How Negative Suggestions Can Harm Your Hypnosis Clients (And How to Fix It with Positive Language and Affirmations)

You really don't want to say things that will make your clients' problems worse.

Imagine you are a doctor who is about to give an injection to a patient. What would you say to them before you do it?

Would you say something like “this is likely going to hurt quite a lot” or would you say something like “this will feel like a slight pinch”?

The difference may seem trivial, but it can have a huge impact on your client’s experience and outcome. The first statement is an example of a negative suggestion, while the second statement is an example of a neutral or positive suggestion

Negative suggestions are words or phrases that imply danger, uncertainty, failure, or negativity. Positive suggestions are words or phrases that imply safety, certainty, success, or positivity.

Negative suggestions can trigger a phenomenon called nocebo effect, while positive suggestions can trigger a phenomenon called placebo effect.

The nocebo effect is the opposite of the placebo effect. While the placebo effect is when a harmless substance or treatment causes a positive outcome due to the client’s belief or expectation, the nocebo effect is when a harmless substance or treatment causes a negative outcome for the same reason.

For example, if you tell your client that a pill will make them feel better, they may actually feel better even if the pill has no active ingredient. This is the placebo effect. But if you tell your client that a pill will cause side effects, they may actually experience those side effects just because of that statement. This is the nocebo effect.

The nocebo effect can have serious consequences for your client’s health and well-being. It can increase their pain, anxiety and stress. It can also reduce their adherence to treatment, satisfaction with care, and ultimately, their trust in you.

In this blog post, we will explain:

• How negative suggestions can trigger the nocebo effect and how to avoid this.
• How you can use hypnotic language effectively in your communication with your clients.
• How to obtain a solid foundation on all aspects of hypnosis.

How Negative Suggestions Trigger the Nocebo Effect

Negative suggestions can trigger the nocebo effect especially in people who are already vulnerable, anxious, or sensitive. They can activate their unconscious mind and create negative associations and expectations that affect their physical and mental health.

The unconscious mind is where our beliefs, emotions, memories, habits, and automatic responses are stored. It is also where we process most of our sensory information and make most of our decisions.

The unconscious mind is very powerful and influential, but it is not very rational or logical. It does not understand negatives directly. Instead of understanding what is not true or not wanted (e.g., “don’t think of a pink elephant”), it has to first process what is true or wanted (e.g., “think of a pink elephant”) and then negate it (e.g., “not”). This extra step takes more time and effort than processing positives directly (e.g., “think of a blue whale”).

This means that when we use negative suggestions (e.g., “you will not feel pain”), we are actually activating the opposite of what we want in our clients’ unconscious minds (e.g., “you will feel pain”). This can trigger the nocebo effect and cause harm to our patients or clients.

For instance, if a doctor says “this is likely going to hurt quite a lot” before giving an injection, they are implying that the injection is dangerous and uncertain. You are also activating your patient’s unconscious mind to think of and expect pain. This can make your patient anticipate and actually feel more pain than they would otherwise.

Likewise, if you say “I don’t know if this will work for you” before prescribing a medication or treatment, you are implying that the medication or service is ineffective or uncertain. You are also activating your client’s unconscious mind to think of and expect failure. This can make your patient or client doubt the effectiveness of the medication or treatment and actually reduce its benefits.

Read: What Can I Treat as a Hypnotherapist? (And Why We Don’t Care About Labels).

These negative suggestions can also affect your client’s perception of you and your relationship. They can make your client feel less confident, comfortable, and satisfied with your care. They can also make your client less likely to follow your advice, ask questions, or share their concerns.

How to Avoid Causing Harm with Positive Language and Affirmations

The good news is that you can avoid causing harm to your clients by using positive language and affirmations instead of negative suggestions.

Positive language and affirmations are words or phrases that imply safety, certainty, success, or positivity. They are also words or phrases that express praise, appreciation, encouragement, or support. They can trigger the placebo effect and activate the clients' unconscious mind and create positive associations and expectations that affect their physical and mental health.

If a doctor says “this will feel like a slight pinch” before giving an injection, they are implying that the injection is safe, certain, successful, and positive. You are also activating your patient’s unconscious mind to think of and expect comfort. This can make your patient anticipate less pain and actually feel less pain than they would otherwise.

If you say “this will work very well for you” before prescribing a medication or treatment, you are implying that the medication or service is safe and effective. This can make them trust the effectiveness of the medication and actually enhance its benefits.

These positive language and affirmations can also affect your client’s perception of you and your relationship. They can make your client feel more confident, comfortable, and satisfied with your care, which in turn, makes them more likely to follow your advice, ask questions, or share their concerns.

Here are some tips for using positive language and affirmations with your clients or patients:

• Use words that imply possibility, opportunity, choice, or control instead of words that imply limitation, restriction, obligation, or pressure.
• Use words that imply certainty, confidence, assurance, or evidence instead of words that imply doubt, uncertainty, hesitation, or speculation.
• Use words that imply success, improvement, progress, or benefit instead of words that imply failure, deterioration, stagnation, or harm.
• Use words that imply positivity, optimism, hope, or happiness instead of words that imply negativity, pessimism, fear, or sadness.
• Use words that express praise, appreciation, encouragement, or support instead of words that express criticism, blame, discouragement, or indifference.
• Use words that are specific, clear, concise, and accurate instead of words that are vague, ambiguous, wordy, or inaccurate.
• Use words that are appropriate for the their age, culture, education level, and personal preferences instead of words that are inappropriate for their background and needs.

How Negative Suggestions Are Related to Hypnotic Language

You may wonder what negative suggestions have to do with hypnotic language. After all, hypnosis is usually associated with trance states and relaxation techniques.

However, hypnosis is not just a state of mind or a method of therapy. It is also a form of communication that uses language to influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Hypnotic language is simply a very efficient form of communication that uses specific words, phrases, patterns, and techniques to bypass the conscious mind and directly access the unconscious mind, which is where we process most of our sensory information and make most of our decisions.

Hypnotic language can be used for various purposes. It can be used to help clients overcome their fears, phobias, addictions, or traumas. It can also be used to enhance communication, persuasion, motivation, or learning.

Hypnotic language can be used intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or unconsciously, in formal or informal settings, and it can be used by anyone who knows how to use it.

You use hypnotic language all the time, whether you realize it or not. You use it to educate, inform, persuade, motivate, reassure, or comfort your clients. You also use it to implant suggestions that can affect your clients' health and well-being.

Unfortunately, some of these suggestions can be negative and trigger the nocebo effect. This is why you need to be aware of the power of your words and how they can influence your clients’ unconscious minds.

How You Can Use Hypnotic Language Effectively

The good news is that you can use hypnotic language effectively by using positive language and affirmations instead of negative suggestions.

Positive language and affirmations can trigger the placebo effect and activate your clients' unconscious mind and create positive associations and expectations that affect their physical and mental health.

For example, you may use a technique called reframing to change the meaning of a situation from negative to positive. You may say “this is not a problem, but an opportunity” or “this is not a challenge, but a chance to grow”. This can make your client see the situation in a more positive and optimistic way.

You may also use a technique called pacing and leading to establish rapport and trust with your client and then guide them to a desired outcome. It can make them more open and receptive to your suggestion or solution.

You may also use a technique called embedded commands to deliver suggestions indirectly and subtly to your client’s unconscious mind. You may say “you may begin to feel more relaxed” to embed a command within a sentence that sounds like a normal statement or question. This can make them more likely to follow your command without resistance or awareness.

These are just some of the techniques that you can use to use hypnotic language effectively with your patients or clients. There are many more techniques that you can learn and practice to enhance your communication skills and outcomes.

Negative suggestions can trigger the nocebo effect and cause harm to your clients by activating their unconscious minds and creating negative associations and expectations that affect their physical and mental health.

Positive language and affirmations can trigger the placebo effect and help them by activating their unconscious minds in the opposite way, by creating positive associations and expectations that affect their physical and mental health.

Hypnotic language is a form of communication that uses specific words, phrases, patterns, and techniques to bypass the conscious mind and directly access the unconscious mind. You can use hypnotic language effectively by using positive language and affirmations instead of negative suggestions.

This information is not only useful for doctors and hypnotists, but also for other professionals who interact with clients on a daily basis. You can also benefit from using positive language and affirmations with yourself to improve your own health and well-being.

Read: How To Create Empowering Questions To Change Your Life).

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