Writing Hypnosis Suggestions Commands

Effective Scripts are planned scripts

Hypnosis Scripts are effective only when every statement is precisely aimed. Effective
scripts have every statement aimed precisely at one or more of the main operations of
the unconscious mind. That's what makes best hypnosis scripts the best scripts.
All hypnotherapy consists of suggestions intended to change behavior. Every person
holds beliefs about who they are, what they are, and the world they live in. Everyone has
behaviors that they use without thinking. It is when these inner beliefs and automatic
habits no longer fit the outer world that problems arise. Therefore every hypnotic
suggestion needs to be aimed at a specific aspect of the inner beliefs, or at one specific
aspect of unconscious behavior.
If the hypnotist cannot say exactly what each word is intended to do, and how it does it,
then they do not understand what they are doing. They might as well just recite poetry to
the person in the chair.

Hypnotic suggestions will only work when they are

a) targeted precisely at one belief or behavior,
and
b) use a technique that matches how the mind functions.
Hypnotic suggestions that do not do both these things at the same time will be ignored or
misunderstood.

Structure of a suggestion
To create an effective suggestion, the therapist needs to decide

a) what behavior is causing the problem,

b) what belief is linked to the behavior,
c) the right hypnotic technique to use to cause the change, and
d) how to word the suggestion - Direct, Indirect, Metaphor.

Hypnosis Suggestion Wording

Every hypnotist has their own style. Some are very show-bizzy, some work in a formal
office with gentle hypnotherapy, some do dramtic street hypnosis. Doctors and nurses
use hypnosis techniques often without realizing. Advertisers use hypnosis techniques all
the time. Lovers use hypnosis to heighten their relationship. All these different way of
doing hypnosis actually use only a few basic techniques.
There are five Hypnosis Suggestion Styles, ways of effecting change through words.
These are: Direct Suggestion, Indirect Suggestion, Conversational Hypnosis, Covert
Hypnosis, Shock induction.

DIRECT SUGGESTION
Direct suggestion hypnotherapy is the simplest and most direct way of affecting the
subconscious mind. Direct suggestions are like commands fired at the unconscious
mind. They may seem unsophisticated but they can be very effective. All hypnotherapy
uses direct suggestion to some extent. Direct suggestion has the advantage of being easy
to formulate, easy to understand and easy to deliver. The disadvantage is that the
subconscious mind may reject the suggestion if it conflicts with core beliefs. The
structure and wording of direct suggestions needs considerable skill to achieve
maximum effect. This section has examples of good and bad direct suggestion.

INDIRECT SUGGESTION
Indirect suggestion hypnotherapy was developed to avoid the disadvantages of direct
suggestion. Indirect suggestions are elegant and subtle and slide around the
subconscious mind's resistance to direct suggestion. The disadvantages of indirect
suggestion are that they are difficult to construct on the fly, and they can sometimes be
so indirect that the subconscious mind either does not react at all, or takes the wrong
meaning from them. There is a long standing debate as to whether direct or indirect
suggestions are best. Research suggests that both are equally effective when done well.

CONVERSATIONAL SUGGESTIONS MILTON MODEL

Milton Erickson was a famous therapist of last century. He had an almost magical ability
to hypnotize people without them knowing. The founders of NLP studied how Erickson
did this. The result was The Milton Model. The Milton Model show how to use subtle
forms of wording to bypass conscious awareness and influence the unconscious mind
unnoticed. This is the basis of stealth inductions. This page is a classification of the
types of indirect suggestion used in conversational hypnosis. Detailed examples of how
to use all the Milton Model techniques are listed here.
COVERT HYPNOSIS SUGGESTIONS ANALOG MARKING
The ultimate in indirect suggestion uses Analogical Marking as part of a conversational
hypnosis induction. This is a way of embedding commands hidden in normal
conversation. This technique requires a great deal of experience of hypnosis induction.
The technique is not normally used in hypnotherapy. You need to be able to read your
client's reactions to your words, and vary your delivery to suit their responses. Done
correctly it is an elegant way to influence someone else's mind. Done badly, you will
lose their trust instantly. Here are examples of how to word your induction.

INSTANT INDUCTIONS STAGE HYPNOSIS SHOCK INDUCTIONS

Some 'hypnosis commands' do not need words at all. Instant and rapid inductions are
done physically. Most hypnotherapy inductions are done slowly and gently. Most stage
inductions are deliberately spectacular and impressive. Stage inductions often hypnotize
hundreds of people at once. This section discusses the theory and practice of rapid and
stage inductions. There are links that show you how to do an instant induction.

TARGETING HYPNOTHERAPY SUGGESTIONS

Hypnotherapy can use any style or approach. However, the wording has be aimed at a
small number of quite specific targets. If your suggestions are not aimed the right
behavior, or do not use one or more of the basic hypnotic phenomena then they will not
work. You need both skills and knowledge for writing hypnosis scripts that work.
There are four aspects of targeting suggestions. There are two client targets: Behaviors
and Core Beliefs. And two Suggestion Wording models: Hypnotic Phenomena and
Hypnotic Logic. In addition, suggestions must fit with some Hypnosis Theory.
By following this format you can learn to write highly effective commands. Weave these
commands into stories and metaphors and you can make lasting change.

SUGGESTIONS TARGETING THE BEHAVIOR CYCLE

Most problem behavior is unconscious, automatic, and uncontrolled. Understanding
your behavior cycle is the key to getting it under control. Behavior happens in stages.
Each stage is a chance to interrupt the cycle. Breaking the cycle ends the bad behavior.
SUGGESTIONS TARGETING CORE BELIEFS
Every hypnotic suggestion must be aimed at a core belief if it is to be effective. To
change your behavior you need to change your core beliefs. We all have basic beliefs
about who we are, what we can do, what other people will do. These beliefs are created
early in life, and are very difficult to shift once they are established. We all behave for
the rest of our lives as if these beliefs are true. This shows what core beliefs to target,
and how to word suggestions aimed at changing beliefs.

SUGGESTIONS TARGETING NLP COGNITIVE FILTERS

NLP theory states that your mind takes shortcuts that affect how you think and behave.
Cognitive filtering has a powerful effect on shaping personality and behavior. Many
behavioral issues exist because people do not recognize the existence of their own
mental filers. Understanding the four type of Cognitive Filter gives you four more ways
that you can target hypnosis suggestions and commands.

SUGGESTIONS TARGETING HYPNOTIC LOGIC

Milton Erickson developed a way of wording hypnotic commands that has been widely
imitated. The details are in the Milton Model section. This section gives a summary of
each of the Milton Model Techniques. Use this summary to check that you have
included all the techniques you need to in your script.

SUGGESTIONS TARGETING HYPNOTIC PHENOMENA

During trance your mind will experience a number of effects that are associated with the
trance state. These are called Hypnotic Phenomena. There are only a few hypnotic
phenomena. This section explains what they are and gives examples of hypnotic
suggestions utilizing them.

SUGGESTIONS TARGETING HYPNOSIS THEORY

Clinical Hypnotherapy uses many powerful techniques. Every technique is based on a
theory of hypnosis. This section outlines the main theories of hypnosis and
hypnotherapy. Your hypnotic suggestions will be influenced by the theory of hypnosis
your use, whether you are aware of it or not.
HOW TO DEVELOP A PERSONAL STYLE OF SUGGESTION
Read, analyse and learn from others. When you understand how scripts work, you can
add your own parts and develop your own unique style. Using hypnosis scripts lets you
develop your personal style faster.

How to use Hypnosis Indirect Suggestions

Hypnotic words and phrases create compelling suggestions and hypnotic binds when
they follow special patterns. The exact words for hypnotic suggestions can have a major
effect on how the listener responds to the suggestion. Milton Erickson developed a
technique known as the Milton Model for presenting ideas in hypnosis. This uses
ambiguous words and phrases to put people into trance easily and quickly. But those
words also need to be present in the framework.
The process of thinking about what the words actually mean deflects the mind away
from the speaker, and causes the listener to 'go inside' briefly. The use of 'artfully vague'
language causes the listener to search their mind for memories and matching
experiences. This is what trance is - dissociating out of the present moment by dropping
'inside'. While in that state the listener is more receptive to the next words, and if those
words do nothing to end that state then the client will quickly go into trance.
Once in trance, the unconscious mind does not analyse the words and phrases that it
hears. Any consistent form of words that are presented will not be examined closely, and
any suggestion is likely to be accepted and acted upon, even though an alert listener
would reject the suggestion as illogical. The hypnotist can use these hypnotic words and
phrases to bypass the critical faculty of the conscious mind.

Hypnosis Indirect Suggestions

In The Answer Within: a clinical framework of Ericksonian hypnotherapy Lankton and
Lankton (1983) describe eleven types of indirect hypnotic suggestions that can be used
in hypnosis. These are:

1. Open ended suggestions

These are vague and open to the widest range of interpretation. They are often used to
prepare the client for a more specific suggestion. For example when the goal is to
achieve eye closure, the open ended suggestion 'There are certain actions people do to
make themselves ready' can be given. The natural response of the client is to try to make
sense of the suggestion and so turn their attention inward to begin wondering what
actions the hypnotist is talking about. Having induced the client to briefly enter an
unconscious state, the hypnotist then has available a more receptive mind to follow up
with a suggestion about eye closure.

2. Implication
These suggestions involve the deliberate use of presupposition, especially using time
and number. 'The first thing people do when they go into trance is....' presupposes that
the client will be going into trance as does 'Before you go into your trance...' does the
same. 'I wonder which lesson will be the first into your conscious awareness?' To a
certain extent, all indirect suggestion is based on suppositions.

3. Questions or statements that focus or reinforce awareness.

These questions operate on two different levels. Take the sentence 'I wonder whether
you can feel your muscles begin to relax as you listen to my words'. On one level this can
be read as a simple question, even a rhetorical question. On another level it invites the
client to focus awareness on the process of relaxation. If it is followed by a statement
such as 'You know, there are many ways to relax', this will reinforce the process already
begun, without any direct instruction at all.

4. Truisms
'You can take the good with the bad and learn from your mistakes'. Truisms are
statements of the obvious. The are used to get the client to evaluate the truism, and to
find that they agree with it. The next suggestion is then made while the agreement with
the truism is still in mind, so it too will be accepted as true, even if its truth is not so
obvious. Examples of truisms include 'People are happiest when they feel loved and
needed'; 'There are times when everyone underestimates their own talent'.

5. Suggestions which cover all possible alternatives.

These are designed to make a suggestion with a 'fail-safe' for both client and therapist.
They are a form of words where every alternative response, and even a non response,
leads to an impression that the client is cooperating with the therapist. 'You can allow
your mind to drift back to the age of five or six or later, or you may not be aware what
age you have selected'. 'You may find your left hand starts to lift, or it may be your right
hand, or your unconscious mind may decide to wait or to signal some other way'.

6. Appositions of opposites
This involves associating two actions which are changing in the opposite direction. It is
normal to link one of the actions to the body and the other to the some psychological
change. For example, 'As the heaviness in your body increases, the weight of your arm
decreases'. 'The more tense you feel at the beginning, the deeper your level of trance will
be by the end'.

7. Binds of comparable alternatives

A bind offers the client a choice between two or more essentially similar alternatives.
Whatever choice the client makes leads to a therapeutic outcome. Simple binds are
easily formed by posing questions that apparently give the client a free choice. 'Would
you prefer to go into a trance with your eyes open or closed?'. 'I wonder if it will be your
left hand that rises up towards your face, or the right hand?'. The question presupposes
the action and gives the illusion of choice.
8. Conscious/Unconscious double binds
By definition, the conscious mind cannot control the unconscious mind. However, the
client can be educated into believing that there are two parts to the mind, and that doing
something consciously implies doing something else unconsciously. The therapist
presupposes that the client has an unconscious mind and imputes powers and abilities to
it. The key is for the therapist to use words which suggest that the unconscious is split
from the conscious mind and thus causes the client to dissociate from the conscious
mind. Erickson used the example 'If your unconscious mind wants you to enter trance,
your right hand will lift. Otherwise, your left hand will lift'. In developing trance the
double bind 'Your conscious mind may wonder about the right level of trance while your
unconscious mind develops the depth of trance you need' allows the client to dissociate
themselves into trance.

9. Double dissociative conscious/unconscious double binds

This type of bind is just a more complex version of the single bind but is easy to create
since it follows a standard pattern. It uses the same conscious/unconscious distinction in
the format of 'your conscious mind can X, while your unconscious mind can Y; or your
unconscious mind can X while your conscious mind does Y. Converting the example
above gives: 'Your conscious mind may wonder about the right level of trance while
your unconscious mind develops the depth of trance you need; or you unconscious mind
can decide on the level while your conscious mind thinks about how to develop the
trance'. The more complex wording causes the client's mind to become confused and to
more readily accept the therapeutic alternatives.

10. Reverse conscious/unconscious double binds

This category is mostly used where the client is offering resistance or presenting
behaviour that is counter to the induction and requires a degree of skill to utilize in
therapy. The process starts by challenging the client on their behaviour and thus defining
the relationship on which the client should concentrate. This binds the client's conscious
mind at one level while opening up the possibility of a response at the psychological
level. Suppose a client refuses to close their eyes. The therapist could use a series of
instructions such as 'I know you cannot allow you eyes to close while someone is around
you. I expect you are not able to close your eyes now. You can't listen to my voice with
your eyes open and you can't allow your mind to learn something useful...'. This is the
basis of Erickson's famous 'use the resistance' approach to therapy.
11. Non sequitur double bind
In this bind there is a similarity in the content of the alternatives, but no logical
connection. One part of the suggestion seems to imply the desired response while the
other part requests the response more directly. Erickson offered the example of the type
of double bind used by parents: 'Do you wish to take a bath before going to bed, or
would you rather put your pajamas on in the bathroom?'
Indirect suggestions are themselves trance inducing because they force the listener to go
inside to evaluate the ambiguity, so can be used as part of a formal trance or out of
trance. Using these approaches helps to fixate attention, concentrate the client inward
and initiate unconscious and autonomous processes. Indirect suggestion using hypnotic
words and phrases is the real art or 'secret' of Ericksonian hypnotic language.

The Behavior Cycle: Situation Specific Behavior

A great many of the problems presented to hypnotherapists are about specific situations
where the person has to deal with some sort of trigger event. The client gets forced into a
behavior that they do not want, do not understand, and have no control over. This is
called the behavior cycle.
A great deal of our behavior is automatic and unconscious. When you find yourself in
any situation that has some emotional outcome you create a behavior cycle. Your mind
records the defining elements of the situation, what happened, how you responded to it,
and what the outcome was.
The next time you meet a new situation your mind goes searching for previous situations
that have similar elements. Your mind then makes the best match it can between your
previously recorded situations and the current one. Your response to the current situation
will be based on what worked in the most closely matching previous situation.
The advantage of this matching process is that you do not have to think about what to do
the next time you encounter a chair, or a sunset, or a car coming towards you. You just
react the way you did before. However, this can lead to inappropriate behavior.
THE BEHAVIOR CYCLE
Situation Where does it happen?
Stimulus What sets it off?
Memory What does it remind you of?
Reaction How do you react to it?
Termination How does your behavior end?
Evaluation Does the behavior deal with the situation?
Learning What lessons do you take from the incident?

The Cycle of Behavior

THE CASE OF MRS SQUEAK

Suppose you have someone who is terrified of mice. They don't know why they are
scared of mice but they always have been. Even the thought of the nasty squeaky sneaky
crawly little vermin anywhere near them sends them into a panic and they run screaming
out of the room. The reaction is way out of proportion to the threat.
What is happening is that they have become trapped in a cycle of stimulus, reaction and
evaluation. The diagram below shows the stages of the cycle.
Stimulus
The stimulus can be anything in the environment, where the environment includes your
own imaginings. Typically, our mouse avoider would be sitting doing nothing much
when she becomes aware of a tiny noise. That is the stimulus. The problem arises
because every stimulus sets off a process that results in retrieving a flood of associated
memories. Some are good, some bad, the vast majority are neutral and each is associated
with other memories in a giant continuous cascade that never stops.
This is why an unexpected image or taste can transport you back in time. Suppose you
taste a flavour of ice cream. Just that taste can recreate a holiday you had years ago, and
the memory floods your mind complete with sounds and colors and feelings. The
feelings can be good or bad. If you had a wonderful time that's OK. If you were hurt by
somebody you will probably associate feeling bad with the ice cream and therefore will
tell your self you don't like that flavour. In fact it has nothing to do with the ice cream, it
has everything to do with wanting to avoid being reminded of past hurts. Our minds
make associations like that constantly, automatically and very easily.

Retrieval
The human mind is outstandingly good at finding similarities between different
situations. This is both a strength and a weakness. Mrs Squeak's mind registers the
stimulus subconsciously and goes into her memory to find matching situations. Her
subconscious has been doing this constantly all the time. Her subconscious has been
monitoring her heartbeat, hunger level, temperature, the pressure of her legs on the seat
and thousands of other stimuli simultaneously, and doing this automatically and
effortlessly. It has also been paying attention to every sight, sound and smell that has
come along. Mrs Squeak is unaware that she has heard the sound of a car door slam and
ignored it, and heard a dog bark and ignored it. In each case her subconscious went into
her memory and examined a torrent of information about each. One stimulus such as the
dog bark causes her mind to examine every memory associated with dogs barking. Her
mind will instantly flash over thousands of related and associated memories to do with
friends who are dog owners, stories about dogs, times when she couldn't sleep because a
dog was barking. Each of these fragments of memory is found, scanned and discarded in
a fraction of second. Thousands and thousands of images, smells, tastes, touches making
up memories associated with barking are blasted through almost instantaneously. Mrs
Squeak doesn't have any particularly powerful memories associated with car doors or
dogs barking or she would have reacted in some way.
Reaction
But Mrs Squeak does have thing about mice. When her subconscious registers the tiny
sound it dives into her memories and begins ripping through thousands of instances of
sounds and suddenly finds one or two associations between tiny sounds and tiny
creatures. Mrs Squeak's mind learned once that there is danger associated with tiny
creatures. The sound implies that there could be danger right now so her mind diverts
instantly to her survival routine.

Actions
Without even being aware of what she is doing Mrs Squeak is on her feet and heading
out of the door. She has no idea why she is suddenly running out of the door and this
causes her even more alarm and makes her run even faster. She is now running,
panicking, out of control, acting purely on instinct to preserve her safety. The entire
reaction is causing panic, embarrassment and distress.

Termination
At some point something registers in her attention and she becomes aware of what she it
doing. She realizes there is no danger, and her normal reactions set in. She looks around
perhaps, inspects the room, realizes the sound was the curtain moving, that there is
nothing to fear.

Evaluation
But she is left with the palpitations, her heart is pounding, her adrenalin has shot up, she
is shaky and maybe she is embarrassed if there are other people there. She then
remembers other times when she behaved like a fool and ran around screaming and that
makes her feel even worse.

Reinforcement
The cycle then completes when her subconscious applies its learning process to the
situation. The subconscious logic is impeccable. There was an indication of a mouse,
Mrs Squeak ended up frightened and feeling bad - the sound caused it. To avoid feeling
bad she was rushed out the room and then started to feel better. Therefore getting her out
of the room resulted in her feeling better. Therefore the next time she hears a tiny sound
her subconscious guardian will snap into action and catapult her out of the room again.
The reaction is filed away in memory as the absolutely correct way to behave. Mrs
Squeak's subconscious is doing what it is supposed to do, to keep her safe.
Unfortunately the learning process has now learned the wrong association. The mouse is
now irrelevant, she is reacting to her own reaction.

Breaking the behavior cycle

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If any one link is broken then the cycle is
broken. It does not matter how long the chain is, or how long it has been there, or where
it came from: breaking it at any point destroys it for ever. A cycle that reinforces itself
only has to be broken once. That is what your hypnotherapy aims to do.

Modeling the cycle

The first step in the therapy is for the hypnotherapist to understand exactly how the
cycle works. Each person experiences their particular trigger situation differently, so a
solution needs to be created to exactly match each stage.
The therapist will spend time getting the client to explain how the cycle operates for
them. The aim is to get the client to teach you to do what he does and how he does it.
You need to know exactly what sets it off, what makes it stop, what he does when he
reacts.
Then you design an interupt for each stage of the cycle. Many client cycles are quite
complicated. If you can interrupt any one of the stages then the cycle is broken, so the
more stages the better, and the more you understand how the client experiences each
stage the more easily you can disrupt the process.

Planning to break the cycle

The intervention starts with the stimulus. Most stimulus are not simple and
instantaneous so the client can be taught to reframe the situation. There is usually a build
up towards the trigger, so that is good target. For example public speaking usually
requires some sort of preparation and journey to the room. All of these offer
opportunities to redefine how they can be handled.
It is also usually possible to change the meaning of the stimulus. If you get tongue tied
because the boss looks angry, there is usually scope to redefine the angry look as being
the result of his home life, or a hurried lunch or whatever. Any alternative will succeed
in derailing the automatic process if it can be invoked in time.
Change the memory
Similarly it is possible to examine what it is in memory that is provoking such a
reaction. There are various therapy techniques which can find and defuse the memories
which are triggering the bad feelings.
Each stage offers its own opportunities for intervention. That behavior stage can be
attacked by getting the client to visually rehearse a different behavior that will be
triggered by the reaction. Once the new behavior has proven to be better than the
automatic behavior, your subconscious will learn to use that instead. A different, more
acceptable behavior cycle will be created.

Milton Model Suggestions

The indirect suggestions used in the Hypnosis Milton Model of conversational hypnosis
are designed to mislead or confuse, and force you to think about what the indirect
suggestion might mean, what the different possibilities are, and how it applies to you
personally.
The Milton Model is based on the idea that indirect suggestion embedded in
conversational hypnosis is more effective than direct suggestion. The Milton Model is a
series of techniques used in conversational hypnosis, a way of putting someone into
trance unnoticed, as part of a normal conversation. This form of 'secret' indirect
suggestion technique is known as the Milton Model. Conversational hypnosis often
combines Milton Model hypnotic wording with Analogical Marking.

ADVANTAGES OF CONVERSATIONAL HYPNOSIS

When doing conversational hypnosis the Milton Model is used to put hypnotic words
into an indirect suggestion format.
A direct hypnotic suggestion is a specific instruction such as 'You will now go into a
deep trance' or 'You are now a non-smoker'. An example of an indirect suggestion is:
'Sooner or later you'll find yourself wondering about going into a deep trance. And you
may do that suddenly or gradually' - is it the 'wondering' or the 'going into trance' that
you 'may do'? And while you are considering which it is, you mind is actually going into
trance.
Because hypnotic words are not exactly defined, during conversational hypnosis the
client must stop and consider the meaning of those hypnotic words. This causes the
client to search their subconscious mind to fill in the missing bits, or to decide how to
apply the words to their own personal experience (known in NLP theory as a
transderivational search). Because the subconscious mind has to spend time thinking
about many different possible meanings, it is much more likely that the client will find
something in their past that fits, and will be more effective than a direct suggestion.
In conversational hypnosis the Milton Model suggestions need a bit more work to
prepare but have the advantage of avoiding resistance. Some people have such low self
esteem that they will not accept direct suggestions such as 'You deserve to be loved, you
are respected and admired' but will accept an indirect suggestion in conversational
hypnosis such as 'I wonder how aware you are that many people respect you, and
admire you... and there are other people, many of them... who love you for who you are'.
See a summary of the techniques

CONVERSATIONAL HYPNOSIS SUGGESTIONS

The following examples of indirect hypnotic words and phrasing used in conversational
hypnosis illustrate how the Milton Model of hypnotic suggestion is carried out. Each
heading describes how conversational hypnosis works, and gives examples of that form
of hypnotic wording as used in conversational hypnosis scripts.

Cause and Effect implied

The therapist makes a statement that implies that one thing causes another, or states that
one thing is true, therefore the next thing must be true. The statement may be untrue, or
there may be no direct link between the one thing and the other.
'And knowing that you can stop gives you the right to change.'
'Snapping that tape means you are choosing a different life '
'You don't need to smoke any more because so many people love you and need you
'.
You can identify an implied cause and effect statement by asking 'Does A really lead to
B?'.
Complex Equivalence
This is where a Milton Model suggestion is given that one thing is the same as or
equivalent to some other thing. It isn't that one thing causes another, but the implication
that because one thing is true the other thing must be true.
'Seeing yourself on that bridge demonstrates that you have made a decision today'.
'snapping that tape means you are choosing a different life '
'because you have control... you have choice in everything you do... '.

You can identify a complex equivalence by substituting 'is the same as' for the linking
verb, whereas the word 'causes' does not fit.

Conversational Postulate
A conversational postulate is a question which, on the face of it, requires a Yes or No
answer, but which is really demanding a specific behavior. 'Could you pass me the
cream?' is a request for action, not an enquiry about ability. 'Do you really have to stand
there?' is a request for someone to move. Similarly, questions can be posed in hypnosis
that are really instructions.
'I wonder if you can recall a time when you were really relaxed?'.
'Can you imagine some peaceful, restful place? '
'I wonder if you could imagine a big old house somewhere....? '
'Could you begin to relax while counting backwards from ten?'

Conversational questions can be tested by trying a 'yes/no' answer to see if it fits.

Embedded Commands
Direct commands can be embedded within ordinary conversation. This is the essence of
a conversational induction, or covert hypnosis induction. For example the therapist
could begin a conversation with
'I can see that you are comfortable lying there, relaxing in that chair, quietly confident,
looking so comfortable as if you are ready to just let things go and relax while I talk
about this and that and you know, you don't have to think, you don't have to listen to
me or do anything really except relax and allow you mind to drift away like a small
child snuggling comfortably down in a warm quiet place, slowing down, more at ease
and more relaxed...' and so on.
Embedded commands are usually indicated by some form of analogical marking, for
example by speaking louder or looking directly at the client while using a particular tone
of voice.

Extended Quotation
If you attribute a suggestion to someone else this can avoid a lot of resistance from the
client. By using one or more levels of quotation you can say almost anything to the
client, and will probably confuse the unconscious mind in the process, making the
suggestion more likely to be accepted.
Milton Erickson once told the story about how he told a man 'you can learn to relax
instantly' and the man found he could relax immediately and said "you know
'Everyone can relax faster than they think.'".
I met a man from Bombay who said the secret of confidence is 'Fake it till you make
it'.
And as you circulate around that party you overhear someone saying 'I am so proud of
her. She is best daughter I could ever have wished for. She has become everything
hoped for.' And the other person replies 'Yes, maybe we didn't say it often enough,
maybe we thought she would just know it'.

Lost Performative
A suggestion is presented to the subconscious stating that some opinion is true, but does
not say how it known to be true, or who is saying it. The therapist intends that the
subconscious will accept the statement as being self evident and not ask for proof.
Examples include
"Your subconscious mind will find the correct answer."
"You are never going to have a problem with your nails again."
"No habit can stand up to the power of the mind."

You can always test for a lost performative statement by asking 'Says Who?'.
Mind Reading
The Milton Model designs the suggestion as if knowing what the client is thinking or
feeling, when the reality is that the therapist has no way of knowing what the client is
thinking. Examples include
'Part of your mind is wondering how fast you are going into trance right now...'
'You are becoming more curious about how that change is occurring'
'Your mind is now becoming more open to the idea of change...'.

You can identify a mind reading statement by asking 'How can you know that?'.

Modal Operator
These are phrases that use words that imply things could happen or must happen.
Typical Milton Model operators include words such as 'can, should, must, might, could,
would, will'. Modal operators might be the most commonly used hypnotic form.
'And each gentle breath out can lead to more relaxation.'
'And you could be surprised at how quickly you go into trance.'
'you might notice your left hand getting heavy....'.

A modal operator can usually be recognized if it makes sense to add ...'or maybe not' to
the end of the statement.

Negative Suggestions
Negative suggestions are similar to conversational postulates in that they ask for one
thing but really expect a different behaviour. The Milton Model works because the
unconscious mind does not deal with negatives well, and tends to ignore the words 'don't
and not' and instead focuses on the object of the sentence. The sentence 'Don't think of a
kangaroo' must bring out a memory of a kangaroo before it can be not thought of, so
negative questions can be used to give positive commands.
'and I don't want you to feel that you are going into trance now'.
'you should not be too curious about how you feel yourself going into trance. '
'You don't have to think about a really relaxing experience to call it to mind again'.
Nominalizations
The Milton Model is all about using words in an 'artfully vague' way. A nominalisation
is a word formed from a process. For example, the verb 'to restrict' can be nominalised
into the noun 'restriction'. The word restriction is then treated as if it is a 'thing' and the
fact that it refers to a ongoing process is forgotten. By using the nominalisation the thing
is treated as if it is over and done with, when in fact the process may still be going on.
Nouns ending in '-ship', '-ment', '-ion' or '-ings' are often nominalisations, for example
'relationship', 'annulment', 'learnings', 'decision'. By treating the word as a noun, the fact
that you are asking the person to go through a process is hidden.
'Your relaxation is increasing as you listen to my voice '.
'By moving your finger your confirm your irrevocable decision. '
'...you may wonder which part of your achievement you will enjoy most'.

You can test for a nominalisation by asking of a noun, 'could it be put in a bag?'
Nominalisations are abstractions and have no physical form so cannot be bagged.

Non Sequitur
A Milton Model non sequitur is a statement presented in the form of 'cause leads to
effect', A > B, but where there is in fact no logical connection between A and B. The
structure of the statement fools the listener by starting with a statement of something that
is true and then specifying an outcome that does not logically follow.
Getting the client to focus on their breathing has nothing to do with relaxation, but by
stating something that is true, that they are focusing on their breathing, the mind is
distracted into accepting the second part, that they can relax, without examining the
causal link between them.
'... paying attention to your breathing can make you relax even more. '
'You will be returning to the present, and bringing with you everything have
learned today.'
'as I count down the steps you will go deeper into trance'.

These can be identified by testing 'Oh, really? And how does that work?'
Presuppositions
A Milton Model presupposition talks about the consequences of something and
deliberately avoids mentioning the underlying concept. The suggestion starts from an
assumption that thing is true and then discusses the consequences of that thing being
true. By focusing on the consequences whether the thing is true or not is ignored and
never tested.
Adverbial And now as you relax more deeply you feel something different.
I don't know whether you will go into hypnosis before relaxation is fully
Alternatives
completed or begin right away.
Awareness The little things you notice remind you of how you have relaxed.
Because your eyes are closed, your mind will open to the idea of deep
Causality
relaxation.
Equivalence Coming here today means you have made a decision to relax.
Ordinal It may not be until the third breath that you notice relaxing.
Possibility And you may find that each breath relaxes you more.
Time You may not feel you are at the right level of relaxation yet.
Existence It might be interesting to consider the level of your relaxation.

A supposition may be present if the statement makes more sense when you add "I
suppose" at the end of it.

Inanimations
These are Milton Model statements that assign feelings or actions to things that cannot
have any. Technically these are called Selectional Restriction Violations. A sofa cannot
think, a plant cannot talk, but sentences can be constructed that sound that way and
because our minds are specially tuned to metaphor, this type of suggestion will be
accepted by the unconscious.
'That chair knows the secrets of many clients'.
'The part of you that makes you smoke is ashamed and wants to change.'
'Listen to the wind in the trees and absorb its wisdom'.

Selectional restrictions are always a form of metaphor .

Tag Question
These are Milton Model questions that encourage the client to confirm the truth of the
words immediately preceding, aren't they? If you read that question again, its almost
impossible not to say 'Yes', isn't it? It's always good to get the client into a positive frame
of mind, I'm sure you would agree? If the tag question is delivered with a descending
tone of voice, it reinforces the statement and discourages dissension.
'Relaxing can be very enjoyable, isn't it?'.
'Some people really enjoy relaxing, don't you? '
You might wonder what you will enjoy most, won't you? '.

Tag questions are self evident, don't you think?

Truism sets
A Truism is a statement of the obvious. In the Milton Model truisms are used in sets to
produce a spurious cause and effect. The client listens to the first truism statement, and
agrees with it. The client listens to the next truism, and agrees with that too. The next
suggestion is then made while the agreement with the truism is still in mind, so it too
will be accepted as true, even if it has nothing to do with the first statements. An
example of a truism set might be
'People are happiest when they feel loved and needed''
'There are times when everyone underestimates their own talent'
'Everyone wants to be liked, and everyone needs to be loved, and you are learning to
listen to your emotions'.

You can identify a truism set by asking 'Yes, A is true, and B is true, but how does that
make C true?'.

Universal Quantifier
The Milton Model uses statements with words such as 'all, every, always, never, any,
everybody, nobody, no one' that act to generalize a particular statement. Universal
quantifiers always have an element of exaggeration.
'All that has gone before is a resource for you.'
'Every word you hear can be a signal to your unconscious '
 'No one can fail once they really decide to change'.

You can identify a universal quantifier by querying the quantifier, e.g. 'Every word,
absolutely every word?'.

Unspecific Comparison
A typical Milton Model statement will use words to imply something, and relies on the
mind being too busy listening to the next words to really question the truth or logic of
the what was just heard. In a classic Milton Model statement, a comparison is made, but
does not specify what is being compared with.
'You will find yourself changing faster '.
'and you may find you are much more relaxed'.
'Every day in every way, you are getting better and better.'

An unspecified comparison can be identified by asking '----er than what?'.

Unspecific Object
These are words that sound good but are actually quite vague. Milton Model words such
as 'learnings, outcomes, resources, findings, consideration' etc., can be used to ground
almost anything, which makes the suggestion bullet proof. By using inclusive words the
client finds closure from their own resources. If you agreed with the previous sentence
you might want to re-read it, and consider whether it means anything at all.
And then come back to the present with all the learnings you need.
Your understanding will help make the changes clear'.
'You can open your mind to full consideration of everything that matters'.

Listen carefully to any politician avoiding a sticky issue for a lesson in how to say
nothing using unspecified verbs, nominalisations and unspecified objects.

Unspecific Verb
Like the Milton Model unspecific objects, Milton Model verbs sound good but are hard
to pin down. The unconscious mind accepts the word in context and supplies its own
meaning. Words such as 'wonder, change, understand, think, feel' etc., are non-specific
and can apply to anything.
'and you may be wondering about how best to go
into trance'.
'and soon the time will come when you grasp all this.'
'your unconscious mind will understand everything it needs'.
DEEPENERS

What Is A Deepener?
A deepener is a process designed to deepen trance. You can use the Vogt deepener (it’s a
nice one) as is or you can use the concepts therein to customize a deepener for the client,
based on their responses to your induction. The basic idea is that deepening is a
suggestion. You tie the client going deeper to some cue. The best deepeners use the
advantages that trance gives us and amplify responses that occur naturally during trance.

Fractionating Deepeners
The Vogt is a fractionating deepener. It deepens trance, not only by suggestion but also
by repeatedly emerging the subject from trance and then plunging them back in. Usually,
the more people come in and out of trance, the deeper they go as they go back in–
especially if you suggest it. Repeated, rapid emerging then re-inducing trance is called
fractionation.
To be more accurate, usually you don’t fully emerge someone but bring them up a bit.
They may open their eyes but not be fully emerged during this process.

Here’s the language…

“In a little while, I’m going to count from 1 to 5. When I get to 5, your eyes will be open
but you’ll feel sleepy and wonderfully drowsy and you’ll find it difficult not to close
your eyes.
You’ll want to sleep. Your eyes will feel heavy, those eyes will want to blink, and they’ll
begin to blink, and you won’t be able to stop them, and as those eyes blink, you’ll get
sleepier and drowsier and as you get more relaxed and at peace those eyes will want to
close and they do close.
And you’ll drift off in to a blissful, relaxation while going much, much deeper than you
are right now.
So, when I count to five and those eyes open, you won’t be able to keep your eyes open
for very long at all because you’ll feel so very, very sleepy–so very, very tired that those
eyes blink. Those eyes close. And you fall into a deep, deep, relaxing sleep.”
Amplifying Responses
When you count them up and you get to 5, their eyes will open or half-open. This is
when you amplify whatever response they give you. If their eyes blink, you reinforce
that. If their eyes are half open, you mention it and comment that they (the eyes) are
getting heavier and want to close etc. You might say something such as…
“That’s right. Those eyes are blinking because they feel so drowsy, so sleepy, so relaxed.
They feel heavier and heavier as you go deeper and deeper.”
Repeat the deepener a few times and most people will be pretty zonked!

Roll Your Own

If you understand the concepts behind this (or any) deepener, you can roll your own.
Here’s the basic process…
1) Set up a signal for them opening their eyes (the Vogt uses counting, which is nice and
gentle).
2) Suggest that when they do, they’ll immediately start experiencing signs of trance
(heavy eyes, relaxation etc.) more intensly.
3) Lather, rinse, repeat.

An Example
Here’s a quick example of another way you could do use these concepts…
“In a moment, I’m going to lift up your arm slowly. As I do, your eyes will gently open.
Then I’m going to drop your arm down and when your arm contacts the chair, you’ll
instantly close your eyes and drop twice as deeply into relaxation. When your arm drops
down you drop down much, much deeper.”
Simple Deepeners.
A “deepener” further narrows the subject’s attention on what is around them, to the point
where all they are capable of doing, is focusing only on the sound of the hypnotist’s
voice and what the hypnotist is saying to them.
By turning focus into enjoyment, it becomes easier for the subject to be able to focus
even more. Once the hypnotist has linked “enjoyment” to “focusing”, the subject will
find enjoyment in focusing. They simply start to go deeper, and become even more
enjoyably focused. Now that they are focusing so enjoyably and feeling wonderful, they
go even deeper, and start to feel so much better. They automatically go even deeper still,
and they focus even more enjoyably because they are enjoying it so much, and they are
feeling even better. It’s so much easier for them to now go deeper and deeper, because it
becomes so much more enjoyable, and it just follows naturally.
The Simple Deepener is the very first thing the hypnotist says after the Induction, and it
continues to narrow the subject’s attention. Typically, it simply gives the subject
instructions so that their attention continues to narrow.
Deepeners
There are two kinds of deepeners. There are Simple Deepeners, and there are Complex
Deepeners. Today you will be learning about the Simple Deepeners.
A Simple Deepener is the most straightforward, because it is simple, fast and direct. It is
a very quick and easy way to deepen the subject’s hypnotic state.
Examples of Simple Deepeners
The “Go Deeper and Deeper Deepener”.
This is a very simple deepener. The hypnotist describes that “to go deeper” means “to
focus even more enjoyably”, and this will help the subject to understand what the word
“deeper” means. The hypnotist says, “Go deeper and deeper. Focus even more
enjoyably. That’s what deeper means”. This deepener links the word “deeper” with a
very good and enjoyable feeling.
The “Three to Zero Deepener”.
This is another simple deepener. The hypnotist simply counts from three down to zero,
telling the subject what is going to happen with each count, and with each count, how
they are going to respond to it, and how they are going to feel. The hypnotist says,
“With every count go 10 times deeper, focusing 10 times more enjoyably, and feeling 10
times better with every count”, and then counts from three all the way down to Zero.
This deepener further links very good and enjoyable feelings to “going deeper”.
The “Tap Deepener”
This deepener is very simple but incredibly effective, and it is useful as a covert test to
see if the subject is following instructions. It is often used after a complex deepener, but
it is very effective at any point for really deepening the subject’s state of hypnosis. The
hypnotist simply taps the subject’s hand, knee or shoulder or wherever, and looks for
any kind of physical reaction in response to the tap. The hypnotist says, “When I tap
you on your knee, you will instantly go 10 times deeper”. They will look for a physical
reaction and whether there is one or not, the hypnotist tells the subject how good they’re
now feeling. The hypnotist repeats the tap twice more, and tells the subject what a
wonderful place they’re now in. The subject is now much deeper than they were before
and is feeling awesome and absolutely wonderful.
The “Hand Drop Deepener”
This deepener can be used with several hypnotic inductions, such as The Hand Drop
Induction. The hypnotist uses it when they do an induction where they are holding the
subject’s arm or hand at the end of the induction. While the hypnotist is still holding the
subject’s arm, they say, “Now, in a moment, I am going to drop this arm”. Or, if the arm
is “floating”, they say, “Now, in a moment, I am going to touch the back of this hand”.
After this, they say, “When I do, you can just let it fall to your lap, just as quickly as you
want to go, all the way down … because you know, the moment this hand, touches your
lap, you will go … all … the way … down”. The hypnotist drops the arm just as they
are saying “down” the second time. Then they say, “Very good … deeper and deeper”.
The subject is now deep in hypnosis and is feeling incredible.
The “Snap Deepener”
The hypnotist says, “In a moment, I will snap my fingers, and you will instantly go 10
times deeper, and every time I snap my fingers you will go 10 times deeper with every
snap”.
The “Knock Deepener”
The hypnotist says, “In a moment, I will knock on the desk, and you will instantly go 10
times deeper, and every time I knock on the desk you will go 10 times deeper with every
knock”.