What if you could instantly control how you feel?
Emotions are the drivers of human experience. They shape how we think, act, and interact with the world. At their best, emotions bring joy, connection, and purpose. But when negative emotions take hold, they can drag us down, creating stress, pain, or fear. What if you could take control of your emotional experience, amplifying the good and flattening the bad?
Enter Association and Dissociation—powerful techniques rooted in neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis. These tools are simple to use but can radically shift how you experience the world, giving you control over your emotional intensity. Let’s dive into these concepts and discover how to use them in daily life.
The Secret to Emotional Mastery: Association and Dissociation
At its core, Association means being fully immersed in an experience, feeling as though you’re “in it.” It’s the reason positive memories can feel so vivid and energizing. On the flip side, Dissociation is the process of stepping back and observing an experience as though it’s happening to someone else. It creates emotional distance, making even the strongest emotions more manageable.
These techniques are incredibly versatile. You can use them to:
- Amplify emotions you want to feel more strongly, like happiness or confidence.
- Reduce the intensity of negative emotions, such as fear, anger, or even physical pain.
Let’s look at two exercises to illustrate how Association and Dissociation work.
Exercise 1: Dissociation Made Simple with the Hand Exercise
The hand exercise is a great way to experience the power of dissociation instantly:
- Start with Association:
- Hold your hand in front of you, palm facing you.
- Point at it and say, "This is my hand. This is my hand. This is my hand."
- Notice the sense of ownership—how personal and connected it feels.
- Switch to Dissociation:
- Now, hold your hand farther away and point at it. Say, "That hand. That hand over there."
- Feel the change in perspective. It may feel like the hand isn’t fully yours anymore, as though it belongs to a statue or someone else.
This simple shift demonstrates how the brain processes internal and external perspectives differently. It’s a subtle change, but it reveals a profound ability to create emotional distance or connection.
Exercise 2: The Roller Coaster Experience
The roller coaster exercise offers a vivid way to explore Association and Dissociation:
Dissociation (Observation):
Close your eyes and imagine sitting on a park bench near a giant roller coaster.
Picture another version of yourself in the front car of the coaster. You watch as the car creaks up the steep hill, tension building with every clank of the track. Then it plunges down, everyone screaming, the car rattling, until the ride ends.
Notice how safe and detached you feel watching yourself from this perspective.
Association (Immersion):
Now, imagine being in the front seat of the roller coaster. Feel the clanking of the track beneath you, the wind rushing past your face, and the surge of adrenaline as you plummet down the hill.
Observe how much more powerful the emotions become when you’re fully immersed in the experience.
This exercise demonstrates how simply changing your viewpoint can radically alter the emotional intensity of an experience.

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Real-Life Applications of Association and Dissociation
The ability to switch between Association and Dissociation is a powerful skill for navigating life’s emotional ups and downs. Here’s how to apply it:
Enhancing Positive Emotions:
Want to relive a moment of joy, success, or connection? Fully associate yourself with the thought or memory. Close your eyes, imagine being in the moment, and immerse yourself in every detail—the sights, sounds, and feelings.
Reducing Negative Emotions:
When dealing with fear, sadness, or even physical pain, dissociate yourself from the experience. Visualize the emotion or sensation as being “over there” rather than “in here.” Imagine the discomfort as an object you can push away.
Managing Pain:
Dissociation is especially effective for reducing physical pain. Imagine the pain as an external factor that is disconnected from you. This mental shift often provides tremendous relief.
Why It Works: The Science of NLP and Hypnosis
Association and Dissociation leverage the brain’s ability to reframe experiences. In NLP and hypnosis, these techniques are foundational tools for emotional control.
When you’re fully associated, your brain processes the experience as though it’s happening in real-time. The emotions and sensations are vivid and immediate. This is why positive association can be so energizing and empowering.
When you’re dissociated, your brain processes the experience as though it’s happening externally. This creates distance, reducing the emotional charge. Negative emotions become less overwhelming, and physical pain often diminishes as your focus shifts away from it.
These techniques tap into the same mental processes that make hypnosis so effective for emotional change and healing.
Building Emotional Mastery
Mastering Association and Dissociation takes practice, but the rewards are worth it. Start with small exercises, like the hand exercise or the roller coaster visualization. Gradually apply these tools to real-life situations, such as managing stress at work or amplifying confidence before a big event.
Emotions don’t have to control your life. With tools like Association and Dissociation, you can safely manage your emotions, enhancing the positive, and reducing the negative. It’s all about learning how to shift your perspective and take ownership of your experience.
Over time, these techniques become second nature, empowering you to take charge of your emotional experience whenever you need to. Start them today and discover how powerful your mind truly is. With little effort and the right tools, you’ll soon learn how you can safely manage your emotions, creating a richer, more empowered life.
Over time, these techniques become second nature, empowering you to take charge of your emotional experience whenever you need to.
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