Sunday 6 June 2010

Hypnosis: (The Power of) Words v. Intent

From the Gnostic HypnoPsychology Discussion Board

Hi Jeff

Words ... well, I think they are more important when you are doing conscious work than when you are doing non-conscious (hypnotic) work. And in both, I think there's a good chance that intent is more important than the words themselves.

Here's an anecdote. If you have time to read it, you might find it interesting.

There's a 'mentalist' called Derren Brown. He's on TV in the
UK quite a lot and is often very entertaining. I think mentalism is nothing more than conjuring tricks wrapped in psychobabble, but Derren is also a good hypnotist. One time, he hypnotized a popular radio DJ (called Jo Wiley) on her show and stuck her hand to the desk. Someone posted a transcript of the stuck-hands bit of the show in an on-line forum. Someone else posted that they'd learned the patter, tried it on their gf, and it didn't work.

Lot's of people wrote in saying that it wasn't just a question of getting the words right, you had to be a genius in the delivery of the words, getting the inflection just precisely right if it was going to work.

Others wrote in saying that you had not only to get the words right but, also, be a genius at observing the subject's body language so you could time the delivery of the words just precisely right if it was going to work.

I wrote and said "But if you're a hypnotist you can do it silently in a blindfold."

I got rocks.

I wrote that in hypnosis it wasn't about the words, the inflection or the timing; it was about the intent.

I got more and bigger rocks. Many of them had 'Put up or shut up,' pasted over them.

So I picked a patient I thought could stand it (i.e., not be psychologically scared by being involved in an experiment she knew nothing about) and set up a video camera before she arrived. I let her in without saying anything, took her through to my consulting rooms, put on a blindfold, sat her down, and ...

Well, I had quite a lot to do. Not only did I need to get her to do a double hand levitation, and get the hands stuck together without saying anything (stuck hands, silently in a blindfold) I also had to get her to give a running commentary, without asking for it, because otherwise (being blindfolded) I'd have had no idea what was happening.

It worked. (Of course it worked or I wouldn't be writing about it here.) When it was over I explained what it was all about, as I have done here. I gave her a copy of the clip so she could show her husband and decide whether I could post it on YouTube for a week so those who had said 'Prove it,' could see the proof.

They agreed and the clip was posted. Some said "Wow!" Some said "You did what you said could be done." And some said "That's not possible. It must have been staged."

It wasn't staged. Actually I think it's easy to tell from the hypnotee's reactions that it isn't staged.

Anyway ... in hypnosis, at least, it really isn't about the words. It's about the intent.

So even when you are relaxed and telling yourself that ... "from now on ... you only ever want to eat and ... only ever do eat ... just the right foods in ... just the right quantities at ... just the right times for ... just the right reasons and ... you are completely content and ... satisfied with that ... naturally," don't just say it, mean it. Intend it so that ... "you become slimmer ... fitter ... healthier and ... happier ... naturally". 

Best Wishes

Barry Thain
http://www.downloadtherapy.com 
http://www.mindsci-clinic.com 

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