Pattern Interrupt Techniques

Here you will find three pattern interruption techniques that are a lot of fun to use when inducing trance. As mentioned on other pages, pattern interrupt techniques are also known as confusion techniques and include the handshake induction. Elaborated upon below are the use of "meaningful nonsequiturs, the interruption of accessing cues, and more on the handshake induction. The reader might wonder why I have bits and pieces of the handshake induction under different categories, well for now I'll keep that a secret, but if you could figure it out, there might be a thousand US dollars in it for you.


1. Meaningful Nonsequiturs
Communication is comprehended in terms of its context. In this regard, a listener will usually understand a verbal statement in terms of its relation to those words presented before it, along with the nonverbal communications accompanying it. The installation of a statement, out of the conversational context will cause a confused disorientation in the listener. The listener is usually taken aback and surprised by the nonsequitur, then responds to this automatic pattern interrupt by trying to figure out what the speaker meant. If the nonsequitur is delivered meaningfully and in a manner implying a perfectly sensible, and rather important statement, the listener will typically continue to search for the “real” meaning of the utterance. The longer a person tries to grasp some sense in the nonsequitur, the more uncertain he or she will become. This response can then be utilized within 3 – 5 seconds by the hypnotherapist softly but emphatically suggesting "you can now … go into a deep trance."

The nonsequiturs will have the maximal hypnotic effect when delivered meaningfully by a speaker assumed, and expected to speak rationally, and relevantly in a context where trust has been initiated.


2. Interrupting Accessing Cues
There are a number of ways in which accessing cues can be interrupted: touching a person, dropping a pencil on the floor or making any sudden and unexpected movement, even the clearing of a throat or saying something unexpected – each of these create a mild state of uncertainty.

I remember back in the early years of high school having a history teacher who really seemed to hate all of the students, and resent his job for that matter. In turn, we responded in a similar manner to make things harder for him. Every time he would turn to write on the blackboard, someone, including myself at times, would make the sound "pssssttt!!" We didn't understand what we were doing other than the fact that he would get very upset. Now I realize that we had in fact quite successfully wiped out his internal blackboard with every "pssstt" sound causing him to forget what he was doing. In turn he always had to start from the beginning in order to find his place.

Another useful place for the pattern interrupt would be when using the dreaming arm hypnotic induction with a child. In this procedure the child is watching a repeat of their favorite show, allowing their arm to lower only as fast / or slow as the show progresses. While the child is focused on the visuals, if the arm is stopped, the effect will be that of actually stopping the film. This has a very strong effect since the sensation of the arm is a kinesthetic representation and is an out-of-conscious representational factor at the time. With the arm stopped, any programming that benefits the child can be stated, just as if a commercial were inputted. The arm is then released and the show continues.

Another example which I have found rather interesting was performed by this mentalist from the UK. He goes into a subway, pulls people aside and proceeds to ask them if they have a good memory. Then he asks them if they can remember a time when they easily forgot something. As they access their memory of forgetting, he casually anchors the memory by swooping his hand in front of their eyes. After asking for a couple more memories of easily forgetting and strengthening his anchor, he asks them what stop they will be getting off at. The instant they begin to access, he swoops his hand abruptly in front of their eyes, causing a pattern interrupt while simultaneously activating the established anchor of how to forget easily. The bewildered and sudden, trance type of look on the people's faces is remarkable because the entire process is done very quickly. What wonderful tools we have to play with.

3. The Handshake Induction
This hypnotic technique, once well practiced can work incredibly well, due to the motor patterns of the classic handshake being so well practiced and automatized.
The interruption of something so well accustomed will undoubtedly produce a momentary confusion which can be easily utilized to incorporate trance. As Steven Gilligan so well puts it, "the more identified a person is with a certain way of being, the more confused and uncertain he/she will be when that way of being is interrupted."

Gilligan has broken down the handshake induction into a five step process which makes it nicely understandable: (from one of my most favorite books "Therapeutic Trances")
1) Creating Contact and Expectancy - here the hypnotist absorbs the subject's attention while moving into position. This is done by showing a genuine desire to greet the person.

2) Initiating the Pattern - at this point you move towards the person as you stretch out your hand, indicating the desired greeting, which prompts the subject to automatically extend his hand. At this time, you continue to look into your subject's eyes and maintain his attention by maintaining verbal communication.

3) Interrupting the Pattern - occurs when the hypnotist is about four feet away from the subject. At this point, the hypnotist - still walking forward with right hand outstretched - suddenly but gracefully accelerates to lift his or her left hand under the subject's outstretched hand. Continuing with one graceful motion, the hypnotist uses his or her thumb and index finger to lift the subject's hand to about shoulder level. This lifting should be done with minimal pressure and graceful gentleness, so the subject does not feel intruded upon or dominated. The hypnotist merely guides the already lifting hand of the subject; this is done rather quickly, so that the element of surprise is present.

During this time the hypnotist's right hand (which has continued to lift, albeit at a slower rate than the left hand) rises to about the subject's eye level and points toward the subject's face (a good distraction and interruption technique); then quickly, in conjunction with the whole body, it swings around to point at the subject's now lifted right hand. The hypnotist, who has been looking at the subject in a surprised, intense, and absorbing fashion, now gazes with incredulity at the raised right hand of the subject. This typically will deeply disorient and surprise the subject to effect a rapid dissociation, evidenced by a lightness in the lifted right hand, a "frozen" look and posture, dilated pupils, restricted breathing, and so forth.

4) Amplifying the confusion - instruct the subject in a meaningful tone, "pay very close attention to all of the coloration changes beginning to occur in the fingers of your lifted hand". This statement, which sounds perfectly logical but is, to say the least, rather unusual, usually further disorients the subject while fixating attention on the hand. Because the disorientation will enhance both a willingness to follow simple directives, and an ability to develop perceptual alterations, subjects will often begin to actually perceive coloration changes. These hypnotic developments can be facilitated by touching very lightly the fingertips of the lifted hand - which should produce tingling sensations - while concomitantly naming the touched digits. For example:
"That's right … and just let yourself continue to pay very close attention to all those coloration changes … whether they are in the index finger (touching the index finger) or the middle finger (touching the middle finger) or the thumb (touching the thumb) or the ring finger (touching the ring finger) or the little finger (touching the little finger) or the thumb (touching the thumb) or the little finger (touching the thumb)."

5) Utilizing the confusion - the hypnotist continues to accelerate the finger touches, and as he speaks he can intersperse trance developing suggestions such as "dropping down deeper now". This is all done while holding the client's hand up with your own left hand. At any time the hypnotist can begin to lower his own left hand which often leaves the subject cataleptic. If catalepsy isn't yet ratified simply lift up lightly again.

The technique as described by Gilligan is a little different, yet more straight forward than Milton Erickson's description in "Hypnotic Realities" where he describes an actual handshake with the confusion element developed by providing an uncertainty as to when the hand becomes released. It is accomplished by altering the pressures of the fingers on the hand in a lingering manner. Requires lots of practice.

A few points taken from Hypnotic Realities in order to practice the handshake induction are:
a) develop a habit of carefully observing the subject's eye and face as you shake hands;
b) practice releasing the hand a bit slower than normal, leading up to hesitating on the hand release, as you observe your subject's non-verbal facial expressions to your hesitation;
c) a subject who "stays with you" and allows you to set the pace is considered a better candidate for this hypnotic induction;
d) at this point, practice releasing the hand only half way to provide for, and notice signs of confusion;
e) then practice releasing the hand so gently that the subject's hand remains suspended not realizing that a release took place. This can be enhanced by speaking very softly to your subject at the same time.
f) this final stage is learning to add directing touches as stimuli for catalepsy and/or hand levitation.

Pattern Interruption Techniques - Only $24.95
This program teaches you some of the sneakiest of hypnotic techniques which can be used with difficult subjects as inductions or during everyday conversations to induce trance. The primary focus of the learnings here includes the use of meaningful nonsequiturs, and the interruption of accessing cues which is always a lot of fun.

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Have the nuts and bolts about pattern interrupts quickly and easily programmed into your mind so that you go ahead and use them without having to think about it real fast, with the addition of this subliminal track added to the program.

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Here it is for the very first time ever, Milton Erickson's most famous covert technique "the Handshake Induction". Now... you can learn the principals and technique entirely in the privacy of your own mind; then just go out and have fun introducing yourself to others as they sink into a wonderfully deep trance at your command.

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If you really want to learn this technique fast, there is no better way than with the added help of a subliminal track to make the points crystal clear.

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Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)
Hypnotic Advancements
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© 2004, Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)

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