What happens when you spend 13 years refining the way you teach hypnosis, one of the world’s most misunderstood skills? For Mike Mandel and Chris Thompson, it meant stripping away the "lecture-heavy" intellectualism of the 90s and replacing it with a modular, hands-on framework designed for rapid skill acquisition. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the Architecture of Hypnosis, exploring why everything from breathing shifts to ego state integration is now foundational to creating lasting change in clients.
Key Takeaways
- The "Freight Train" Model: A modular approach to teaching Ericksonian language that builds from pacing and leading to NUVI (Nominalization Unspecified Verb Induction).
- Ericksonian First: The philosophy of teaching difficult, conversational hypnosis upfront as a foundation before layering in direct styles.
- Direct Suggestion (DSIH): The vital final step in every session to "cement the change" after an intervention.
- Ego State Integration: The shift toward viewing almost every client problem as an ego state issue, influenced by Watkins & Watkins and Gordon Emerson.
- Micro-Heteroaction: Recognizing and leveraging small behavioral agreements (Yes Sets) as the building blocks for deeper compliance and trancework.
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In this milestone episode, Mike Mandel and Chris Thompson reflect on over 13 years of teaching hypnosis and NLP. They dive deep into the evolution of their training methods, moving away from the intellectual, lecture-heavy styles of the past toward a hands-on, practical approach that emphasizes student transformation over mere content coverage. By refining their sequences and creating structured exercises, they’ve discovered how to help students gain "near-magical powers" faster than ever.
They discuss high-level technical shifts, such as the "Freight Train" model for teaching Ericksonian language and the transition to teaching the most difficult, abstract material—Ericksonian hypnosis—upfront. They also explore the "Dual-Instructor Advantage," where Chris’s analytical engineering background meshes with Mike’s decades of unconscious competence to unpack complex demos for the class.
Finally, the episode covers foundational updates to the Mandel Method, including the critical role of Ego State work and the necessity of "cementing the change" with Direct Suggestion in Hypnosis (DSIH). From leveraging micro-heteroaction to using breathing as an installation tool, Mike and Chris share the specific refinements that make their current training the most effective version in their history.
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