Hypnotic Convincers

The primary reason for using hypnotic convincers or “challenge suggestions” is to help convince a client that she really was experiencing hypnosis. Furthermore, each challenge suggestion provided, and successfully accomplished, helps deepen the hypnotic state.

As with the eye closure test, not only does the hypnotic convincer deepen the trance state by turning the client’s focus of attention inward and heighten the kinesthetic experience, but the hypnotist further uses the hypnotic convincer to bypass the client’s critical factor.

Levels of trance depth become recognizable to the hypnotist, due to certain abilities the client may, or may not have at each level of hypnosis, providing much needed and important information for the hypnotist.

Hypnotic convincers, are generally applied in stages along with the level of trance assumed by the hypnotist, that his client should be experiencing throughout the hypnotic induction.

Roy Hunter describes six hypnotic convincers in his text "The Art of Hypnosis", in which he passes on the works of Charles Tebbetts. As a rule of thumb it is suggested that the hypnotist have as many “challenge suggestions”, or "hypnotic convincer's", in his repertoire as he has hypnotic inductions.

1st Hypnotic Convincer: Eye Catalepsy Test
This hypnotic convincer is used often, because it only uses a small group of muscles around the eyes, and is very useful for bypassing the critical factor.

The hypnotist tells his client that as he counts from five down to one, that the client’s eyelids are locking down tighter and tighter.
“Now that your eyelids are closed down, you’ll find them locking themselves tightly shut. As I count from five down to one, just find them locking tighter with each number. FIVE … the eyelids are beginning to lock tighter now. FOUR … they are locking tighter with each number. THREE … lock them even tighter … NOW… TWO … imagine they are glued shut! ONE … they are locked so tight that … even if you TRY to open them you FIND that … they just lock tighter and tighter … NOW… Try to TEST them and find the harder you TRY, the more you find they just want to STAY SHUT … NOW…, just relax all those muscles that control your eyelids and throughout your body, and go deeper … DEEPER … NOW.”

One must note the importance of the words “try” and “find”.
The word “try” provides an implication of failure, and “find” is a positive word, because ever since early childhood we like to find things and therefore provides for the delight of surprise.

2nd Hypnotic Convincer: The Hand Clasp Test
This test, I find is best used as a pre-induction example. Reasoning that the test incorporates muscular strain, and a natural momentary locking reflexive ingredient, it is more of a cheat test, and although it might be useful to convince the client, I believe it serves little to no value to the hypnotist in providing information as to the depth of trance.

The procedure incorporates asking the client to clasp his hands together and imagine the fingers locking tightly like vice grips. Then the client is to TRY and pull them apart.

If the client is asked to interlace his fingers holding his arms above the head with the elbows locked while doing this, the operator will find that fewer clients separate their hands when asked to TRY since this position causes a further strain on the musculo-skeletal system delaying the ability to separate the hands further.

3rd Hypnotic Convincer: The Rigid Arm Test
Again this test is similar to convincer #2, and my beliefs in regards to its use are the same.

First the hypnotist lifts the client’s arm into a vertical position above her head. Then the client is asked to make the arm as rigid as a steel bar, and in turn TRY to bend it.

The test suggests not having the client do this for more than three or four seconds, due to chance of failure and discomfort.

4th Hypnotic Convincer: Automatic Motion
With this challenge the hypnotist picks up the client’s “writing hand” and has him imagine holding a piece of chalk while his hand rotates drawing circles on an imaginary board. Suggestions are worded in a manner to redirect the client’s focus to the beating of their heart while his own arm rotates, further suggesting that the subconscious is now in control of the arm motion. At the proper time, the client’s arm is directed to rotate in the opposite direction apparently controlled by the subconscious.

5th Hypnotic Convincer: Arm Levitation
A smile comes to my face as I look over this hypnotic technique. I guess one factor used by the geniuses of our time is noticing excellence and doing what we can to incorporate it into our own manner of doing things.

It seems Mr. Tebbetts has copied our beloved late Dr. Milton Erickson’s “handshake technique” and unfortunately reduced it to a fraction of its usefulness.

Again he incorporates lifting the clients hand and moving it up and down while suggesting it become lighter and lighter. Then for the client to TRY and press down on his finger with it.

I say he has reduced the usefulness of the handshake technique, because the handshake technique initially uses shock and surprise in its release, causing an incredible bypass of the critical factor having the client drop into a hypnotic state that is easier to deal with, rather than what just occurred. The lack of surprise and suggestion to TRY and press down on the operator’s finger causes me to classify this test the same as convincers #2 and #3.

I believe that Milton Erickson would not have appreciated this adjustment, and would probably have seen it as a lack of grace and artistry by the hypnotist.

6th Hypnotic Convincer: Arm Levitation Without Touch
This hypnotic convincer is more of a classic, and is widely used in slightly different forms. Suggesting to the client that he imagine one arm light and the other heavy in some way is a wonderful technique to use as both a hypnotic convincer and as a hypnotic induction.

I also like the wording incorporated, and its Ericksonian methodology.
“I don’t know what’s easier for you to imagine … the lightness or the heaviness … but the more you imagine either the lightness or the heaviness, or both, the greater the difference of feeling between your two arms, and the deeper you go into hypnosis. In fact, the slightest movement in your light hand makes you go TEN TIMES DEEPER into hypnosis, until you find your hand feeling so light that it feels as thought it could float weightlessly, as you see or feel those helium balloons pulling up on your wrist. Or your heavy arm feels SO HEAVY that it seems as though it would take just too much effort to even try to lift it. So you find it just feels better to simply let it get heavier and heavier … and the greater the difference of feeling between your two arms, the deeper you go into hypnosis … (etc.).”

Dave Elman’s “Hypnotherapy” also provides some very useful hypnoitc induction tests for noticing the levels of trance, providing the hypnotist with the type of information required to proceed, or you can just check in freescripts, at the end of the Dave Elman Induction for a quick glance at his hypnotic depth tests.

email: dr_frank@hypnoticadvancements.com

Mailing address:
Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)
Hypnotic Advancements
3126 McCarthy Court
Mississauga , ON
Canada L4Y-3Z5

© 2004, Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)

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