it on Amazon

4. Monsters and Magical Sticks: There’s No Such Thing as Hypnosis? (Heller and Steele)

A small book and a quick read, but one of my favourite hypnosis books of all time. Bringing in elements of NLP, the authors teach through vivid example that hypnosis may not really exist as a specific thing, but it’s happening everywhere. One of my students (a naturopath) using the methods of this book, cured a stubborn wart in a young patient with a magical stick; in this case a pencil. A great book for the hypnotist who’s stuck in a static model of hypnotic trance.

Get it on Amazon

5. Transforming Therapy: A New Approach to Hypnotherapy (Gil Boyne)

I must say that Boyne and his super-fast work fascinate me. Containing transcripts from his own therapeutic sessions, this book is another gem that should not be missed. Boyne was a master of the rapid induction, and can teach street hypnotists a thing or two. Nevertheless, the trances he created were robust, and the results tended to last. Combining hypnosis with gestalt therapy, Boyne worked creatively, and this book will stand the test of time. If you’re a consulting hypnotist, this is a must read, and must own.

Get it on Amazon

6. Mesmerism in India (James Esdaile)

Originally written in the 1800s, it still remains a fascinating read. Esdaile was a British Army surgeon who served in India. The book documents his work with Mesmerism, the inchoate form of hypnotism, in an era when anaesthetic was yet to be discovered. Although it often took hours for him to produce a sufficiently deep trance for his surgical interventions, Esdaile did much amazing work, including removing testicular tumours (!). It wasn’t until many years later that the “Esdaile state” was rediscovered.

The book is out of copyright, so you can read it free at the Internet Archive if you would rather not buy a reprint.

Get a print copy on Amazon

7. Hypnotherapy (Dave Elman)

A classic in the world of directive, authoritarian, paternalistic hypnosis. Erickson was the master of the subtle and indirect. Elman was the other side of the coin. Here you’ll find real hypnotic gold, as Elman teaches how to deal with stuttering, gagging, the creation of hypnotic anaesthesia, hypnosleep, the Esdaile state, and much more. If you’re a consulting hypnotist and haven’t yet read this book, you are cheating yourself, because if you master the contents, you’ll be able to fix all sorts of things. With an introduction by Gil Boyne, this is a first-rate hypnosis text.

If you want to see the induction this book is famous for, we break it down step by step in our guide to the Dave Elman induction.

Get it on Amazon

8. The Wizard From Vienna: Franz Anton Mesmer (Vincent Buranelli)

A fair and interesting treatment of the rather checkered life of Franz Anton Mesmer. Whether you deem him to be a charlatan or a genius, the fact remains: Mesmer was the first hypnotic rockstar. From his studies in animal magnetism, to his hypnotic seances for the aristocracy, and his treatment of hysterics, it’s all here. An important book, as I think we should know something of the history that underlies the art and science that we practice. The portrait of Mesmer that develops through the unfolding story is that of a genuine healer, trying to figure it all out on the fly.

Get it on Amazon

9. Training Trances (Overdurf and Silverthorn)

An excellent little book that will teach you much about the evolution of the Ericksonian method. Like book #1 on this list (Trance-formations) you are essentially sitting in on a hypnosis seminar. The authors do a really good job of unpacking and teaching fairly complex concepts, including embedded commands and metaphors, in a friendly and approachable way.

Get it on Amazon

10. Reality is Plastic: The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis (Anthony Jacquin)

I must confess that I like and respect Anthony Jacquin, and this book is one of the reasons why. Jacquin has a knack for teaching, while neither over-simplifying, nor bringing in unnecessary complexity. If you’re a street or stage hypnotist, this is a must have. Covering rapid inductions, deepening techniques, and a wealth of interesting hypnotic phenomena, this book will stretch you to do things with hypnosis you thought were impossible.

Get it on Amazon

Central to Jacquin’s teaching is the concept of testing your work to ensure you have the depth of trance you need; something many hypnotists seem to be afraid to do. The Freddy Jacquin Power Lift; an induction that Anthony Jacquin learned from his hypnotist father, is worth the price of the book.

So I realize this is far from a complete list, but all of these books belong in the library of the serious hypnotist. By the way, if you have money to burn (say about $3,000.00) you can pick up a new copy of Miracles on Demand by Charles Tebbetts, without which, your hypnosis collection is forever incomplete. I have an autographed first edition, but won’t tell you what I paid…

Frequently asked questions about hypnosis books

What is the best hypnosis book for a complete beginner?

Dave Elman’s Hypnotherapy. It is direct, practical and teaches technique you can use rather than theory you have to interpret.

Which book should I read first if I want to do change work with clients?

Transforming Therapy by Gil Boyne. It contains transcripts of his actual sessions, so you watch the work rather than read a description of it.

Are Milton Erickson’s Collected Papers still worth buying?

The material is, but the original four volume Irvington set is secondhand only now. The Erickson Foundation has since published the expanded Collected Works, which is the edition to buy today.

Do I need to read all ten?

No. Read the two that match the kind of hypnotist you want to be, then come back. The list is a map, not an assignment.

Can you learn hypnosis from books alone?

No, and this is the honest answer. Books give you the models. What they cannot give you is a person in front of you, feedback on your own voice, or the reps. Pair the reading with structured practice. We talked about exactly this in podcast episode 41.

The first person has already received a suggestion, and that suggestion is about you.

There’s an important factor in hypnosis that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough, even though it can influence responsiveness long before an induction begins. That factor is prestige.

By prestige, I don’t mean celebrity, wealth, pomposity, or trying to impress people. I mean the psychological weight one person carries in the mind of another: the sense that this individual knows something, represents something, or possesses unusual authority that makes their words worth taking seriously.

Prestige changes expectation, and expectation can change behaviour remarkably.

About a thousand years ago, Edward the Confessor, King of England, became associated with the belief that the monarch’s touch could cure scrofula, a tubercular disease of the lymph glands known as the King’s Evil. The point isn’t whether royal fingers cured tuberculosis. It’s that people believed the king’s touch was different, wrapped as it was in ceremony, mystery, and divine sanction. The same gesture from an ordinary stranger would have meant almost nothing.

The Power of Context

Several centuries later came Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician who moved in aristocratic circles and became a sensation in Paris. He understood how to magnify prestige. He cultivated an exotic appearance, wore dramatic clothing, and surrounded his treatments with ritual. Incense burned, the glass harmonica filled the room with strange sounds, and at the centre stood his famous baquet, a large wooden tub of supposedly magnetized water and iron filings, with iron rods protruding so patients could press them against their bodies.

Imagine the effect. You’d heard extraordinary stories about this famous doctor and knew aristocrats consulted him. Now you were sitting in that mysterious room, surrounded by strange music, unusual smells and expectant patients, when a man walked in behaving as though invisible forces were unquestionably moving through it. Some people trembled, cried, laughed uncontrollably, or collapsed into what Mesmer called crises.

Whatever we think of his theory of animal magnetism today, he had stumbled onto something psychologically profound: the power of context, and of prestige.

Prestige Isn’t Fixed

Modern hypnotists don’t need robes, incense or a magnetized tub, but every hypnotist carries some amount of prestige in the eyes of the person sitting in front of them. And prestige isn’t fixed. It can be increased.

It begins with competence. When you truly understand hypnosis, explain it clearly, answer questions intelligently, and work without clinging nervously to a script, people sense that you know what you’re doing. It also comes from congruence. If your words communicate confidence while your voice, posture and expression signal uncertainty, people notice.

I saw this years ago at the Ontario Police College. Police officer Cal Smith asked whether I thought I could stop him smoking. I didn’t commit myself either way. Later, he volunteered to come onstage with about two dozen other people during a hypnosis show, and the psychological situation changed completely. He was now surrounded by hypnotic subjects, in front of an audience, watching me work successfully as The Hypnotist.

At one point I turned to him and said, “You will never smoke again.” That was it. No complicated protocol, no lengthy intervention. I simply said it and continued with the show. About two years later, I ran into Cal in Sudbury, Ontario, and he told me he had never smoked another cigarette.

That doesn’t mean every smoking problem can be solved with one sentence. But it shows how dramatically prestige can amplify suggestion. The words were simple. Their power came from the meaning Cal attached to the person saying them.

Prestige can also spill into areas where it doesn’t belong. My MD once told me that patients sometimes ask him whether they should buy gold or where the markets are headed. He freely admits he knows virtually nothing about investing, but he’s a doctor, and some of that trust carries over.

That raises an ethical issue. The more seriously people take what you say, the more important it becomes to distinguish genuine knowledge from personal opinion, and to recognize when the intelligent answer is, “I don’t know.”

Long Before Anything Hypnotic Begins

Remember, too, that prestige is being established long before anything recognizably hypnotic begins. Your reputation, your website, your testimonials and the way you answer questions all contribute. Someone who arrives after being told, “You absolutely have to see this hypnotist, he’s brilliant,” walks through the door with very different expectations from someone who found your name online five minutes earlier. The first person has already received a suggestion, and that suggestion is about you.

So don’t wait until the induction to begin influencing expectations. Your pre-talk matters. Your first few minutes matter. The way you respond to doubt, hesitation, laughter or partial responses matters. If something unexpected happens, treat it as information rather than a crisis.

None of this means pretending to be important. Fake prestige is fragile. Edward the Confessor had a crown and Mesmer had his theatre. You don’t need either. Real competence produces confidence, confidence produces congruence, and people respond differently when they sense that the person in front of them actually knows what they’re doing. When that happens, your words carry more weight, which is exactly why you need to use them well.

- Mike Mandel

The word “friend” should describe a living relationship, not a lifetime appointment.

Over the years, I’ve surprised a few of my hypnosis students and Brain Software Podcast listeners by recommending that they fire their friends. I know that sounds harsh. I’m not suggesting you become cold or trigger-happy with the people in your life. I’m suggesting that a friendship should be judged by what it actually is now, not by what it was twenty years ago.

I like to think of my relationships as a series of concentric circles, with myself in the centre and the people closest to me nearest to it. Those people have earned their position. They’ve stood by me when things were difficult, kept confidences, and shown goodwill in actions rather than just words. Anyone can say, “I’m always here for you.”

The interesting part is whether they’re still there when it’s inconvenient.

Further out are good friends, casual friends, colleagues and people I simply enjoy running into. There’s nothing wrong with any of those circles. The mistake is thinking everyone deserves the same access to your life. One of the great improvements most people can make is learning to distinguish between someone they like and someone they should trust.

Duration Isn’t the Same Thing as Loyalty

Trouble starts when somebody is standing very close to you while behaving in ways that should have moved them several circles outward long ago. Maybe you’ve known them since school. That history can feel important, but duration isn’t the same thing as loyalty.

There are a few reliable signs. Passive-aggressive behaviour is one, because it lets hostility travel under cover: the backhanded compliment, the sulking, the joke that always leaves one person wounded. Then, if you object, you’re told you’re too sensitive. They get to throw the grenade and then critique your reaction to the explosion.

Gossip is another. If someone constantly brings you everyone else’s secrets, it might be worth considering what happens to yours when you’re not in the room.

Success can be the most revealing of all. Some people are wonderful when you’re miserable, because your misery doesn’t threaten them. Let something wonderful happen and suddenly the temperature changes. People get jealous and strange sometimes. But if it keeps happening, pay attention.

A friend doesn’t have to agree with everything you do. A good friend should occasionally tell you that you’re making a terrible decision. But there’s a difference between honest disagreement and chronic undermining, and you can usually feel it. One leaves you clearer. The other leaves you smaller.

People Simply Need to Be Moved

Most of the time you don’t need a dramatic break-up scene. People simply need to be moved. A close friend can become a casual friend. Somebody who mishandles personal information doesn’t get any more of it, and somebody who sabotages your plans doesn’t need advance notice of them.

Sounds too cruel? Here’s your reframe: think of it as housekeeping.

Sometimes, though, it isn’t enough. If someone repeatedly lies about you, humiliates you or betrays your confidences, calling them a friend out of nostalgia starts to look less like loyalty and more like poor judgment. The word “friend” should describe a living relationship, not a lifetime appointment.

Family complicates all this, of course. But being related to someone doesn’t give them unlimited access to your time or your peace of mind. You can love someone and tell them less. You can stop lending money, stop having the same argument, and stop volunteering information you know will be used against you.

And sometimes nobody did anything terrible at all. You simply changed, and a relationship that once fitted perfectly no longer does. We have a bad habit of confusing gratitude for the past with obligation in the present. Someone can have been enormously important to you once and still not belong in your inner circle today. Both things can be true.

The Ones You Could Call at Two in the Morning

This works in the other direction too. If people keep moving you outward, it’s worth asking why. Maybe you interrupt constantly. Maybe every conversation turns back to you. Maybe your jokes aren’t nearly as funny as you think they are.

The rarest people are the ones I think of as super-friends. They’ve proved themselves under pressure. They’re the ones you could call at two in the morning, and before asking for the whole story, they’d want to know where you are and whether you’re all right. My dear friend Brian McDowell has been that kind of friend for over 60 years.

Those people are worth looking after.

The point of firing friends isn’t to become ruthless. It’s to be more selective about who gets the best parts of you, because your time, attention and emotional energy are all limited.

So when somebody repeatedly proves they’re not really on your side, perhaps you don’t need another heartfelt talk about boundaries. Perhaps you just stop giving them a front-row seat and let them discover, gradually, that they’re now somewhere near the parking lot.

- Mike Mandel

When we are too close, the detail becomes the whole picture.

Looking at a target is useful…staring at it is a different thing entirely…

There is an expression from French psychologist Pierre Janet that I have always liked: idée fixe.

It means, quite literally, a fixed idea. But in psychological terms it points to something more interesting than simply having a strong opinion or thinking about something a great deal. An idée fixe is an idea that begins to dominate attention, shaping what we notice, what we ignore, and eventually how we interpret what is happening around us.

Most of us have experienced this in one form or another.

A problem appears, and we think about it. Fair enough. Then we think about it some more. We begin looking for solutions, explanations, causes, consequences and signs that things are getting better or worse. Before long, what began as one issue among many has become the issue.

That is where trouble can begin.

Attention Has a Magnifying Effect

Attention has a magnifying effect. Whatever we focus on tends to grow in importance, at least in our experience. The more attention we give something, the more significant it appears, and the more significant it appears, the more attention we feel it deserves. Very quickly, we can find ourselves in a loop.

The idea starts to organize perception.

Someone who believes a relationship is failing begins noticing every awkward silence and every delayed reply. Someone who believes they are not doing well starts registering every mistake and overlooking the things they are getting right. A person who is angry about a particular issue can begin interpreting almost everything through that one frame.

The fixed idea does not merely sit in the mind. It becomes a lens.

Target Fixation

Years ago, while playing a sophisticated flight simulation, I ran into a version of this phenomenon called target fixation. Pilots are trained to avoid becoming so focused on the thing directly ahead of them that they lose awareness of everything else around them. In a simulation, this could mean concentrating so intensely on the target that altitude, speed and the surrounding environment almost disappeared from attention.

The lesson stayed with me because it applies far beyond aviation.

The problem is not the focus itself. Focus is useful. We need it to solve problems, reach goals, improve skills and get things done. The problem begins when focus becomes narrowing, and narrowing becomes exclusion.

At that point, we may still think we are being rational and thorough, when in fact we are simply staring at the same thing from the same angle.

This is particularly dangerous because the thing we are focused on may be completely real.

The difficult relationship may really be difficult. The financial concern may be legitimate. The health worry may deserve attention. The mistake is not in noticing these things. The mistake is allowing them to become so dominant that they push everything else out of the picture.

What Am I Not Seeing?

That is why one of the most useful questions we can ask ourselves is this:

What am I not seeing because I am looking so intently at this?

It is a simple question, but it can change the entire frame.

If one part of your life is going badly, what is going well? If you are convinced there is only one explanation for something, what are two or three others? If you are locked onto one solution, what would you consider if that solution were unavailable? If one person has become the centre of your frustration, what else is contributing to the situation?

None of this means denying reality or forcing ourselves to “think positive.” I have never found that particularly useful when it simply means replacing an unpleasant distortion with a cheerful one. What we want is not positive thinking. We want accurate thinking.

Accuracy usually requires a wider field of view.

It also helps to create some distance. Imagine that a good friend came to you with exactly the same problem. What would you notice? What would you ask? What possibilities might seem obvious from the outside that are difficult to see from the inside?

Sometimes that shift is enough to loosen the grip of the fixed idea.

A useful image is to think of standing too close to a painting. From six inches away, you see brushstrokes, imperfections and tiny areas of colour. Step back, and suddenly there is a landscape. Nothing in the painting has changed. Only your perspective has changed.

The same is true of many problems.

When we are too close, the detail becomes the whole picture.

So perhaps the occasional mental habit worth developing is simply to widen the frame. Look at the problem, certainly, but also look beside it. Look behind it. Look at what has changed since you first formed your opinion. Look at what other people see. Look at the evidence that does not fit your first conclusion.

And every so often, ask whether the idea that once seemed so important still deserves quite so much space in your head.

The danger of an idée fixe is not that the idea must be false.

It may be completely true.

The danger is that it becomes the only thing we can see.

- Mike Mandel

Erickson and Elman were not better or worse than each other. They were opposites, and a good hypnotist learns both. Milton Erickson worked indirectly, through conversation and metaphor, activating the subject’s own unconscious resources. Dave Elman worked directly and fast, telling the subject exactly what to do. The useful question is not which man won. It is when to use which approach.

Milton H. Erickson and Dave Elman were definitely two of the best hypnotists who ever lived. They are known to have hated each other, and had opposite styles.  

So who was better? It’s like those age-old superhero arguments we all had as kids.  Who would win in a fight? Batman or Superman? Could Bruce Lee beat the legendary MMA fighter Royce Gracie?

In every field of endeavor, there are the greats; the men and women who rise to the very pinnacle of excellence.

And that includes hypnosis.

Two of the greatest hypnotists that ever lived

Milton H. Erickson and Dave Elman were arguably both hypnotic heavyweights who belong on every hypnotist’s Top Ten List. Although there are many others who’ve made their mark, Erickson and Elman stand out as truly brilliant, because they each transformed the field of hypnotherapy.

So which one was the better hypnotist? Who possessed the greater level of skill?

In this post we will talk about their methods and what made each one truly great. We will approach this discussion from the perspective of what made them different from each other.

That’s because by asking who was the better hypnotist, we’re missing the point entirely. It’s like comparing a stock car racer to a Formula One driver, or a marathon runner to a sprinter. We are comparing apples to oranges, and that needs to be taken into account.

Psychiatrist vs. Lay Person

Milton Erickson and Dave Elman both contributed a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to the field of hypnotherapy. Erickson was a medical doctor and a psychiatrist. Elman was “only” a layman, but he routinely trained doctors and dentists, so he clearly had credibility among those professionals.

But it was their approaches that were radically different. So much so in fact, that it’s said that although they may never have actually met, they couldn’t stand each other. I once heard a recording of Erickson who was outraged that Dave Elman had offered to teach him something about hypnosis.

But as I will attempt to show in this post: Erickson could have learned much from Elman. And Elman could have learned much from Erickson too, because they really were that different from each other.

Speed of hypnotherapy work

It must be remembered that Milton Erickson’s background was in psychoanalysis, which came from Freud and his “100 to 300 hours to effect a cure”.

Consequently, he spent a lot of time prepping his patients for deep trance work. Erickson would train his subjects, often for multiple sessions, to experience somnambulism, in order to facilitate the best possible intervention. 

Elman, on the other hand moved very, very quickly. Yet his work was still very thorough and ecological for the subject. In fact, part of Elman’s brilliance was the incredible speed with which he could solve a problem and race to the finish line.

Whether the problem was a phobia, stuttering, PTSD, whatever, Elman had an amazing knack for doing rapid work. If Erickson was a hypnotic battlefield strategist, Elman was a Navy Seal of trance.

But there’s much more to this discussion than the speed at which each one did trance work. There were also stylistic differences.

Different styles of therapy

Dave Elman was the greatest master of what’s known as paternal hypnosis. In this style of work, the hypnotist is highly directive. The subject is essentially passive, while the hypnotist runs the show.

The upside to this is … if the hypnotist knows his stuff (and Elman certainly did) the subject simply follows instructions and the hypnotist takes on the responsibility of causing the change to happen. 

Using this approach, a dominant, highly-skilled consulting hypnotist can clear away the non-essentials, quickly getting to the issue and treating it as a problem he must solve.

Erickson, on the other hand, was a consummate maternal hypnotherapist. Whereas Dave Elman would direct the subject, Milton Erickson offered options and often did so within a seemingly ordinary, but hypnotic conversation. The maternal approach is a gentler approach, but no less effective. Its focus is less upon “fixing things”, and more about engaging the client’s own unconscious resources.

In his later years, Erickson claimed that he was “much too directive” in his early days. Over time, he evolved a conversational approach that was almost impossible to resist. That’s because he would utilize naturally occurring trances, as well as induce trance below the threshold of the subject’s awareness.

Activating the unconscious mind

Since Erickson believed that trance was essentially a learning state, his subjects would often solve their own problems after meeting with him. This makes complete sense if we adopt the model that everything we’ve ever learned, every movie we’ve ever see, every conversation we’ve ever had, is available as a resource. Erickson would use hypnosis to re-connect his subjects with their unconscious minds.

Modern neuroscience recognises this kind of therapy as being completely reasonable, since our brains are making new connections at an average of one million per second.

This takes hypnotherapy out of the realm of so-called power of suggestion, placebo effect, or mere belief, to something quite different.

It appears now, that hypnosis functions as an amplifier of human experience, and trance states let us change things very, very quickly.

So despite the obvious difference in methods, the bottom line is:Both of these radically dissimilar hypnotists got amazingly effective results. 

Erickson was a researcher who used strange methods

As a researcher alone, Erickson deserves a place among the great. His four volume Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson MD belongs in every hypnotherapist’s library. The depth of Erickson’s study into the creation and utilization of trance states boggles the mind. His methods often seemed to defy reason, such as telling an overweight patient that she had to gain five pounds before she could lose any weight.

His “ordeals” were legendary. He would often tell his subjects to get outside and prune his rose bushes, or climb Squaw Peak, one of the highest points in the Phoenix Mountains, and they did. 

Despite the strangeness of Erickson’s methods, they almost always worked. 

How did Erickson do all of this?

It may be argued at this point that when we are discussing rose bushes, we are no longer talking about hypnosis. But Milton Erickson would disagree.

Although he created catalepsy and used time-distortion, amnesia and other classical hypnotic phenomena, Erickson largely worked through seemingly normal conversations, bringing in metaphor, dissociation, shifting focus, etc. He was indeed the father of conversational hypnosis.

Hence his technique evolved to offering options that the subject was free to choose between.

Erickson was a master at helping clients access their own resources while in trance. He evolved methods of hypnoanalysis and unconscious learning in which the clients essentially solved their own problems. This indirect and largely intuitive approach removed layers of trauma, discovering core issues that were then dealt with in numerous ways.

Elman was a stage hypnotist first

Now let’s shift gears to Dave Elman, who was extremely directive in his methods. Having performed on the vaudeville circuit as “The World’s Youngest and Fastest Hypnotist” he developed numerous paternal methods of trance induction.

When Elman went on to teach doctors and dentists, he stuck with his rapid inductions and highly directive therapy.

Dave Elman’s work influenced many modern directive hypnotists, and aspects of his methods may be discovered without accreditation in many modern books. His unique approach enabled him to rapidly deal with deep issues, including stuttering, trauma, reducing pain, etc. He also created a means of quickly getting a subject into the deepest trance; the so-called Esdaile State, which had been lost for a hundred years. 

So based on speed alone, wouldn’t it be best to use Dave Elman’s rapid inductions and therapy exclusively? Why not stick with a fast and a highly directive approach; especially since Elman had such an excellent track record?

This sort of questioning misunderstands the nature of Erickson’s work.

The stage is exactly why his induction is so efficient. A performer has minutes, not an hour, and an audience that will notice the moment nothing is happening. Elman built a method with no slack in it at all.

That shows up in how we teach the Elman Induction today. There is nothing in it that is superfluous: no filler, no fluff. And there is nothing missing from it either. The Elman organization knows how we teach it, and says it’s correct. The late Jerry Kein put it best. Get a lot of different inductions, but if you’re only going to use one, make it the Elman Induction.

The mistake almost everyone makes with the Elman Induction

Keep it moving. That one instruction is the difference between the Elman Induction working and falling flat, and it is the thing most people get wrong.

Mike once watched a hypnosis trainer he knows well demonstrate the Elman Induction and turn it into a progressive muscle relaxation partway through, stretching the fractionation out, slowing everything down, making it soothing. It does not work. It sounds boring, and worse, it tells the subject nothing is happening.

Here is the revealing part. That slowness comes from a lack of confidence. It is the feeling that if you do not take enough time, it will not work. In reality the opposite is true. When you keep people moving, they know they are going through a process and that something is happening. The moment you slow down, you give them room to wonder whether it is working at all.

This is also where the two men part company most sharply. The direct approach is not fluffy. It is not Erickson offering options. It is a different thing entirely. You are the hypnotist, and you are running the induction. Once the subject is responding, deepening techniques are what develop the trance rather than leaving it where it started.

Erickson and mental illness

Again, it must be emphasised that Milton Erickson was a psychiatrist with a profound understanding of mental disorders. His knowledge and rapport skills were such that he could literally enter a schizophrenic’s model of the world.

Once he had built that bridge, the wealth of his hypnotic abilities would be applied. Erickson would bring healing through language by activating the patient’s own unconscious resources.

It must be noted that this kind of therapy takes time. It’s simply not possible to perform a rapid induction and tell a mentally ill subject that his problem has disappeared.

Perhaps this is why we see very few therapists able to work at the depth that Milton Erickson worked. This sort of therapy requires knowledge, experience, and consummate skill.

So which one should you learn first?

Learn Erickson first, then Elman. That is the order we teach in the Academy, and it is not about which man was better.

The permissive, Ericksonian style goes first because learning it upfront makes the direct work far easier later. It presents options to the person the whole way through. You are permitting them to respond however they want, and still guiding them deeper and getting the result. It is not controlling, and that is precisely what makes it powerful.

Then the direct model arrives on top of a skill you already have. By the time you reach the Elman Induction you are not learning to hypnotize someone, you are learning a second doorway into something you can already do.

Run it the other way round and direct hypnosis becomes the only tool you trust, which is a problem the first time you meet someone it does not suit.

The hypnotic continuum

It’s just my opinion, but for the all the above reasons, I submit that it’s not an either/or situation, as in Erickson or Elman. It’s a both/and situation, where each of these geniuses offers us a powerful but different set of tools.

Are we to be maternal and indirect, offering options and activating the unconscious learning mechanism? Or are we to be paternal, directing the subject to the source of their problem and bringing immediate transformation?

Ultimately, direct and indirect hypnosis are on a continuum. With a combination of experience and proper training, a hypnotist can learn to be as indirect as possible, and as direct as necessary.

That sort of flexibility of behaviour is what leads to the greatest degree of skill. By balancing the incorporation of the subject’s unconscious resources with a powerful directive approach, a skilled hypnotist can produce the near miraculous.

It helps to see the two styles as points on that continuum rather than as camps. Looking at how we introduce hypnotic experiences now, some are plainly directive, like antimagnetic fingers or the dictionary and balloon. Others are indirect, like pacing and leading. And a few sit somewhere in between, like yes sets and covert yes sets.

• Directive: antimagnetic fingers, magnetic fingers, the dictionary and balloon.
• Quasi in between: yes sets and covert yes sets.
• Indirect: pacing, and pacing and leading.

Which is the useful way to hold it. Hypnosis is a flight of stairs, not a canyon jump. You can still reach a full trance experience in small steps, and the person barely notices the climb. Erickson and Elman simply started that climb from different ends of the same staircase. If you want the whole range of ways in, our guide to every type of hypnotic induction lays them out side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Who was the better hypnotist, Erickson or Elman?

Neither. They were opposites rather than competitors. Elman was the master of paternal, highly directive hypnosis and worked very fast. Erickson was maternal and permissive, working through conversation and metaphor to activate the subject’s own unconscious resources. Asking who was better is like comparing a sprinter to a marathon runner.

Did Erickson and Elman really hate each other?

They are known to have had a strong mutual dislike and opposite styles, and it is said that neither learned much from the other. Their approaches were that different.

Should I learn the Erickson style or the Elman style first?

Erickson first. Learning the permissive style upfront makes the direct work much easier later, because it trains you to offer options and work with whatever the person gives you. The direct model then arrives on top of a skill you already have.

Is indirect hypnosis weaker than direct hypnosis?

No. Indirect hypnosis is not controlling, and that is exactly where its power comes from. It presents options continuously while still guiding the person deeper. Direct hypnosis is not better or stronger, it is faster and more explicit, and the hypnotist carries more of the responsibility.

Can you use both styles with the same person?

Yes, and that is the goal. Direct and indirect hypnosis sit on a continuum. With experience and proper training you learn to be as indirect as possible and as direct as necessary, which is where real flexibility of behaviour comes from.

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The direct model of hypnosis is a seven step sequence: demystify, test suggestibility, induce, deepen, convince, do the change work, then awaken. It is not a script. It is a structure you can follow from the start of a change work session to the end, and it works because knowing the sequence frees you to pay attention to the person in front of you instead of to what comes next.

This is Part 2 of a series on running a hypnosis session. This post hands you an easy-to-follow seven step process.

If you have not yet read the first part of this series, you’ll want to do that first.Read: Achieve Magic in the Client Interview

Part 1 teaches you exactly how to gather information so you’re prepared to amaze your client with powerful change.  

But now it’s time to talk about the actual hypnosis session.

So you’ve got some solid hypnosis skills. You know how to create lasting change, and you probably have all the tools you need to run an effective hypnosis session, customized for your client.

All you need now is a plan to enable you to smoothly shift from the intake to the trance-work itself, right through to resolution of the client’s problem.  

This article provides a framework to help simplify the creation of your client’s change work session. It will give you a “Plug ‘n Play” template to ensure you do thorough work with every single client you see.

Read to the end of the article for a bonus exercise that will help you fully inhabit the Mandel Triangle of Confidence, Congruence, and Conviction in every session.

In Part 1, you learned how to gather all the information you need to free your client from their problem. Now, you’ll use that knowledge to create a customized session for your client.

This framework is useful when you first start using your hypnosis skills. As your confidence builds, you will intuitively know just what your client needs, and will find yourself automatically reaching for the right tool at the right time.Here we go!

When to use the seven step model

The seven step model is not a script, but it is organized in a logical sequence, and that is what makes it suit deliberate change work so well. It gives you a format to follow from the beginning of a session to the end.

It is not for every situation. You would not run this on stage, or in street hypnosis, or casually at a friend’s place. It is for when you are working with someone on a specific change they came to you for.

You also do not have to use every step every time. Most of them will usually be in play, but treat the model as a structure rather than a checklist.

One thing the model does not include is the interview. Notice that it begins at demystification. You still need to gather information first, and that happens before step one, which is why a good client interview is the real starting point.

Step 1 – Demystify Hypnosis

It’s important to remove any fears and anxieties your subject might have about hypnosis. A thorough pre-talk will set your client’s expectation and motivation for change and help them feel safe and comfortable. 

Many people who’ve seen stage hypnosis shows are afraid they will be made to quack like a duck, or do something embarrassing or inappropriate. Others have concerns that they might get stuck in a trance or won’t be able to go into trance at all. 

For these reasons, it’s important to ask your client if they have any experience with hypnosis. Calibrate as they answer and watch for discomfort. Only discuss fears they bring up. Otherwise, you could introduce a fear they hadn’t considered.

It can be helpful to sit behind a desk or table during the pre-talk. This physical barrier between you helps your client feel safe and in control. After the pre-talk, and after building rapport, you can move to a chair nearer your client, or you can both shift to a treatment area.

Ideally you will sit at a 45 degree angle to your subject. Sit close, but not so close that your legs are touching each other. This helps you enter their experience without invading their comfort zone.

Always calibrate the subject’s comfort level. Don’t sit close if they seem uncomfortable, and never be so close that you’re breathing on your client. That’s just creepy and gross.

Ideas for demystifying hypnosis

These are just ideas for you to use. Obviously you don’t need to use all of them, and maybe use just one or two. Fit these into the conversation based upon what you already learned about your client during the intake interview.

The conscious mind vs. unconscious mind

Let them know that their unconscious mind has been taking in all their experiences their whole life and all those resources are stored within them. Hypnosis shines a light on those resources so they can install them and use them to solve their problem quickly.

The TV Trance or the Driving Trance 

This is explanation is especially helpful for people who aren’t sure they can be hypnotized. Give them examples to help them understand they’ve been hypnotized many times. 

Ask the subject: “Have you ever been watching TV or a movie and flinched when the bad guy jumped out? That’s hypnosis! You’ve gotten so involved in the film that you’ve responded as though the event was real.

Hypnosis is happening whenever you’re completely focused on one thing, and you become unaware of other things going on around you.”

You might ask: “Have you ever pulled into your driveway and not remembered the drive that took you there? You were so focused on something you were thinking about, you didn’t consciously pay attention to any of the things you saw. That’s hypnosis too!”

Real world examples like these are common to all of us, and help make the concept of hypnosis seem natural and familiar.

Explain similarities between hypnosis and meditation

It is scientifically proven that our brain waves change when we enter a relaxing meditative state. In fact, when people meditate regularly, their brain physically changes in positive ways. Many of the benefits of meditation accompany the hypnotic state.

Focus on the positive

If they seem fearful after your pre-talk, you have more work to do. Ask them what they need to feel safe. Lead them to a positive state by smiling and speaking congruently about the enjoyable experience they’re going to have.

Tell them how great they’ll feel

People often wonder what hypnosis feels like. Tell them that everyone experiences hypnosis differently. They will likely hear every word and remember as much as they would from any normal conversation. 

You can explain that they may feel heavy, like they’re sinking into the chair they’re sitting on. They may feel light, like they’re floating weightlessly. Or they may experience the mysterious sensation of . . . sitting in the chair, listening to you speak. (Thank you to Jason Linett for that awesome triple bind.) 

Whatever they experience is just right for them, because we all do trance in our own way. Make sure to affirm the subject as he goes into trance by saying, “That’s right…”

Do This During De-mystification

While you are de-mystifying hypnosis you also want to keep in mind three important things.  We’ll explain on each briefly below.

1. Always be building rapport the client.
2. Build agreement with the “yes set”
3. Build obedience with the “compliance set”

Now let’s discuss each of these in a bit more detail.

Always Be Building Rapport

If you take nothing else from this article, remember this one thing. Do not move to step 2 until you have rapport. You will know you have rapport when you see that the client is relaxed and comfortable and feels good about going into hypnosis.

It’s a waste of time to move into hypnosis before you have rapport. The number 1 indicator that the client will get the change they seek is that they like you (rapport), feel understood (rapport), and feel safe (rapport).

To create rapport, when you’re in a conversation, imagine the person you’re with is the most interesting, fascinating, and important person in the world. This will cause you to automatically lean in, mirror their movements at appropriate times, match their breathing, and be absorbed in what they’re saying.

Create Agreement with the Yes Set

Tag Questions for Yes Sets.

Yes sets help build rapport. Your client will find it easier to follow your suggestions during hypnosis if they’re already in a pattern of agreeing with you. Offer the client three simple statements that will cause them to say, “Yes” or internally agree with you. Be subtle with this one. 

Example:

It sure is hot out, isn’t it?

Yes it is…

And this is your first appointment, right?

Yes, my first.

So I see from your form that you want to work on your confidence…

Yes, that’s right.

After these three YES answers you’re ready to move on.

Tag Questions for Yes Sets.

You can use tag questions to craft yes sets.Simply state something obvious, followed by “Does that make sense?” or any other question that tags along with your statement. Your client will nod his head or say “yes”. Mission accomplished.

Yes sets are pretty easy, aren’t they?And using tag questions works here, doesn’t it?And you’ll get better at this with practise, make sense?

Create Obedience with the Compliance Set

A compliance set is another subtle way to get your client in the habit of following your suggestions. Whereas the Yes Set causes agreement, the Compliance Set causes the subject to automatically do what you say. 

Each time they comply it makes it more likely that they will keep following your directions. 

Step 2 – Suggestibility Tests

Suggestibility tests get your client excited and energized to participate in their session. They also serve to build momentum towards the hypnotic change work you’ll be doing next.

Decide if you want to call this a test or simply explain that you’re doing an enjoyable exercise that will help you learn the best way to lead them into trance. The latter option may help new hypnotists feel more comfortable with unexpected outcomes.

The hand clasp test is an excellent place to start because it produces the most reliable results. Here’s a video that comes straight out of the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.

At the end of the test be sure remove the suggestion that their hands are locked together and say, “Your hands are back to normal now.” 

Your client’s well being is always your first priority and if you forget this step it can cause physical discomfort.

No matter what your client experiences during the suggestibility test tell them, “You’re an excellent hypnotic subject!”

Remember to use the Mandel Triangle as you say this. This means to use congruence, confidence and intention. After all, you are the expert! And if they believe they’re great at this, they will be!

If you’d like, you can follow the hand clasp test with the magnetic fingers test, then the dictionary, balloon test. Tell your client how great they’re doing after each test.

Here is the Magnetic Fingers suggestibility test video for you:

Each time your client completes a test and hears how well they’re doing, it will magnify their ability to go into a deep trance and increase their confidence and belief that they will get the change they seek. 

Now you can move right into the induction. Expect it to work perfectly. Vividly imagine your client entering a robust trance and getting the change they seek. Put your intention into what you’re doing by believing it’s working.

Want it to happen, will it to happen, and it will happen!

Moving straight from suggestibility tests to your induction will make the process smooth and dependable. 

Choose any induction you feel comfortable using. The Elman Induction is excellent because it ensures a robust trance, and contains built in Yes Sets and Compliance Sets. If you had to choose only one induction to master, this would be a great choice. 

Do we always use suggestibility tests? No. They are most useful on stage, where they keep everybody moving and visibly build momentum. What they are really doing is building heteroaction, the tendency for someone who responds to one suggestion to respond more easily to the next. In a change work session they are optional, and skipping them costs you very little. If you want the full set and how to run them, our guide to suggestibility tests covers them in depth.

Step 3 – Hypnotize The Person!

Once you have a few sessions under your belt, you’ll begin to get a feel for which induction to use for each specific client. The induction you choose is less important than making your client feel comfortable, respected, and heard. Never move into an induction before you have rapport with your client.

We’ve also got an entire tutorial on Power Inductions.?

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Step 4 – Deepen the Hypnosis

Once your client is in a trance, always assume they can go deeper. Use deepeners in every session until your calibration skills have developed enough to immediately recognise a useful somnambulistic trance.

Pacing and leading

• Offer 3 things that must be present in your client’s current experience. This is similar to a yes set because they’re internally agreeing that they notice these things. Then you can lead the subject by suggesting that these things will cause a deeper trance.

Here’s an example: “And you can notice the rate of your breathing…and the way your right hand feels different from your left…and the temperature of the room can allow you to go even deeper into trance…NOW…”

You can easily incorporate unwanted noises by pointing them out and then making them work for you. For example: “And the sound of laughter in the next room can allow you to relax twice as deeply during this enjoyable experience.”

Counting down

• You might say “In a moment…not yet…but in a moment…I’m going to count backward from 10-1…and as you hear each descending number…you can allow your level of relaxation…to double…Ten, doubling your relaxation…Nine…relaxing twice as deeply, etc.”

The Mandel Method of deepening trance:

Simply say “And your unconscious…mind…knows there’s an even deeper level that’s just right for you to solve this problem, and I’d like your unconscious mind to take you there…NOW…”

Special bonus: Here’s the full video of my lecture on deepening hypnosis from Hypnothoughts Live 2017 in Las Vegas.

Step 5 – Hypnotic Convincers Prove They Were Hypnotized

Your client will benefit from hypnosis more by being convinced he or she was actually hypotized.  To do this we use what’s called a “convincer”.

Some convincers happen automatically.  If your client feels like he was in hypnosis for 10 minutes, but it was really one hour, he’ll know he was hypnotized.  That’s time distortion.

If your client can’t remember much of the session, that’s hypnotic amnesia. It’s another great, natural convincer.

But as a hypnotist you can also create any number of convincers just through suggestion.

In the beginning you’ll want to use convincers for your own satisfaction. But even after you become very skilled, it’s still a good idea to use them for the benefit of your client.

Why? 

At the end of the session a client can look back at this part of their experience and become “convinced” they were in trance. They think, “I couldn’t lift my leg off the floor so I really was hypnotized!”

Clients who are convinced they were hypnotized are more likely to have the change work stick, and more likely to tell other people about the amazing experience they had with you.

Two Easy Convincer Ideas:

Eyelid catalepsy: Suggest that their eyes are glued shut and no matter how hard they try, they just won’t open.

Leg catalepsy: Have them imagine their legs are buried in the sand and when they try to lift them they just stay stuck.

Remember to always remove the suggestion before you move to step 6. Tell them their eyelids/legs are back to normal.

Step 6 – Do The Hypnotic Change Work

Now you lead your client to the resolution of their problem. Don’t attempt to solve the problem for them. Instead, direct their unconscious mind to find the solution and install a new program that creates the desired result.

The Mandel Model of Therapy states that:

1. Your subject is stuck in a dark, scary labyrinth.
2. There are false exits, dead-ends and paths that lead nowhere.
3. There are monsters and scary things in the labyrinth.
4. The solution is not in the labyrinth or they would have solved their problem already.
5. During trance, you flawlessly, delicately, and effortlessly unlock their labyrinth and illuminate their path to freedom.
6. It’s always their decision to leave. You can’t force them.

If you’ve followed the first 5 steps, your client will be in a deep trance. This is the perfect environment for learning and healing. Their unconscious mind is primed to solve their problem.

Direct suggestion:

The deeper the trance, the more specific your suggestions and directions should be. Give the unconscious mind very specific instructions to find the solution and apply it. This is not the time for flowery metaphors. You need to use very simple language.

Give suggestions that will activate their internal learning and pattern matching systems. Ask their unconscious to find resources that have been lying dormant beneath the client’s conscious awareness.

Example of direct suggestions:

“And you’ve learned so many things over the years…like talking and walking…even though it seemed impossible at first, and as an adult…

You’ve learned more complex things like (insert something they’re good at here) because your learning ability has increased…

and you can learn…now…to (insert command) because your brain can take all that it needs from the wealth of your experience…

And apply it in the way that will cause you to (insert specific change)…and I’d like you to sit in silence …

Comfortably…as your unconscious…mind…sorts through all of your past experiences, flawlessly finding all the correct ones…that will accurately map to this situation…about to change completely…

And you can take a deep breath and learn so much about this problem…That’s right…

And with another deep breath you can unconsciously memorize the solution…and as you continue to breathe, that solution installs…

And you can also learn the key that will unlock the solution…so you can…feel so much better…NOW!”

Notice the Run-On-Sentence?

The direct suggestion example above is a run on sentence. The structure keeps the conscious mind distracted while the unconscious mind finds the solution. The key is to direct their unconscious mind to find the solution.  

If you’re not yet comfortable with run-on-sentences, simply speak clearly and finish your sentences.  Repeat suggestions several different ways, using positive language (what the client will experience instead of what he will NOT experience)

Remember to be congruent, be confident and speak with intention.

Step 7 – Awaken the Subject

You know your client isn’t really asleep (hopefully!) but we’ll still call this step awakening because it is easy for the client to understand. During hypnosis, the client looks like they’re asleep and when they open their eyes, it resembles waking up.

It’s very important to create a clear distinction between trance and being wide awake and alert. As you awaken your subject, begin to speak in an energetic, wide awake voice and suggest that they feel alert and amazing when they open their eyes.

You can count them up to the waking state by letting them know that, “In a moment, I’ll count from one to five and when I reach the number 5 you will awaken feeling wide awake, refreshed, and alert.

Then you simply do exactly as you’ve just warned. Make sure your tone of voice gradually shifts from a hypnotic voice towards a regular conversational voice as you count up to 5. 

Here’s a cool way to do this using the Mandel Awakening Phrase.

Because one (1) can always come to (2) the surface feeling 3 times better than before (4) and be wide awake, alert, and revive on five! (5)

When they open their eyes, make sure to smile and enthusiastically say “Hi” to them. This will help them transition cleanly back to the present moment.

After awakening:

Change the subject.  Direct the conversation to something other than what just happened. Your client may be in a highly suggestible state for the next few minutes so don’t allow them to analyze their experience.

It’s your responsibility to direct the conversation so they don’t sabotage their own success by second guessing the work that has been done.

Before they leave your office, ask them, “What’s next?” to get them thinking about how they’re going to begin doing things differently.

BONUS: Become an Expert Now with the Circle of Excellence

When you work with a client you want to seem confident and trustworthy. To do this you must be congruent and present yourself as an expert. Because you are an expert!

The Circle of Excellence will put you in a powerful, resourceful state. You don’t even have to wait for the next client, but can apply this technique now. Eventually you’ll shift automatically into the best state for the job without running through the steps.

Here’s how:

1. Imagine a circle on the floor in front of you. Make it large enough to step inside.
2. Think of all the things you want to put in that circle. What skills or characteristics would you need to have to present yourself as an expert? Example: I want to be confident, excited, expectant, persuasive, self-assured.
3. Go through the list one at a time and think of a time you felt confident. Associate into that feeling by seeing what you saw, hearing what you heard, breathing how you breathed, and taking on the posture of confidence. When you’re feeling supremely confident, step into the circle of excellence and imagine the circle filling with confidence.
4. Repeat the process with every aspect you listed in step two. Fill the circle with confidence, expectancy, persuasiveness, excitement and imagine all of those things swirling together in a magical cocktail of awesomeness.
5. At the start of every session, step into this circle of excellence and notice the change.

Variation

Create a chair of excellence. Sit in the chair you use during your client sessions and anchor all the characteristics you desire to the chair. Every time you sit in that chair, you’ll naturally assume the posture of an expert.

Imagine a person, real or imaginary, who exemplifies the characteristic you want. For example: Batman has a self-assured, supremely confident demeanor (Michael Keaton was the best batman, by the way). Imagine Batman stepping into the circle of excellence and see the circle being infused with self-assurance and confidence.  

Frequently asked questions

What are the seven steps of the direct model of hypnosis?

The seven steps are: demystify hypnosis, run suggestibility tests, hypnotize the person, deepen the hypnosis, use convincers, do the hypnotic change work, and awaken the subject. The model is a sequence to follow rather than a script to read.

Do you have to use all seven steps every time?

No. Most of the steps will usually be in play, but the model is a structure rather than a checklist. Suggestibility tests in particular are optional in a change work session.

Does the seven step model include the client interview?

No, and this catches people out. The model begins at demystification, so the interview happens before step one. You still need to gather your information first.

When should you use the direct model instead of a rapid induction?

Use it when you are doing deliberate change work with someone who came to you for it. It is not meant for stage hypnosis, street hypnosis, or casual use with friends.

What if the suggestibility tests do not work?

It is not a failure. Suggestibility tests mainly build heteroaction, and they are most useful on stage. In a change work session you can skip them and move straight to the induction.

Do you need hypnotic convincers?

Convincers are step five because they prove to the subject that something real happened, which makes the change work that follows land better. They are useful rather than strictly mandatory.

Before long, we’re no longer dealing only with what happened. We’re dealing with everything the mind has built around it since.

Are you suffering with something?

I don’t mean simply having a problem, because everybody has problems. I mean something that’s moved into your inner life and started taking up too much room, something you return to when you’re alone, when you wake in the night, when you’re driving, or when things become quiet enough for your mind to wander back to whatever’s been troubling you. It may be grief, betrayal, a relationship that ended badly, a frightening health problem, regret over something you did years ago, or something somebody did to you that still feels unfinished. It may even be something that hasn’t happened at all, but which you’ve rehearsed so many times that part of you is already living through it.

The Difference Between Pain and Suffering

I think there’s an important difference between pain and suffering, even though the two are often tangled together. Pain can come straight from life. Someone dies. A marriage ends. We lose our health, our security, a friendship, a business, or a dream we’d been carrying for years. Sometimes there’s nothing to reinterpret because the thing itself is genuinely painful, and I’ve never liked the habit of trying to turn every bad experience into a lesson about growth or resilience. Some things hurt because they matter. Grief after the loss of someone you love isn’t a sign that you need to improve your thinking. It’s part of loving someone who’s no longer there.

Suffering gets more complicated because the mind can take that original pain and extend it, sometimes far beyond the event itself. We replay what happened and imagine how it might have gone differently. We decide what it says about us. We wonder what’s going to happen next and start filling in the blanks with increasingly unpleasant possibilities. We have arguments with people who aren’t in the room, imagine explanations we’ll probably never give, and revisit moments that are already over as though one more inspection might somehow alter them.

Before long, we’re no longer dealing only with what happened. We’re dealing with everything the mind has built around it since.

When Mental Rehearsal Turns Against Us

We’re very good at mental rehearsal, and most people understand how useful that can be. An athlete runs through a performance before competing. A musician hears a difficult passage internally before playing it. Someone preparing to speak in public imagines standing up, finding the right words and getting through it well. We usually think of mental rehearsal as preparation for success, but the same ability can just as easily be turned against us.

You can rehearse being abandoned before anyone leaves. You can rehearse a terrible diagnosis before you’ve been given one, picture the argument before it starts, imagine the humiliation before you make the mistake, or spend hours living through the consequences of a financial disaster that hasn’t happened.

None of this is pretend in the ordinary sense, because the feelings produced by it can be very real. You can be sitting safely in a chair with a racing heart, tight muscles and a churning stomach because of something that exists entirely in your imagination.

That’s one reason fear can become so persuasive. Once the body joins in, it’s easy to mistake the strength of the feeling for proof that the prediction must be accurate. We feel terrible, so we assume something terrible must be happening, or must be about to happen. Sometimes that’s true. At other times the feeling tells us more about what we’ve been repeatedly imagining than it tells us about the future.

One Person’s Pain, Another Person’s Catastrophe

Frames matter here because experience never arrives in the mind completely untouched. We place events in context, compare them with other things that have happened, decide whether they’re temporary or permanent, and draw conclusions about what they say about us and where our lives are going. Much of this happens automatically, which helps explain why two people can go through remarkably similar experiences and come out of them in very different states.

Imagine two people who both lose their jobs. One is frightened, angry and uncertain, but thinks, “I have no idea what I’m going to do next.” The other concludes that this is the beginning of the end, that nobody will want to employ them again, that they’ve failed, and that everything is now sliding downhill. The event is painful for both, but the second person is carrying far more than the event itself.

This is what I mean when I say one person’s pain can become another person’s catastrophe without remedy. From the inside, that catastrophe feels completely real. Telling someone to cheer up, be positive, count their blessings or look on the bright side usually doesn’t help very much, because it doesn’t touch the structure of the experience. If someone has come to believe that what happened is permanent, all-encompassing and hopeless, encouragement alone probably won’t reorganize it.

Taking Apart the Mechanism

It can be much more useful to get curious about how the suffering is being maintained, not in a blaming way, but almost as though you were taking apart a mechanism to see how it works. What actually happened? What did you conclude because of it? What are you predicting now? What scenes do you keep replaying? Which parts belong to reality as it stands today, and which parts have been added by fear, memory, imagination or expectation?

There’s a considerable difference between not knowing how you’re going to get through something and deciding that you never will. There’s a difference between wishing something hadn’t happened and treating it as proof that your whole life has been spoiled. There’s also a difference between knowing that something hurts now and assuming it will always hurt in exactly the same way.

Those distinctions can look small on paper, but they can change the whole experience.

None of this means we should be trying to think our way out of every difficult emotion. Some losses can’t be repaired, and some things leave a mark. If we try too hard to make pain disappear simply because we don’t like feeling it, we can add another struggle on top of the first one. A person may be grieving, frightened or angry for perfectly understandable reasons, and the useful question isn’t always how to get rid of the feeling. Sometimes it’s whether we’re allowing the pain that belongs there without continually feeding it with dreadful predictions and endless rehearsal.

Working With How an Experience Is Held

This is one of the reasons hypnosis belongs in the conversation.

Hypnosis doesn’t alter history, and it doesn’t require anyone to pretend that something painful didn’t happen. What it can do is help us work with the way an experience is being held in the mind. Attention can shift, mental pictures can change, expectations can change, and memories can sometimes be experienced differently. A person who’s learned, without realizing it, to respond automatically to certain thoughts, sensations or images may be able to learn another response.

There’s real research behind this, particularly in the treatment of pain. Hypnosis has been studied in medical procedures, surgery and chronic pain, and many studies have found that it can reduce pain or help people cope with it more effectively. It doesn’t help everyone in the same way, and I’d be deeply suspicious of anybody selling it as a miracle cure, but there’s enough good work behind it to take it seriously.

That makes sense when you think about the nature of pain itself. What’s happening in the body matters, of course, but so does what the person expects, fears, remembers and imagines, along with what they believe the pain means. Hypnosis gives us a practical way of working with some of those processes, and changing them can sometimes change the experience more than people expect.

None of this means hypnosis is a magic eraser for grief, trauma, physical pain or the ordinary difficulties of being human, and I wouldn’t trust anybody who presented it that way. What it does suggest is something much more interesting: our experience of pain is shaped not only by what’s happening, but also by the way we attend to it, what we expect to happen next, what we imagine, what we remember, and the meaning we’ve attached to the whole experience. If some of those things change, the experience itself may change with them.

If there’s something you’re suffering with at the moment, it may be worth looking at it from this angle. There may be a real problem that needs action, a loss that needs grieving, or a situation that simply has to be endured for a while. But there may also be part of the suffering that’s being kept alive by the way your mind keeps returning to it, rehearsing it, predicting what comes next and giving the original event fresh emotional energy every time around.

You may not be able to change what happened, and in some cases you may not be able to change what’s happening now. But if part of the suffering lies in how the experience is being carried, remembered and anticipated, then there’s something there you can work with.

Hypnosis can sometimes help with that very thing.

- Mike Mandel