Hypnosis is probably not what you think it is. There is a common belief that the hypnotist controls the subject through force of personality or even some sort of occult power, but in fact hypnosis is more of a collaborative game between the two. By creating a soothing and comfortable setting and playing to the subject's expectations, the hypnotist allows the subject to experience a so-called "trance state" created in the subject's own mind.
Instructions
Setting the Scene
1. Get a good subject. Hypnotic subjects don't have to be believers in the process of hypnosis, but they do have to be open to trying it and seeing what will happen. The subject should feel comfortable around you, and you around him.
2. Have your subject sit down somewhere comfortable and quiet. Although advanced hypnotists can put good subjects into a trance nearly anywhere, the process is much easier in a quiet room without bright lights or excessive noise.
3. Maintain the right attitude from the beginning. Hypnosis is not a magical state, but a phenomenon based on suggestion. Basically, it works because the subject thinks it is going to work, and the subject's beliefs are affected by the hypnotist. If you act confident in your abilities as a hypnotist and casual about the whole process, your subject is more likely to believe in what you're doing and fall into a trance.
4. Have the subject look at a point on the wall near the ceiling. You could also put an object on a high shelf for her to concentrate on. it is difficult to stare at an object for any length of time, and looking upwards is a bit tiring for the eyes. Both of these phenomena will help you establish a trance state in the next section.
Establishing a Trance
5. Use constant droning repetition in a calm, relaxed and moderately paced voice. You don't want to use the heavy "you are getting very sleepy" Hollywood hypnotist voice, but more of a conversational tone. You should have a whole hypnotic scripts prepared that you are comfortable with and can continue to repeat with slight variations until the subject is in a trance.
6. Connect what the subject is already doing to what you want him to do or feel. For example, instead of saying "your eyes are feeling tired," say "as you sit here, breathing in and out and sitting in a soft, comfortable chair while staring up at a point on the ceiling with your eyes slowly tiring, allow yourself to relax more deeply." In the second statement, you tie the experience of tiring eyes to other things the subject is feeling, implying that it is true without commanding him to outright. The subject will make the same connection and feel his eyes tire without consciously thinking about it.
7. Subtly suggest that the subject is falling asleep. She will become more and more relaxed as you drone and blather on, enabling you to say something like "as you let your eyes become more and more heavy, breathing in and out, in and out, you can feel yourself drawing closer and closer to a deep sleep." by this point, she will feel relaxed and the suggestion of sleep won't seem unreasonable or jarring.
8. Use a hypnotic test to deepen the trance. As your subject begins to fall into a trance, have him visualize a balloon tied to his wrist. Suggest that his wrist will feel lighter and lighter as he feels tireder and tireder. Inevitably his arm starts to rise. This will provide evidence to him that he is falling into a trance and that this hypnosis thing works, deepening the state further. Tell him that the balloon is deflating so he can rest his arm again and relax.
9. Deepen the trance. A good technique for doing this is to have the subject imagine that she is at the top of a staircase or an elevator going down. At the bottom is a sanctuary of some sort--perhaps a garden or her favorite place from childhood. Have her imagine that she is walking the steps while you slowly count down from 10 to 1. Tell her to relax more with each step she descends. When she reaches the bottom, tell her to open a door into whatever restful, relaxing scene you are having her picture.
10. Bring your subject of the trance. Tell him that he is back in front of the stairway again and that he is going to climb the stairs while you count from 1 to 10. Tell him that as he climbs, he will slowly awaken and that when he reaches the top step he will be relaxed, awake and refreshed. When he reaches the top, say "awake."
11. Check in with your subject to see how she is. Make sure that she is comfortable and happy with the experience. Because hypnosis is affected by the leafs, a subject who feels she will still be "tranced out" by the experience can come out disoriented. If she does feel a bit disoriented, explain to her that it will pass in a few minutes and make sure that she feels better before she leaves.
