Shaahin Cheyene provides a simple guide to hot to use hypnotic language in an entry at the Huffington Post but starts off with a a misstatement. The bit starts off fine with an example I use quite a bit:
Don’t think of a pink bunny. No, seriously don’t. Whether you like it or not, you have just fallen victim to a post-hypnotic suggestion. Simple as it may seem, the rather ridiculous aforementioned image has been planted into your psyche. You have been hypnotized.
Uh, while the whole try not to think of this or that certainly is useful in hypnotic patter, it’s most certainly NOT, strictly speaking, a post-hypnotic suggestion. Seriously, suggesting that it is would usually leave me wondering if the person making the statement actually understands what post-hypnotic suggestions really are (hint, the phrase itself is a clue).
However, Cheyene’s list of hypnotic language is actually useful as ways to enhance language within hypnotic contexts – and other communication events, for that matter:
- Tell brief colorful stories to form a picture of the setting or scene you want to create when you speak. Avoid any story or image that does not convey what you want to create.
- Use only words that reflect the mood and emotion that you want to elicit. Using words that have the right meaning but the wrong connotation or a “double meaning” may be interpreted too broadly or incorrectly, so avoid that risk.
- Use fewer words and speak intentionally. Most people have a short attention span. The longer you speak, the greater your chances of having them zone out and not absorb your point.
- Be careful with embedded negative commands. If I tell you, “don’t forget to buy my book ” your subconscious mind may pick up the most powerful words in the sentence (forget) and interpret them as a command. Instead we would be better served to say ” remember to buy my book” which has the command “remember” instead of “forget.”
- Remember to smile. The ears might hear words but the brain picks up so much more. Even a slight smile is picked up immediately and processed in the brain. Similarly, match the tone and cadence of your speaking with the emotion you want to convey and subsequently the environment you want to create.
Granted, Cheyene’s list isn’t strictly limited to hypnosis alone and he is providing it within the context of promoting his book.
For his full article, see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shaahin-cheyene/hypnotizing-the-masses-a-_b_1594493.html.
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Brian
www.BrianDavidPhillips.com
