Positions, Sleeping, and Lights

[HighFlight1985]

To dim or not to dim [the lights], that is the question...

Should I dim the lights, or if there are windows, close the blinds to limit the amount of light coming in? I'm pretty sure it's a matter of which allows the "subject" to relax, but as important as getting the subject to relax is, we also don't want them falling asleep, do we? (On a secondary question, what about outside noises? What if the walls are paper-thin, or the chosen location is not exactly "private?" What if the location is, hypothetically, a noisy, busy city street, train station, airport, or even a local bar? What affect/effect does outside noise have and how should one deal with it?)

Having said that and since I'm pretty certain falling asleep (entering delta) is not a good thing (nor is it bad in a harmful sense), how can one tell when the "subject" has inadvertantly entered delta, and what do you do if this happens? I ask because I'm also pretty certain that once the "subject" has fallen asleep/into delta, they can no longer respond. This is an area I am very unsure of, so I am probably wrong. Can someone set me straight?

Finally, the question of position of the "subject:" I've seen people hypnotized while standing, sitting, reclining, and laying down. (Have I missed any?) How does one choose which position is best for the circumstances and goal of the "session?" Again, I'd assume that the biggest reason to choose one position over another is the ability for the "subject" to relax, but also make certain that they are not so comfortable as to fall asleep. What other reasons are there, and are the above two reasons not the biggest as I assume them to be?

Thanks!

HighFlight

[pinktrance]

hi there, you can be in a hypnotised state, (enough for suggestions to work) while walking up and down with your eyes open, as long as the hypnotherapist is using suggestions that are accepted by your belief system and the person is totally focused on wanting that change. Obviously you probably wouldnt be able to get someone in a deep enough state for surgery, but good enough for decent suggestive work. Just go with what works for the particular client, ask them if they would prefere the lights dimed or not, everyone is different, "one mans medicine is anothers poison".
Any outside noise/desturbance can be used to deepen the hypnotic state, use it! tell the client that with every passing car that you hear, you will find yourself entering a deeper and deeper state of hypnosis etc.
The best thing to stop people falling asleep is to not have them actually lying down, just sitting in a comfortable arm chair or something. If you are keeping them focused on what you are saying and doing your job properly, most people wouldnt go to sleep (they would be throwing away money for a start)

[HighFlight1985]

So, let me see if I've got this straight:

Noises: I just make use of them. (Ex: "My voice is very soothing and very relaxing, and all you can hear is my voice. Any other noises or voices just make you go deeper and make you more and more relaxed.") Sort of reverse psychology.

Positions: Reclining is best for most situations. Are there any special situations where standing, sitting, or lying down are best?

Lights: Amount of light is dependent on upon "subject." Just say, "The main thing you need to be able to do is relax; I can dimm the lights if that will help accomplish that goal." Then, act according to their response.

Is this correct? Any other opinions?

Thanks,

HighFlight

[HighFlight1985]

Oh! Forgot something...about sleeping...

I'm still not clear on how to tell if the "subject" as inadvertantly fallen asleep and what to do? I'm assuming that the sign is that they stop responding to suggestions and to fix, I'd have to wake the person by tapping them on the shoulder or such and then start the induction process over. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks,

HighFlight

[Merlin]

You would be far better served if you would get some basic training.

[HighFlight1985]

Well, of course, that's true. Only issue is money.

[Hypnomania]

Do you believe it's responsible to try to hypnotize somebody without knowing anything about hypnosis? And do you believe you will have success this way?
Merlin is right to recommend some training. If you don't have the money now, save for it or ask a training company to pay the fee off. And additional read a couple of good books about hypnosis.
Sorry for being a bit rude, but you're not ready yet for hypnotizing somebody.

[HighFlight1985]

I will also apologize in advance for what I'm about to say if it is interpreted as rude....

Who says I was planning on hypnotizing someone just yet? You may remember or if you look, I entered a post into this forum titled, "Serious Teens, Seriously Interested." With that, I am a teen seriously interested in hypnosis, but that does not mean I have plans to use it. In the same way, and while I really do have a pilot's license, I could also have a serious interest in planes or aviation in general, and yet, have no intent to try to fly one without training. Similarly, a NASCAR enthusiast could have a strong desire to learn all about NASCAR, but also have no intent on trying to drive a stock car, or drive his own car like a NASCAR driver.

That said, I am a hypnosis-enthusiast (for lack of better words) and am just trying to learn all I can with the tools and resources I have--the local public library and message boards such as this. Should I plan to actually use what I learn, I will, indeed, seek real training when I have the resources (read: time and money) to do so.

Okay, so there's my "disclaimer." Are you guys still uneasy about answering?

-HighFlight

[HighFlight1985]

Oh! Hypnomania, as for your questions...

Do I believe it responsible for someone to try to hypnotize someone without proper training? The answer is no, I don't think it's responsible. In fact, that may be one of the cases where I would consider hypnosis a potential hazard.

As for myself, no, I'm not certified, but I do know some about hypnosis, and like I said before, I am trying to learn more. Again, that does not mean I intend to hypnotize anyone because I also believe it irresponsible to hypnotize someone just because now more than nothing. Long of the short of it: If you're not certified, I believe you shouldn't hypnotize anyone (except *maybe* yourself, but even that's iffy), but that doesn't mean you can't learn about it.

Hope that clears things up.

-HighFlight

[Tudor]

If you would like to learn how to do hypnosis, without doing hypnosis - read aloud for someone.

Read a story (it’s you and your voice, not the text that is important) aloud and use a soft tonality and a relaxed tempo, the time spent reading until the listener getting relaxed will be shorter than with your “normal” voice. Now … fractionate your sentences … the same reading … the same book … compare the relaxation … you will find a glimmer in the listeners eye and if you look carefully you see that the pupils has dilated (more pupil, darker eyes, more area to reflect lights).
There you have it! You have caught the listeners attention.

Be pleased that you have the ability to entertain someone with words in such a way that they are totally engulfed in your voice.
That’s hypnosis and that is not hypnosis.

The person is in a state guided there by you and therefore considered as hypnosis. But, if just getting a person in a state is hypnosis, then we would have some serious problem. Music, film, theatre all form of entertainment that is entrancing would be considered as a form of hypnosis. You would need a license in hypnotherapy to write a really good book. The question is, what you do with the person that is in a different state once he’s there.

If you do some “brainwork” - that’s hypnosis. If you don’t – that’s entertainment (in this case, reading aloud).

Peter

[Hypnomania]

Glad to hear that you actually just want to learn. Did sound to me as if you just want to make some quick money with using hypnosis. Seems that I got a wrong impression. Don't know how the other users do that, but I don't read every post and so I don't know the background of everybody here.

[HighFlight1985]

I know it sounds like I'm planning to actually put to use what I'm learning (I very well may in the future after I've had training), and that is intentional. The reason for it is so that I can ask the questions in a way that I get a more simplified answer, and to avoid being given information I already may know if I were to pose the question in a different manner. I also do it to try to avoid this very conversation, where I'm having to explain my goal; no matter, it seems, the way I word the question(s), I end up having to explain anyway and it gets old. So, you'll have to forgive me if I seem a little short/curt about it.

HighFlight

[Terry (existing)]

Highflight, you may well be just as you present yourself, and again, you may not. We only know what is presented to us by your posts. Even if you are a prince of ethics, anything we say on this board is open to anyone who visits, and we do know that not all who come here are ethical enough to give a damn about the damage they can do by misuse, so long as they have fun..... Your annoyance therefor is understandable at first glance, but not on due consideration of the facts. This is not a teaching board, and I hope it will never become one, because the web is not the proper place to teach, it is too open to misunderstandings.... When you ask a question, it is considered by many good, ethical, and experienced persons, and you may get a reply or not depending on what each of us feels about not just YOUR post, but the reply that will be read by others. Since non of us are paid, it is a courtesy that we give you a reply at all, and certainly you have not RIGHT to such. When we don't reply as requested therefor, it is not nescessarily personal, but a consideration of the medium we are using as well as the way the question was posed.... Once you become better known, you may find yourself getting email replies because the sender wishes to limit the reply to just you, and not everyone reading. This is of course if you have registered so that you can be contacted. Trust this helps you understand our attitudes....

[HighFlight1985]

Highflight, you may well be just as you present yourself, and again, you may not. We only know what is presented to us by your posts. Even if you are a prince of ethics, anything we say on this board is open to anyone who visits, and we do know that not all who come here are ethical enough to give a damn about the damage they can do by misuse, so long as they have fun.....

Prince of ethics? I suspect this is an exaggeration to get your point across. I am hoping it is not meant sarcastically.

As for the information being viewed by others--it is true, and therefore, also sad for several obvious reasons.

Your annoyance therefor is understandable at first glance, but not on due consideration of the facts. This is not a teaching board, and I hope it will never become one, because the web is not the proper place to teach, it is too open to misunderstandings....

Since you put it that way, my "annoyance" would still be "due" because the 'disclosure' of answers to some future questions.

When you ask a question, it is considered by many good, ethical, and experienced persons, and you may get a reply or not depending on what each of us feels about not just YOUR post, but the reply that will be read by others.

Understood.

Since non of us are paid, it is a courtesy that we give you a reply at all, and certainly you have not RIGHT to such.

When did I say or imply that I had a right to get an answer? The only thing I can think of is when I asked if you guys, based on what I had said, were still uneasy about answering the questions. If that was the statement that caused you to assume that I thought I had a right to an answer, I'm sorry I came across that way. (Here, your statement about misunderstandings proves true.) If that wasn't, then I have no idea what you are referring to. In any case, I did not mean to convey such a presumption because it doesn't exist.

When we don't reply as requested therefor, it is not nescessarily personal, but a consideration of the medium we are using as well as the way the question was posed.... Once you become better known, you may find yourself getting email replies because the sender wishes to limit the reply to just you, and not everyone reading. This is of course if you have registered so that you can be contacted. Trust this helps you understand our attitudes....

I had not considered the possibility of email replies, as I have rarely ever received any on other message boards related to hypnosis or otherwise. I had not signed up for an "account" here because, well, out of laziness, I guess. Since the forum moderators/administrators chose not to require registration to post, I just didn't.

It's hard to tell whether you were just expressing an opinion, chastising me for something, a combination of both, none of the above, or what. So that there aren't any more misunderstandings, I am truely sorry for upsetting anyone and also, this reply is not intended to be an attack on anyone.

[Terry (existing)]

I was neither offended nor chastising you for anything, just explaining why you might not get the sort of reply you hoped for. On the other hand, since you misunderstood my motives, you must accept that these can easily arise in any post without intent. The web is not the place to discuss deeply such matters as the "how to" of hypnosis, and never will be, yet far too often we get such posts, and disapointed posters because they fail to get a reply they are happy with..