Evaluación

Before we actually begin an inductive process, a pre-talk is essential. If you go see a stage performance, during the first five or so minutes before the hypnotist invites volunteers up to the stage he or she will give an introduction and the pre-talk. When a client comes to you for a hypnotherapy appointment, they won’t come in, sit in the recliner and instantly be inducted. Instead, you will first to spend a little bit of time with the client performing an assessment interview as part of the pre-talk.

During the pre-talk, we will find out whether or not our client been hypnotized before, and if so, what their experience was like. We will build rapport by matching and mirroring their body language and patterns of speech, and just generally being nice and friendly. We will then ask if they have any specific questions for us. Sometimes our clients have questions for us about hypnosis that we’ve never even thought about before, so it is important to ask not only because it overcomes resistance, but also because on many occasions we can learn something from our clients. They may have fears and anxieties about hypnosis which are logically absurd, but ignorance is simply an absence of knowledge, so it is our job to be patient and gently lead them to a place of understanding and acceptance through education and answering questions.

I let clients know that even though I might use the word sleep they will not actually be asleep; sleep in this context is just another word for a trance-like state. And, depending on the response I receive, I may also define the word trance. Trance is a natural occurring phenomenon and a state of being that we all experience every day, much like highway hypnosis. It’s a condition of profound relaxation. Like when you're driving a car and ... I let my clients know, “You can’t stay hypnotized. I can’t get you to do anything against your will, and you will always be safe and can emerge at anytime you choose,” and so forth.

The pre-talk also builds trust. Our clients are essentially going to be sleeping with us for the next 30 minutes or so, if you’ll excuse the phrase, and so they want to know the person with whom they will be sleeping. Clients need to feel they can trust me, to know that Richard really is a nice guy who wants to help them out. Building 69

trust is essential during the pre-talk, because if we don’t have the client's trust we will not build a therapeutic relationship, which means it is unlikely they will go into a trance state and enjoy the benefits of hypnosis.

I always let my clients know during the pre-talk that there are four things I can promise them:

Number one is that they are going to feel better than they have ever felt before if they participate in today’s session.

Number two is that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. I am not going to be doing anything to them, but I am going to be guiding them through a process of hypnosis that their bodies already know how to participate in.

Number three is that hypnosis will in fact help them with the issues that they have presented today.

And number four, I always assure my clients that while we are engaged in the process of hypnosis I will never ask them to do anything humiliating nor to reveal any secrets to me that are not part of the presenting problem and the therapeutic process. I’ll tell them right up front that I respect what is important to them; their privacy and their dignity.

All of these things are important to communicate during the pre-talk and assessment interview session.

Convincers

Convincers are another hallmark of the pre-talk, particularly with new clients, as they help to break the ice and let people know what hypnosis is really all about, through demonstrations or examples of waking hypnosis. This helps clients learn the process of following suggestions, and helps us to measure resistance and self- development. If we do a couple of convincers during the pre-talk phase and the client is not responding appropriately, then maybe we need to go back and address more their potential myths or fears, to discover how or why this person come in with the idea of challenging the hypnotist, or whatever their resistance issue may be.

One of the most popular convincers frequently used by both stage hypnotists and clinical hypnotherapists is the simple “Fingers Drawn Together” test.:

“Hold your arms straight out in front of you, with your fingers clasped together, and then extend the pointer or index finger of each hand.

Now, pull those two fingers apart as far as possible, and stare hard at the space between them.

As you stare between your fingers a magnetic force begins to pull your fingers together.

You will notice that no matter how hard you try to keep your fingers apart, they are being drawn closer and closer together. The harder you pull, the stronger the magnet becomes and pulls them together.

Focus on the space between your fingers. Pull harder. Can you feel the magnet? Your fingers are being drawn by the magnet, closer and closer together, until they touch.”

Now, if a client's fingers do not close, that is fine too. We simply tell them this shows they have the ability to focus and concentrate. There really isn’t a right or wrong answer here; if they have the ability to resist the magnetic pull they feel between their fingers, they are focusing, but not focusing on the point between those two fingers as I have instructed. I’ll educate them on following instructions or try a different convincer, taking the time to further build rapport and trust.

Clients can feel a little silly or embarrassed at first with their fingers up in the air, so maintaining a positive, encouraging demeanor and moving on to another convincer - no matter their initial success or failure - can help them to relax and in the groove of following instructions and going with the process.

Another ice-breaking convincer is the “Circle and the 6”

“Sit up straight in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Which hand do you write with?” (Left or right?)

“Good. Now, raise that arm and point up (at a slight angle, like to a far corner of the room - demonstrate), and extend and raise your (right/left) foot off the ground (foot from same side as arm - left/left or right/right).

Excellent. Now, I want you to do two things at the same time. With your finger, you’re going write the number 6 in the air, starting at the top (counter-clockwise, demonstrate) - and - with your foot, you’re going to make a clockwise circle

(demonstrate).”

NOTE: You will demonstrate these two actions separately. Why? Because as the client will instantly discover when they try it, it’s darn near impossible to do them both at the same time, at least without highly concentrated practice.

Now, you try.

After the inevitable laughter, continue:

“Now, try it again, but draw the 6 from the loop up, while moving your foot (both clockwise, demonstrate) - or from the top down, but change direction of your foot (both counter- clockwise, demonstrate).”

-- And then you might briefly discuss left/right brain functioning and concentration, because it’s interesting.

As I once heard a stage hypnotist say, “This doesn’t have a whole lot to do with hypnosis, but it is just darned cool.” Actually, it does have a lot to do with hypnosis: it shows our client’s willingness to follow suggestions, the difference between left and right brain thinking, the importance of concentration, and of simply looking at

things from a new and unique or different perspective. Even though it’s not really considered a classic conditioning convincer, it’s one I like because people simply have fun doing those sorts of things – and it's one they will remember and share with others.

As the client enters a trance state they begin to exhibit hypnotic phenomena, and pointing these occurrences out helps by convincing or encouraging them to relax even further. Erickson used to do this all the time; he'd be talking with the client and simply say something like, ‘and are you aware that your breathing has begun to slow down… Your eyelids seem to flutter as you listen to me...’ This is an extremely powerful way of beginning to get your clients comfortable with the idea of going into hypnosis.

The pre-talk, including convincers, sets the stage for the future work we will do with the client. Ormund McGill has been referred to as the Dean of American Hypnosis. In his book, The New Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism, he describes four principles of a good convincer, and these four things are important to incorporate into our pre-talk.