@leogopal, thanks for this wonderful lessons. Actually it explains the most important principles that make the difference between beginners, and professional hypnotists who must have realized those principles somehow.

I have two lessons pending and waiting for your approval @leogopal, I hope you and everybody like them.

Thanks,
Chris

I strongly agree though there's a 7 step "mechanism" for successful show hypnosis.
However these steps themselves are not mechanical, as you point out my 7 step method is a teaching model, all the mechanics can be put inplace which work for your.
Raising expectation before the show (like we discussed) is an important factor, I use flyers I have my intro movie/music but someone else may like to have someone sing songs before he goes up to raise the expectation.

I have had many discussions with "seasoned" hypnotists over the fact that there's no trance (not proven anyways) and that there is indeed no conscious subconscious; Believes I initially had too uptil the point that I started to study psychology. However these are perfect suggestions in their own right.

Learning to get the best out of the situation (thinking on your feet) is what a good "hypnotist" aka "communicator" aka "showman" needs to do. Accept that there's no trance and you start to realize that inductions can't fail because all you need to do is model suggestions in their reality -- we do it all the time!
When you stat to realize that a certain number of people is highly suggestible you know that you can select these people and always have succes.

The most difficult thing with hypnosis is starting and selecting the best people for "you" to work with. The first times are horrible (mainly because I think that it shows your uncomfortable and doubting) then it becomes so easy and even when you find someone who doesn't do amnesia you should not be embarrassed turn it around by doing something else! A mere blame game like: That's alright maybe your not quite ready for that yet, that's alright we will get there. Is ideal, you don't hurt them and you don't hurt your precious ego.
One tip from a seasoned performer, when an amnesia doesn't work first time I usually say: That's fine your just not ready enough, I was a bit too quick don't you think. Tell me how long it would take for you to forget your name when you simply close your eyes and see it fading away just tell me when your name is gone, or tell me how many SECONDS it will take for you we count them together in the safe knowledge that you will still know your name but simply for a small period can't say it...

These are all "tricks" (often psychological) that you will only learn by performing regularly. These are things you can sum up in lessons but that's not what learning hypnosis is about! Learning hypnosis is about finding these things out for yourself; this is the truly hard part of hypnosis. Doing inductions, is the easy part!

@Chris ironically "trance" has never been proven in anyway! Also scientists know that there's no devide between the conscious and subconscious. The cognitive psychologist and neurologist know already that what we call "subconscious" are certain patterns which have become automated (mere neurological connections). This process of creating patterns is very useful because it saves energy. Bear in mind that out brain is already very inefficient burning around 80-100watts an hour! When we would need to consciously think where each key on our keyboard is it would be consuming peek power continously. The problem is that due to repetition we can also create patterns which are "bad" for us. Nail biting is a mere pattern, same as fobias are instilled patterns.

It's amazing that some events can be so profound that they actually partially destroy neurological path ways (actually the synapses will not work for some weird reason). This is currently still a mystery some scientists think that the "energy" travelling through those paths was too intense and basically friend the synapses involved. This is what the think causes post-traumatic stress. These neurological paths loose their "normal ability" (they are still there but function poorly). By therapy (basically rethinking things over and over again) new path ways are found around this "stricken" area.
This is basically what therapy does a re-occuring method over and over again so that the old paths will be ignored.

@rdoetjes, i agree about the neurological processes and connections bu I have to say that trance has actually been proved to exist and has been studied: in this state the brainwaves frequency starts to decrease from beta to somewhere between alpha and theta. And I did lots of researches on this subject and I actually have an experience with binaural beats. If you choose a frequency between alpha and theta like 7 hz for example, after a few minutes you will be in a trance or meditative state ( depending on many other factors). And study has shown that deeper this state is (the lower the brainwave frequency) the more positive benefits it has on the person, maybe that's why the brainwave entertainment market is so active.

And some people think that depth of trance -that actually exists- is the depth of hypnosis when in fact, hypnosis is almost always independent from the trance state.

Chris

@chris I understand where you are coming from and I have seen loads of trance 'research' that seem quite convincing etc. but as @rdoetjes said, trance can not actually be 'proved' firstly, what is the definition of trance?

I will try ro find some solid evidence, but i believe that trance is relaxation of the body, and decrease in the brainwave frequency (like when you are about to fall asleep) but it's not a state of suggestibility. its symptoms are body relaxation, and slowing down of mental activity and speed (not at the peak performance of the brain), because i feel like you're not understanding what i mean by trance. and actually the magazine that i read (It's from france, i'm actually french educated) is the #1 scientific magazine in Europe maybe in the world (between magazines written in french i think), and it's based on solid evidence and latest ressearch.

Chris

Chris, if you look, you'll see that this is one ment is one that goes round and round. As Ray and I havhave discussed, I tend to believe in trance, not that it's necessarily a unique cognitive state, but that it is experiencially authentic. As to the scientific issue, I tend to think that there are a great many activities and experiences that may not have distinct neurological features of this sort. Not to mention that, even if trance does not actually exist as a neurological state, studies on meditation do show long term impact and changes within the brain structure, so even if there is not a distinct phenomenon, trance experiences can have real and profound impact on our neurons,

Will