Hypnotic Induction Theory 101

If you’ve ever heard a hypnotist speak, it won’t be long before he brings up these strange things called “inductions.”

They probably throw the term around, forgetting that not everyone knows what that means.

I know I have done that.

To make up for everyone I have confused in the past, here is some information.

What are hypnotic inductions and how do they work.

So first, let’s start with an analogy:

Let’s say you’re doing something normal: reading, working, watching TV, whatever. You are nice and relaxed, barely absorbed in activity.

Then he learns that he made $ 4 million.

You can take a moment to imagine how excited you would feel at that moment. I’m not going to be condescending by telling you that, yeah, it would probably be pretty amazing.

In this scenario, you go from a “normal” state of consciousness to feeling excited and exhilarated.

Your mood changes drastically. And your body does too – your heart rate soars, your senses come alive, and you get this dopamine rush.

Everything happens in a moment.

Hypnotic inductions are similar, just not about exchanging one emotion for another. With them, he goes from his normal, everyday state of consciousness to a hypnotic trance.

This can be a dramatic change or so subtle that you don’t even notice it.

It can be quick or it can go on for a day.

But the idea is the same: through induction, you go into a hypnotized state of mind.

If you want to see fast, flashy and dramatic hypnotic inductions, find a street or stage hypnotist. They are entertainers, so their interpretation of hypnosis has to be entertaining. With a clap or snap of the fingers, the subject can go from awake to asleep in no time.

Or it can be slow and mysterious. Many Ericksonian hypnotists simply talk to subjects and lull them into a trance so slowly that even the hypnotist does not know when the induction begins and ends.

The human brain goes into a trance for the same reason that it becomes happy, concentrates on loud noises, and retrieves associated memories, because it is useful. Recreate the conditions in which a brain wants to go into a trance, and it will.

That’s all an induction is.

Now, many amateur hypnotists are excited to learn new inductions. They are useful techniques, but they are not really important. With a little experience, any hypnotist can invent new inductions on the fly.

And with enough experience, you don’t even need an induction to put someone into a trance.

Really, the important part is what you do with someone once they are there.

But if you want to be quick and entertaining with your inductions, or are just getting started, they are worth mastering.