Ideomotor Signals

Here we will discuss ideomotor signals also known as methods of ideodynamic signaling, along with ideosensory and other ideomotor activities, as well as some of the science behind the relation of these unconscious processes to hypnotic suggestion.

Ideomotor activity refers to the involuntary capacity of muscles to respond instantaneously to thoughts, feelings and ideas. These built-in responses are necessary for survival. An example of ideomotor activity is seen when a mother puts a spoonful of food up to a baby’s mouth and her own mouth opens, or for that matter, leaning in the direction of the ball carrier on a favorite football team, and the backseat driver’s stepping on the brake of a careening car are other ideomotor activities spontaneously produced without the awareness of the individual.

Unconscious movements are related to unconscious ideas. By setting up signals with the unconscious to answer for example yes/no, we open a channel of communication with the unconscious mind. By opening or setting up a means of communication with the unconscious, the hypnotherapist has a means of extracting valuable information that the subject might not be able to provide consciously.

Ideosensory activity refers to the capacity of the brain to develop sensory images, which may be kinesthetic, olfactory, visual, auditory, tactile, or gustatory. A common example of ideosensory activity is looking at a fire and “seeing” the “face” of one’s beloved. During negative ideosensory activity, one of many hypnotic phenomena, there is a denial of actual sensory experiences, such as not seeing or hearing something that is actually present. A typical example is complete absorption in an interesting book that produces a selective type of “deafness” to irrelevant stimuli. Imagining the “smell” of a certain odor that does not actually exist is an example of a positive ideosensory activity. Ideosensory activities are used as misdirection to obtain a somatic response. The subject must be involved in as many ideosensory experiences as possible, as this facilitates hypnotic conditioning. The subject must then think of these in terms of his own memories, ideas, and sensations, which he has previously experienced. To elicit ideosensory activities, the post hypnotic suggestion must revive responses previously experienced by an individual – his experiential background. The mention of a specific food to a hungry individual, for instance, is likely to produce salivation only if he has experienced the taste of that particular food.

All induction techniques depend on the subject being unaware that he has made physical responses to the hypnotic suggestions provided. He does not realize that they are the result of his own thoughts.

Chevreul’s pendulum test, the operation of the Ouija board, clairvoyance, and even extrasensory perception to a degree, depend upon the involuntary or ideomotor muscular responses associated with the ideosensory processes of the individual. Subcortical mechanisms are responsible for the primary or inherited responses, manifested as involuntary reflexes. These are not learned, and include blinking, pupillary dilatation or contraction, endocrine responses, peristalsis, breathing, and cardiac functioning. Even though breathing and blinking can be controlled volitionally, most of the vital functions are under autonomic control.

It is possible, however, to “build in” other reflexes upon those that are involuntary and to make those increasingly subject to volitional control. Biofeedback has demonstrated that the autonomic nervous system is not as autonomic as we have been led to believe. Greater control of autonomic functioning accounts for the feats of Yoga and the transcendence of normal voluntary capacity achieved by post hypnotic suggestion.

During hypnosis the hypnotist's hypnotic suggestions are accepted as reality because of selective cortical inhibition, the incoming information does not have access to the stored data and therefore cannot be validated. Thus the increased hypnotic suggestibility, leading to production of hypnotic phenomena, is brought about by the interplay of two forces – automatic activity (ideomotor and ideosensory) and selective cortical inhibition. Stated simply, when ideas that lead to “ideoid” (idea-like) actions are interpreted as reality, the resultant convictions lead to hypnosis.

Originally introduced by Milton Erickson, Cheek and LeCron built upon his use of ideodynamic signaling as a utilization approach that was consistently productive, easily taught and learned. Especially useful was the fact that the method could not only be used with hypnosis, it could be initiated and utilized with an unhypnotized person. The method is introduced as follows: "We can use this little pendulum to find out about things that you cannot consciously remember. Notice that there are four major directions it can take that are easy to recognize and remember. It can circle clockwise or in the opposite direction; or can go transversely, or at right angles in a straight line. Your inner mind can select one of these swings for four different ideas: yes, no, I'm not ready to answer consciously yet, I don't know."

LeCron later shifted his method to one in which he asked his hypnotic subjects to pretend they were observers in responding to questions about their problem. His patients were directed to simply wonder what answer the pendulum would provide. This method would in turn facilitate a light state of hypnotic dissociation.

Facilitation of ideodynamic signals with the Chevreul Pendulum is described as follows:
1. Introduction to the Chevreul Pendulum
"The pendulum simply reflects very slight body movement using one's unconscious response to thoughts of yes, no, and I'm not ready to know the answer consciously yet."

2. Experiencing Ideodynamic Signals
"Hold the pendulum and think and feel, yes - yes - yes. Watch the pendulum carefully and let's see whether it will follow a repetitive circular or straight swing that will symbolize the yes answer."
[Pause. If movements are not evident within a minute or so, continue as follows.]
a. "At first you may help it with your repeated conscious thought of yes - yes - yes! But soon the movement will happen all by itself on an unconscious level." [Pause until both hypnotherapist and patient can identify the "yes" signal.]
b. "Now think and feel, no - no - no, and let's see which movement it makes." [Pause until there is agreement about the "no" signal.]
c. "Now let's see what kind of movement it makes to signal, "I'm not ready to know the answer consciously yet". [Pause until this signal is identified.

3. Ratification of Ideodynamic Pendulum Signaling
a. "Ask yourself a question with an obvious 'yes' answer. For example, "Is the sun shining?" [Pause to verify that the pendulum signals with the agreed upon movement for "yes".]
b. "Now ask yourself a question with an obvious 'no' answer." [Pause to verify that the pendulum signals with the agreed upon movement for "no".]
c. "When you are not sure the response is valid ask, 'Does your inner mind agree with what you have just told me?'"

It was later found that at times when the Chevreul pendulum swing began to change meaning, rather than stop the questioning and start the selection of responses again, it was easier to continue with the use of finger signals.

Facilitation of ideodynamic finger signals is described as follows:
1. Introduction to finger signaling
"The inner part of your mind often knows what you have forgotten, or never even knew consciously. You can let your fingers do the talking for you."

2. Experiencing finger signals
a. "Think and feel, yes - yes - yes, and wonder which finger your inner mind will lift to signal 'yes'. [Pause. If a definite movement is not evident within a minute, continue with: "Sometimes it feels as if an invisible string was pulling it up."]
b. "Now think and feel, no - no, no, until another finger on the same hand lifts to signal 'no'.” [Pause. If a definite movement is not evident within a minute, continue with: "Really review deeply inside yourself something you definitely know you do not want."]
c. Ratification of ideodynamic finger signals
"Go back now to the beginning of last night's sleep. As you are falling asleep, your 'yes' finger will lift. Each time you are dreaming, your unconscious will let your 'no' finger lift. When you awaken, your 'I'm not ready to know consciously yet' finger will lift."

It is further elaborated upon that true unconscious ideodynamic signals are always repetitive and often barely visible. Close attention is to be paid to the slight vibratory movement shown by the tendon leading to a designated finger. When recalling stressful experiences, it is sometimes possible to see the release of perspiration around the tip of the finger that eventually will lift, this being considered a physiological response preceding the skeletal muscle lifting that finger, which is often termed that of a minimal cue.

David B.Cheek has stated that there is a three-stage sequence involved in the valid recall of meaningful material described as:
1. Emotional and physiological memory can be seen first through changes in respiration, pulse rate, and emotional reactions. These occur very rapidly and must appear before a designated finger lifts to show an inner orientation to the time of an important experience.

2. Ideodynamic signals indicate the accessing of memory at an unconscious level. They usually occur a few seconds after the appearance of physiological memory. At the moment the finger lifts signaling this second, higher level of memory, the patient still does not have a verbal level of awareness of the experience; there are only feelings of anticipation, vague unrest, or discomfort.

3. Verbal reporting of the experience follows these physiological and ideomotor indications of the inner accessing of meaningful material. To reach this conscious horizon of verbal thought, the entire experience may have to be reviewed repeatedly. The patient is told that one finger will lift to signal the beginning of an experience and another finger to signal its ending.

Below are another two fine methods the reader can play with for ideomotor finger signal setup:

Establishing Ideo-Motor Signals:
Once the client is in a deeply relaxed hypnotic state, communication signals with the clients unconscious can be established by a number of techniques. Below are two techniques for you to try out. (Note! A state of deep hypnosis is not actually necessary, as a mild one should do fine.)

a) Suggest to the client to repeat the word “yes” with you, over and over until they feel the need to let their head nod in agreement.
b) Once this occurs, suggest to the client that he keep thinking “yes” repeatedly, while you ask their subconscious to provide a signal for the answer “yes” by raising a finger upwards on their dominant hand.
c) Repeat the process for the answers “no” and “I don’t want to answer”.


Roy Hunter’s method of establishing ideomotor responses:
The answer's sought using ideomotor technique are “yes”, “no”, “I don’t know”, as well as, “I don’t want to answer”.
It is Mr. Hunter’s belief, and I would agree, that the client should make the choice as to which fingers to use for each answer. He states that if a client was asked by a previous hypnotherapist to raise the left index finger for a “yes” response, and then another hypnotherapist decided to use the same finger as “no” response, there is a great possibility of miscommunication.

Roy Hunter would establish ideomotor responses in the following manner;
a) “In a moment, I’m going to ask you some questions. If the answer is ‘yes’, would you please indicate by moving a finger. Please move the ‘yes’ finger now.”
Wait for a response, and make a note of it.
b) “If I ask you a question and ‘no’ is the answer … that’s ‘N.O.’ (spell it out) … would you please move a different finger or thumb. Please indicate the ‘N.O.’ response now.”
Wait for a response and make a note of it.
c) “If I ask you a question and the answer is either ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t want to say’, you may move a different finger or thumb. Please indicate that response now.”
Wait for response, and make a note of it. Now you are ready for therapeutic questions.

Mr.Hunter's reasoning for the third response of either “I don’t know”, or “I don’t want to say”, is due to a client’s possible fear of revealing secrets. So providing the client with this third option provides for a greater probability of truth.

It is my belief that with hypnoanalysis if a client is taken to a state of deep hypnosis, vocal communication with the unconscious would be more productive, but when push comes to shove "do whatever works” for best results.

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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