practicing hypnosis

[tommy_McRock]

Howdy,

I've been looking to hypnosis for a while now and want to learn more,but as with most things, practice makes perfect, so where do you find people to practice with? I've read in a couple of book s that practicing with friends is unwise and that it is in other. So, who's right and who's wrong and if they both are, who and where do I find guineau pigs!!??

[Don]

Hi, Tommy, and welcome to our forums.

You're questions seems really simple, but it's more complex than you think. Let me try to answer it as thoroughly as possible.

First, it's totally untrue that "practice makes perfect." If you practice something the wrong way you'll learn it the wrong way. So practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

So is practicing with friends "unwise?" Well...yes and no. There's nothing "wrong" with practicing with friends, it's just that you're less likely to be successful. Here's why:
1) They know you as a friend, not as a hypnotist. Therefore, when you give an instruction, they're less likely to follow than if they knew you only as a hypnotist.
2) Trying to be a friend, they may play along and pretend to be hypnotized rather than be hypnotized. Here's a bit of complexity: When it comes to doing actual hypnosis, there's nothing wrong if someone pretends to be hypnotized. But when it comes to learning hypnosis, you won't know if you're successful. So for learning, you don't want people who will just play along.

So as a general rule, it's not a good idea to practice with friends. BUT, when I have friends who also want to learn hypnosis along with me (or learn advanced techniques with me), then I know they won't fake it and will give me good feedback. As you can see, then, working with some friends--people who are also hypnotists--is great. But again, as a general rule, it may not be very successful.

As I wrote above, only perfect practice makes perfect. So how do you know if you are practicing "perfectly," or at least correctly? The answer is to practice under the watchful eye of someone who is more experienced and knowledgeable than you.

And where can you find willing guinea pigs...er...subjects? Well, in my opinion the best place is in a class. Not only will you find people who are willing subjects, but you get training and an experienced, watchful eye to make sure you're doing everything right. Some of the students will be more advanced than you and can give you advice. Some of them will be less advanced and you can help them. Teaching, I have found, is one of the best ways to learn anything.

So my first advice: take some classes in hypnosis.
Alternative: find a hypnotist in your area and ask to be trained
Not as good, but still doable: Practice with someone who has been hypnotized by a professional
Even less good: try practicing with people who are also interested in learning hypnosis, but have no experience
Less good: Practice with people who have no interest in hypnosis
Least good: Practice with friends who don't want to learn hypnosis

I hope this helps!

[Docresults]

Tommy,

I encourage you to read and re-read Don's post and you may want to go through the archives and read some of his post to others just getting interested in or wanting to learn more about hypnosis. They are some of the most well thought out and balanced post addressing the beginners position and views around hypnosis.

To Your Best,
Doc Houston