There are many noteworthy hypnotic methods that are used to reach the unconscious mind to cause change. Each method has its positives and its negatives. No two people are the same, so it makes sense that the best results will be obtained by utilizing methods that each individual will react favorably to.



Most companies that sell hypnosis tapes offer products that consist of standard traditional hypnotic techniques. A few vendors offer much more modern and effective Ericksonian hypnosis techniques. And fewer still offer NLP techniques.

The most effective methodology is video hypnosis. Video hypnosis relies on the latest NLP mind processes to produce rapid changes in a hypnotic subject. Video hypnosis techniques are not subliminal in nature.

With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply make direct suggestions to the unconscious mind mind. In case you are wondering, as far as I'm concerned, the term unconscious and subconscious are equal - they refer to the same part of the mind. This type of hypnotic suggestion works well for a subject who generally accepts what he/she is told without a lot of questions.

Most hypnosis programs that are sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" methodologies. The reason for this is that it really doesn't take much experience or training to create a script and just command a subject to do something. Unfortunately Traditional Suggestion Therapy is not very effective for people who are analytical in their thinking processes.

By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP techniques work far better for most people today! This is because today individuals are taught to tear apart everything they see and hear, rather than just copy what everyone else is doing. So these techniques do work efficiently on people who are analytical in their thinking processes.

Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP are much more effective at reaching and influencing the unconscious mind. However, it can take years of study and experience to learn how to apply these techniques successfully. This is an undertaking that is accepted only by truly dedicated hypno-therapists.

With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories, called metaphors, to present post-hypnotic suggestions to the unconscious mind. This is a powerful scheme, because it usually eliminates the resistance to post-hypnotic suggestions that is very often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.

Isomorphic metaphors offer direction to the unconscious mind by telling a story with a moral. The unconscious mind draws a one-to-one relationship between the ingredients of the story and the ingredients of a negative behavior.

For example, if a child is predisposed to tell a lot of lies, the parent might tell the child the story about the "Boy who cried wolf." The unconscious mind would draw a parallel between the boy in the story and the child, and realize that telling lies could lead to disaster, so the child would probably stop lying.

With the Embedded Command technique, the hypnotherapist conveys an amusing story that engages and distracts the conscious mind. The metaphor contains hidden commands that are usually accepted by the unconscious mind. For example: during the time that the subject is in hypnosis, he/she will hear the hypnotist say something like: I'm going to tell you a story about ...[a beach that has feelings. Isn't that] ...strange to... [you]? It's a warm summer's day, and... the beach [feels great].

The hypnotist pauses, shifts his voice tonality, and emphasizes the bracketed text. The unconscious mind recognizes a "Selectional restriction violation." Beaches can't have feelings. So it's like the unconscious mind says to itself: "Wait a minute, a beach can't feel anything, so that must mean that I'm supposed to feel great."

Since the suggestions are buried in an article that is misdirecting the conscious mind, its not very likely that the conscious will realize that it has just received a direct command, so it won't resist it.

Process Instructions direct the unconscious mind to remember an experience of an appropriate learning experience from the past where something appropriate was learned, and then to apply that experience to eliminate bad behaviors in the present.

With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using hypnotic suggestions, we use the same thought patterns that are creating a problem, like nail biting, to eliminate the symptom. NLP in the hands of an experienced hypnotherapist can be very effective.

NLP Anchoring: Have you ever heard an old song and had it remind you of feelings from the past? When you originally listened to the song, you were experiencing those feelings, and they unconsciously became associated with the sound of the melody. So the song became an Anchor for the feelings. Now when you hear the song, it triggers the same feelings again.

Anchoring can be a very effective technique. Suppose that you have a memory of being commended for having done something well in the past. If you revivify that memory, you'll be able to recall the feelings of self-esteem that you had at that time. If you touch two fingers together while you re-experience those feelings of self-esteem, that touch will become an anchor for the feelings of self-esteem.

Now suppose that you want to create motivation to stick to a diet and lose weight. If you make a mental image of yourself with a thin, sexy body, and simultaneously trigger the anchor - (press the two fingers together again), your unconscious mind will connect together the feelings of self-esteem to your mental image of you with the thin body and your level of motivation to lose weight will increase exponentially.

NLP Flash: This is a very powerful Neuro-Linguistic Programming technique that can be used to turn things around in the unconscious mind, so that thoughts and experiences that used to trigger feelings of stress actually trigger relaxation instead.

The NLP Flash technique is also extremely effective for extinguishing conditioned responses. For example: If a smoker has a cigarette while drinking coffee, his/her unconscious mind will associate the two behaviors together so that he/she automatically gets a strong urge for a cigarette anytime he/she has a cup of coffee. The Flash will cause the smoker's mind to disconnect the image of a cigarette from the cup of coffee so that he/she does NOT get an urge to smoke just because he/she is drinking coffee.

With "Subliminal" programs, the recording has two tracks. One track contains a cover sound that is heard by the conscious mind. The cover sound could be anything from music to nature sounds. The number two track contains direct suggestions that are heard by the unconscious mind mind. These suggestions are repeated many times during a session.

Subliminal programs can play in the background while you are working, or talking on the phone or partisipating in any other activity. You don't have to stop what you are doing and relax like you do with hypnosis CD's. Subliminals can be an addition to hypnotic programs. But Subliminals will never replace Hypnosis or NLP because they are not as effective! They do not compare in any way!! Some studies have claimed that it can take up to 80 hours of listening to a subliminal tape before it will have any effect on many people.

The last hypnotic method that we're going to discuss is Video Hypnosis. Video hypnosis is the most practical form of hypnosis!

The methods used in video hypnosis are based on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming technology, which works based on the utilization of a person's existing thought patterns instead of suggestion.

Over 70% of the population learns more quickly by seeing, rather then by hearing.

Think about it. If you feel an urge to eat or smoke when watching television, it's because your subconscious mind recorded the video image of either food in your hand, or a cigarette in your hand, and then combined that image with an image of the TV. You never spoke to yourself and told yourself in words to associate them together, isn't that true?

And that's why the Video Hypnosis technique is so powerful and effective. It's not hypnotic in the traditional sense, relying on the spoken word; rather, it relies on transmitting images to the unconscious mind. And if you've ever shed a tear when watching a sad movie, then you know how useful video hypnosis can be at reaching the unconscious mind. With this technique, results usually start with the very first viewing of the video!

The Video Hypnosis / NLP technique reprograms the unconscious mind via a high-tech simulation process. This frees a person of their compulsions, urges, and tensions and allows someone who smokes to break the addiction without effort, and a dieter to lose their compulsions and appetite. Results generally start on the first viewing of the video!