Stop Suggesting, Start Directing: How to Hypnotize More Effectively

Most hypnotists make this huge mistake.

Imagine you’re guiding someone into hypnosis, and it’s not going as smoothly as you'd like. They’re sitting there with their eyes wide open, and despite your best efforts—telling them they’re getting sleepy, their eyes are getting heavy—nothing seems to be happening. Frustrating, right?

The good news is there’s one simple shift that will instantly turn things around. It’s not some complicated new technique or a special trick that requires years of practice. It’s just a tiny change in how you speak during your hypnotic inductions.

The secret? Use direction instead of suggestion.

What’s the Purpose of Hypnotic Inductions?

The whole point of a hypnotic induction is to bypass the critical faculty—that little voice in your head that guards against outside influence. Think of the critical faculty as the gatekeeper between the conscious and unconscious mind. It’s the part that analyzes, evaluates, and judges everything you experience. In everyday life, it’s useful because it helps us make decisions, but during hypnosis, it can be a big obstacle.

Why? Because to make real, lasting change, you need to communicate directly with the unconscious mind—the part that runs the show behind the scenes. To do that, you have to get the critical faculty out of the way.

The Mistake Most Hypnotists Make

And here’s where things often go wrong, even for experienced hypnotists. During the induction, many hypnotists try to use suggestions to create trance. You know the phrases:

• "You’re getting sleepy."
• "Your eyes are getting heavy."
• "You’re starting to feel relaxed."

These statements sound fine on the surface, but here’s the problem: The critical faculty is still active at the start of the hypnotic induction. So when you tell someone, “You’re getting sleepy,” and they’re not actually feeling sleepy yet, what do they do? They start analyzing. Their critical faculty kicks into overdrive, thinking, "No, I’m not sleepy at all." And just like that, you’ve lost them.

This is especially true for analytical subjects, who are more likely to mentally argue with every suggestion you make. They’ll sit there thinking, "I’m not feeling that," and their conscious mind stays engaged, preventing them from going into trance. The critical faculty stays firmly in place, and your induction stalls.

Direction vs. Suggestion: What’s the Difference?

Now, you don’t need to throw out your entire approach to hypnosis. All you need to do is swap out suggestions for directions during the induction.

So, what’s the difference?

• Suggestion is when you tell someone that something is happening (whether it is or not): "You’re getting sleepy," "Your hand is getting heavy," or "Your eyes are starting to close."
• Direction is when you give the subject a clear instruction on what to do: "Close your eyes," "Allow your hand to feel heavier," or "Take a deep breath."

This small shift makes a world of difference. When you give directions, you’re not asking the subject to passively accept something that may not yet be true. You’re simply telling them what to do.

Think about it: When you say, "Close your eyes," the subject just closes their eyes. There’s no internal debate about whether their eyes are feeling tired or not—they simply follow the instructions. This makes the entire process smoother and quicker.

So, instead of saying, "Your hand is feeling heavy," say, "Allow your hand to feel heavier." You’re not suggesting it might happen; you’re directing them to let it happen. That subtle difference takes the critical faculty out of the equation and makes the subject an active participant.

The Importance of Active Participation

By using direction instead of suggestion, you’re able to create a psychodynamic loop of communication between you and the subject. Instead of sitting passively, waiting for something to happen, your subject is doing something. They’re following your instructions, engaging with the process. This builds rapport, increases compliance, and helps them slip into trance much more naturally.

The more they comply with your directions, the easier it becomes for them to follow the rest of the hypnosis process. Compliance is a hypnotist’s best friend—once you’ve got someone complying, you’re well on your way to creating a deep and effective trance.

When Should You Use Suggestions?

So, does that mean you should throw out suggestions altogether? Absolutely not! Suggestions are at the core of effective hypnosis—but they need to be used at the right time.

The right time to introduce suggestions is when your subject is already in trance. Once the critical faculty is bypassed and the unconscious mind is fully engaged, your suggestions will go straight to where they need to be. At that point, suggestions like "You’re feeling deeply relaxed" or "Your mind is open to positive change" will land without resistance because the conscious mind is no longer filtering everything.