As a future (or current) hypnotist or hypnotherapist, the type of work that’s done is unique to the outside world, isn’t it? It’s one of the most interesting jobs that a person could have and it’s one that is often the most confusing.
In this blog, we’d love to answer some irrational fears and give our professional and honest opinion on some of the unique perspectives on this industry. So whether you are an up-and-coming hypnotist or you’ve been doing it for a while, this blog post is definitely for you.
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Let’s start with an interesting paradox though, shall we?
Should You Convince Your Client Or Educate Them?
There are a few different opinions on whether you should have to convince your clients on whether hypnosis will help them or not. Some hypnosis trainers believe that you should never take a client if you have to somehow persuade them that hypnosis will work for them. Others believe that the convincing process happens before the client ever sets foot in your office.
(We’ll give you our thoughts on it in a moment.)
The reason for this idea of “convincing” the client is due to the very special nature of the hypnosis business model. In other words, clients will often come to you with questions about hypnosis and if it will work for them, and supposedly it’s your job to “convince” them that it will.
We get it. As professional hypnotists ourselves, it can be pretty confusing. Take into consideration the fact that several schools of hypnosis use some version of the 7-Step Direct Method, which is a model of hypnosis where one of the steps is called ‘convincers!’ The problem with the concept of “convincing”, though, is it puts all of the responsibility of the hypnosis working on the hypnotist. The truth is though, it’s the complete opposite!
So how do you stop convincing them?
What to do Instead
We believe strongly in the power of intention. It’s even part of something we teach in The Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy called The Mandel Triangle. (It’s simply a model of how to effectively become a phenomenal hypnotist, fast.)
One of the sides of The Mandel Triangle is called ‘conviction.’ It’s this portion of the triangle that stands for a hypnotist's ability to intend for something to happen and it does!
So that means, whether you tell a client that their hand will stick to their face or they will give up smoking forever, the result of what is going to happen actually does happen.
That sounds incredible, doesn’t it? How can you suggest something to the client with so much trust in yourself that you know it will happen? To intend for something to happen and getting the result you intended for sounds like something a wizard from a mystical land could do, right?
Well the truth is, you absolutely have that ability - and it has nothing to do with having to convince your client of anything.
First, you must understand how to calibrate effectively. Without this skill, it is practically impossible to be able to deliver effective suggestions or directions. It’s one of the key principles we teach at The Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.
Second, our take on the idea of convincing the client is a little different. Here’s how.
Instead of convincing, it’s much easier to educate the client. Milton H. Erickson, the father of hypnotherapy, used to say that hypnosis is a learning state. We completely agree.
When someone is in a hypnotic trance, they are often responding to various suggestions and directions, and learning what to do as you guide them through the process. He would do this by offering his clients options and choices and using vague language. This would cause people to go into trance where they could learn from their past situations and see things from a new perspective.
So what’s the interesting paradox we mentioned earlier?
Using the Preframe
The interesting paradox is the fact that, as a hypnotist, you have to not only educate the client about what hypnosis is, but you also have to teach them how to go into hypnosis.
This is where something called the “preframe” comes in. We firmly believe that if you add a strong preframe into your sessions that explains what hypnosis is and also how to go into hypnosis, then you will always have amazing clients who get results. What do we mean by this?
It’s pretty simple.
You will get consistent & intentional results for your clients when you know what the preframe is and why it’s really important.
A lot of novice hypnotists will bypass the use of a preframe altogether because they don’t understand what it will do for them. Unfortunately, that’s like never learning how to drive a car, but jumping behind the wheel expecting to be a professional.
The truth is, the client in your office probably knows about hypnosis as much as they do about designing and constructing a jumbo jet. Sure some people might know how, but do you? Does your grandma? Your cousins?
Probably not.
(We know kid...we wish we knew how to build a jumbo jet too)
As a hypnotist, the uniqueness in your job is all based around the fact that you have to teach your clients how to go into hypnosis. It’s a two way street.
In fact, that’s a pretty typical hypnosis myth. The myth being that the hypnotist is somehow the one responsible for creating the trance in their clients. (We mentioned this earlier regarding having to convince people.)
In reality, the hypnotist is only responsible for about 20% of the hypnotic process. The other 80% lies on the shoulders of the one being hypnotised. All the hypnotist is doing is providing suggestions using verbal and non-verbal communication. It’s ultimately up to the person who wants to be hypnotised on whether they want to go into a trance or not.
So since the one responsible for going into trance is the person being hypnotized and they have no clue about what hypnosis is, what can we do to make sure we can give them the results they want?
Simple. Use your preframe as a way to educate the client and also set up the expectation of what’s going to happen. That means, before any formal hypnosis is done, (like inducing trance or doing suggestibility tests) you’ll simply take some time to explain and educate the client about the result they’ll get once the session is complete.
That means, before you do hypnosis, you tell them what’s going to happen and what they’ll experience. They’ll listen to you because you are the expert. And when you educate them properly, there will be absolutely no reason to convince them, because their questions will be answered and they will trust you and the process.
When your client trusts you with little to no resistance, then you’ve built solid rapport. (Another key principle that we teach at The Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy)
The Preframe
Now that you know just how important the preframe is, we wanted to give you an awesome example of how a preframe can both educate the client about what hypnosis is and how it will help them get the result they want.
“So, Client Name, you’ve come today to see me to help you overcome X, and it’s been bothering you for a while, is that right? Well you are in good hands, because hypnosis is especially good at helping people who have been struggling with X.
The reason hypnosis will give you the result you want is because X is often found in a place called your unconscious mind. This part of your mind is where all of your internal patterns of habit and behavior are stored. It’s where your personality traits, skills, and autonomic abilities come from. It’s also where your deep memory is located, including all of the times you’ve had issues revolving around X, going all the way back to the very first time it ever affected you.
Now, this old problem of X that you had, was something you learned. The very first moment that X started happening was probably done out of self-protection or self-nurturing, and it was effective in the moment, but now it’s become an automatic, unconscious process. Hypnosis gives you the ability to use your brain in an incredible way. By just allowing yourself to drift into a trance, you will gain access to your unconscious mind. Once that happens, I’ll just give you some simple instructions and as you continue to follow them, you will solve the problem you had with X.
Now the best thing about hypnosis is the fact that you’ve been doing it your whole life without realizing it. The difference, this time, is you are going to do it intentionally. You’ve probably had moments where you’ve been lost in thought, daydreaming, or maybe you were driving in your car and suddenly ended up at your destination without remembering how you got there. Those moments were some instances of you automatically going into a trance.
And here you are, safe and sound, aren’t you? Of course. So that means, you won’t get stuck in hypnosis, or lose your awareness of what’s going on. You won’t do anything immoral or unethical, nor will you give away your secrets. You go in and out of hypnosis every day, unintentionally, and that didn’t alter your morals or ethics, right? Of course not.
So while you are in hypnosis, as long as you just follow my instructions and allow yourself to fall into a trance, you’ll naturally do so. I can’t do it for you, because all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. And as you just allow yourself to listen to my instructions, your conscious mind may drift off, and you’ll probably notice your jaw get heavy, your teeth might part, and your head will tilt forward. That’s ok though because again, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, so whatever happens is perfect for you. It will be quite an experience.
My words will become your reality. You will see what I suggest you can see, hear what I suggest you can hear, feel what I suggest you can feel. Now, since you know that your safety is my number one priority and that your ecology is safe, you can just allow the process to happen.
That’s easy to understand, isn’t it? Of course. And, Client Name, you want to just begin to notice X disappear completely from your life, don’t you? That’s right...so are you comfortable? Are you ready to go into hypnosis, right now? Awesome - so just sit back, place your feet flat on the floor, and your hands in your lap. Great...now, can I borrow that hand?”
By setting up a solid foundation (the preframe) for the work you will be doing (whether for therapy or entertainment), you’ll give yourself a much better chance for success.
So at this point, it’s probably pretty easy to see why we don’t really agree with the idea of needing to convince your subjects. We suggest, if you are a hypnotist, test and future pace, do stellar changework, and you’ll notice that convincing them was never an issue.
If you are curious about just how simple learning hypnosis can be, then that means The Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy would be a great decision to consider! We focus on helping you easily understand the principles of hypnosis and the foundational tools to become really good at it.
And the best part is that we make it ridiculously fun.
Click here to get started.