In the hypnotism part of sessions with clients, I do most of the talking.  Sometimes we have a simple conversation, but that’s rare.  Usually clients answer some questions with very short answers.  Depending on the depth of the trance, they may not say anything.

Feedback is essential.  During the trance I always test my clients’ depth by observing their responses to certain suggestions.  At the lightest level of trance they will lose control of simple motor functions.  At the deepest levels they will experience hallucinations and negative hallucinations (not seeing something that is there).  I always test.

The feedback I need is immediately after the trance.  I want to know what their experience was like for them, if they were comfortable, if there was any idea or impulse or memory they want to talk about.  I want to know whatever impressions they had that they might want to talk about.  I want to know what hypnosis was like for them.

I don’t ask these things out of curiosity; I ask because the information is essential to their success, and to the way I will conduct the next trance session.  For example, if I know what their individual idea of hypnosis is, I can suggest it to them and they will be able to slip into that state more easily and quickly.  Their answers to my questions also reveal whether I went too quickly or too slowly of if they need concrete or more accurate instructions and descriptions.  Sometimes they pick up on subtleties that I miss, because they are extremely attentive to certain details while in the trance state.

I won’t know most of this information if I don’t ask, because during hypnosis they are sitting passively in a chair, physically relaxed.  Of course, there are many signs that I can see: rapid eye movement, changes in breathing, especially in response to suggestions of physical relaxation, abreactions, fidgeting, etc.

Abreactions are physical movements in response to suggestions.  They can vary in intensity, and they are always significant and must be explored if the client is to be successful.  I always ask about physical reactions, because I need to know what was going on at that time.  It may have been their subconscious reacting in some way–or they might have been physically cold or uncomfortable.  It’s essential that I find out more, so I can help them succeed in the best possible way.

Sometimes certain words or phrases are distracting to them because they remind them of specific situations.  I like to snap my fingers as a cue, but some clients are startled by that, so I’ll do something else such as a gentle knock on my wooden desk.

Feedback closes the loop of communication with my client.  A few simple explanations and descriptions from them help me to understand what to do differently in order that they achieve what they set out to do!

It’s true!  I can do anything, go anywhere, get anything, and meet anyone I desire.

This, for me, is the beginning of all the positive changes I make in my Life.  It seems paradoxical, but in order to push past my limitations, I first consider the range of abundance before me in all directions.

How do I know it works?  Because it works for my clients!

Using the example of clients who want to lose weight, it’s pretty common that clients don’t want to have “rules” about what they can and can’t eat, or time of day, or volume, etc.  Yes, they want help, and Yes, they hate being told what to do.  It’s not that they’re too resistant to change; it’s that their nature is to rebel against an authoritarian voice.

Even if they are willing to do what they have to do to reach their goals, their natural inclination to resist will also cause their subconscious to reject suggestions that are authoritarian.  So how do I help them?  Simple—I begin by letting them know that they are in control, they make their own decisions, and they are allowed to make any decision they want.  Once they master the idea that they are in control and no one can make them do anything they don’t want to do, they become more willing to make positive changes.

In a hypnotic trance, a client can go through this process in just a few seconds, or it may take several minutes at most.  I give them whatever time they need.

Clients always let me know what their level of resistance is, and what their style of suggestibility is.  In fact, everyone I encounter displays this information in their body language, eye movement, tone of voice, dozens of verbal cues, and responses to questions and questioning.  There is usually no question about how to proceed once they sit down in The Trance Chair!  By that time we have become partners, and their trance induction is already underway.

So, after the sessions are over and the clients have all left for the day, after I’ve taken notes and put away all their case folders, when I am alone with my thoughts, I eventually get to the One Big Question that guides my existence:  How can I use today’s experience to make me better?  Here it is…

I can do anything I want.  I can do anything, go anywhere, get anything, and meet anyone I desire.  Once I master that thought, I can quickly identify what I really need, and I begin another path to align my conscious and subconscious desires.