One of the most viewed Discussion in the IAYH Forum is about the Milton Erickson Ambiguous Touch induction (you can view it here), to assist and have better insight into this phenomenal induction, I created this little tutorial with video.
When One thinks of hypnosis and especially the great names in the hypnosis world, Milton Erickson is Definitely one of those famous names that we all think about. Milton Erickson was famous for a lot of developments in the hypnosis world and to hypnosis as we know it, most of all he is famous for his permissive, conversational style of hypnosis labeled today as Ericksonian Hypnosis.
Though he was very famous for conversational hypnosis, I was even more intrigued as a newbie (and still am intrigued) by his use of a silent handshake hypnosis Induction, known today as the Ericksonian Handshake induction. You may have seen online a lot of variations of this induction, some places you see that the hypnotist moves the hand up to the face, that is not the Erickson Handshake Induction, but a Bandler variation.
Below is a video [20seconds] of the real, non-variation, of the Erickson Handshake Induction which I finally learned to perform a long while back, this is the impromptu version:
In the above demonstration you will see the Induction performed. Closing of the eyes is not necessary but I made him close it for the camera else it would not look like much of an induction, and this is all done Silently. Here is it again, this time with someone who is expecting it (proves that surprise is not needed) [20 seconds]:
This induction has a lot to do with confidence, eye contact, body language and a bit of confusion, here is how I do it:
- Firstly I take the hand but do not hold it firmly.
- My thumb supports the hand in downward movements and my pinky supports it in upward movements.
- My middle finger trails the palm lightly just to create an added sensation, while I keep a fixed and locked eye contact.
- I change my gaze from focused on their eyes to defocused as if looking at the back of their skull very casually.
- You will feel their hand begin to relax and move with yours with very little effort, at this point you begin pulling your hand away trailing the middle finger across their palm. Their hand should stay fixed at the point you break contact.
- For the purposes of this demonstration I moved the hand in a downward movement and nodded my head to give the non-verbal suggestion of “going down” hence the eyes closed hand dropped.
This is what works best for me, my style and hypnosis model. It is not something you should follow like a manuscript but something that you can use as a guideline for finding your own style. You can also read the Erickson Handshake Induction Transcript (Erickson himself).
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