Q: Those people on stage are faking it or are friends with the hypnotist, right?

" Occam's Razor " states that the simplest explanation is the most likely. Which is most likely? Yeah, it is. Try it some time. Those folks are playing the most vivid and real game of ""make believe"" of their entire adult lives. Not since being children on the playground has imagination been so real. It's fun, refreshing and it feels really good. Why isn't everybody doing this?

Question 1

I'm too _______ to be hypnotized. Right?

Accepted Answer

Too smart, focused, intelligent, imaginative, in control, skeptical, and so on...

We ALL think that. Trust me, it wasn't true for me, it hasn't been true in any of the hundreds of times I've heard it and it's not true for you either.

Question 2

Is hypnosis like sleep or being unconscious?

Accepted Answer

Hypnotists commonly use the word "sleep" to induce hypnosis and during hypnosis to deepen the state, but hypnosis is not like sleep or unconsciousness.

In hypnosis, you are aware of what is going on around you, you are responsive to outside stimuli and you can control how things proceed. If you have ever looked into "lucid dreaming", some people describe it and hypnosis as being a similar state.

Question 3

How is hypnosis done?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is a state of intense concentration or focused attention marked by increased suggestibility. The hypnotic trance state is created by way of an "induction". An induction is a way get the conscious mind to take a back seat and allow access to the unconscious mind.

There are many forms of hypnotic inductions that can lead to the hypnotic trance state. They range from the progressive relaxation technique that can take minutes to hours, to "instant" inductions that can have a person open to verbal suggestions in split second.

When used as a form of therapy, hypnosis is often induced using one of the relaxation techniques, but more rapid inductions also have a place in the office.

For street and stage hypnosis, the more rapid inductions are used almost exclusively.

At their core, all inductions have one thing in common, they must create a trance-like state by bypassing the critical faculty of the conscious mind allowing hypnotic suggestions a clear path to the subconscious.

For more analytical subjects, confusion techniques and indirect suggestions are often the easiest way to accomplish hypnosis. For the less analytical a wider variety of inductions and more direct suggestions are called for.

When hypnosis is used as a form or therapy, especially in conjunction with other behavioral therapy techniques, deep trance is not necessarily required. Things like pain control for physical chronic pain can be accomplished at remarkably light levels of trance.

Of course, on stage, a deep level of trance is often a plus as it enhances the effectiveness of hypnosis as an entertainment tool.

Question 4

What sorts of things can be addressed through hypnotherapy?

Accepted Answer

That would be a BIG list.

The "Services" section of the site is a great place to start making that list.

That should be enough to get you started...

Question 5

Can I take the Kappasinian E&P (Emotional/Physical) Assessment online?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Please do!

You can take the Kappasinian E&P (Emotional/Physical) test on the Hypnotechs site at: https://hypnotechs.com/resources/kappasinian-suggestibility/

Question 6

What do you mean by "Stage Hypnosis"?

Accepted Answer

Stage hypnosis can encompass several types of performances.

The most obvious is probably the stage shows you see at the fair, in a club, at a corporate event or even at a graduation party. The hypnotist tests the suggestibility of the audience members then brings those who most likely to put on a good show up onto the stage. From there the comedy begins, with routines that demonstrate hypnotic phenomenon in a humorous way. At it's best it's hilarious, fresh and a fun experience for all. At it's worst, it's demeaning, predictable, not funny and even dangerous.

Another type of stage hypnosis is the hypnosis demonstration. In this type of performance, the purpose is to educate, rather than to entertain. Hypnotic phenomenon takes front stage and the comedy takes a back seat. In this type of show, the purpose is for you to walk out with a better understanding of what hypnosis is and more importantly, what it is not.

The final category is the seminar presentation. The purpose of this type of performance is once again educational, but in this case, hypnosis is only used to prove a point about some other topic. A classic example is a performance given before a group of salespeople, where hypnosis is used to show illustrate how a mindset can have a large impact on the success or failure of a sale.

In stage hypnosis, the hypnosis is real, or at least it should be. It's highly unethical to plant "shills" in the audience, but it does happen.

Question 7

What is hypnosis?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is a focus and imagination. Usually, relaxation is part of the clinical experience, but it's really a secondary benefit.

The Scottish surgeon James Braid coined the term "hypnotism", then later he sought to change the name to ""monoideism"", but the name had already caught on. He changed his mind on the name because as he researched it, he found that "hypnosis" had a lot less to do with "hypno" (Greek for "sleep") than it did with focus.

In a hypnotic trance, the noise in your mind stops and you are able to focus with crystalline clarity on the voice of the hypnotist and the suggestions being made.

Question 8

Do you utilize any "personality typing" in your work?

Accepted Answer

Actually, I do.

I really like the mechanism provided by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It's made up of four designators, with two possibilities for each, for a total of 16 different personality types possible. To use MBTI, you only need to answer four questions about someone to estimate their "type". It's easy enough to use and once you have a good idea of how typing works, a lot about tendencies to expect for a person can be known. Of course, that is just to estimate what someone else may be, the actual self-test is A LOT more questions.

Take the MBTI Self Assessment on Hypnotechs.com for free here: https://hypnotechs.com/resources/mbti

I am an MBTI ""ENTJ"".

I am not as big a fan of the Enneagram, but many people like it as much or more than MBTI and use it to compliment MBTI.

I am an Enneagram "8w7".

Finally, in a work environment, it would be so much easier if everyone just walked around with a FIRO-B sign indicating their type. I LOVE this instrument and if I have to recommend just one to a business, this is it.

Click Here to view my FIRO-B Chart

Question 9

Do you make house calls?

Accepted Answer

Before I opened the office in Duvall, I saw clients by subletting space from a massage therapist and by making house calls. Most clients now come to see me at the office, but I am open to other options.

If you are interested in meeting me somewhere or in me coming to you, I am open to discussion about that. Of course, I will need to charge for travel time and the like, so the session will ultimately be more expensive than a visit to the Hypnotechs office. Please contact me and let's see if we can find an arrangement that works for both of us.

You can contact me via my Contact Page.

Question 10

Those people on stage are faking it or are friends with the hypnotist, right?

Accepted Answer

"Occam's Razor" states that the simplest explanation is the most likely.

Which is most likely?

Yeah, it is. Try it some time. Those folks are playing the most vivid and real game of ""make believe"" of their entire adult lives. Not since being children on the playground has imagination been so real.

It's fun, refreshing and it feels really good. Why isn't everybody doing this?