Some nifty mentions of Star Trek (which I love, and a buddy of mine, Kevin Dilmore is both a Star Trek novelist and regular writer for the official magazine, not to mention his other excellent work . . . so go read his stuff) and hypnosis (which I also love so the two are wonderful togehter) have popped up and I thought I would add a couple of my trek-inspired techniques. In Message #976 of the HypnoFocus Erotic Hypnosis News and Community, Terry O’Brien (of the excellent Hypnosis in Media webpages) said . . .
"The first mention on the subject [FCC regulations regarding hypnosis inductions] I ever saw was from, of all places, a book on the original Star Trek series. In it, a scene was described in which Spock was supposed to hypnotize a patient. The S and P department nixed the scene, saying that it ran the risk of hypnotizing the viewer, and, besides, it was a medical procedure and that Dr. McCoy should perform it. Instead, the Vulcan Mind Meld was created to get the same results."
Of course, the Vulcan Mind Meld makes a wonderful induction in and of itself. I’ve used it straight with some folks and just by their familiarity with the show and their knowledge that I am a "hypnotist" they pop just find. You can then run a regression on ’em to stick to theme or do parts work . . . or just turn them into Orion Slave Girls (the classic type not the scary Enterprise type who look hotter but who are too Machiavellian for my tastes).
I’ve also used the Vulcan Nerve Pinch as an instant induction. I start by explaining that Gene Roddenberry was actually a hypnotist before he gave it up to work in television as creative talent and a lot of folks don’t know that he was one of the lead hypnotic researchers in the MK Ultra Project and that he had learned a special nerve pinch technique which is similar to a sleeper hold but not dangerous as it pinches a nerve instead of an artery and the discovery was that it sends folks into a very very deep and extremely suggestible state immediately. In fact, Roddenberry was criticised by his former colleagues for revealing the nerve pinch, even if he did disguise the precise location and nature in science fiction (it was partly because of Roddenberry that the MK Ultra Project materials became classified). Of course, I learned the original technique from Roddenberry himself six years prior to his death, at a time when we were corresponding on the use of hypnosis in science fiction and fantasy (I do a lot of research into literary portrayal of hypnosis – in fact, right now, I am working on a paper that explores the language of seduction in literature, particularly the suggestive use of language to create emotional states – in addition to other research interests through my university position). I then explain very clearly that "when I press on the nerve, you will know it immediately as it will feel like nothing you have ever encountered before and you may find your eyes close down and you immediately drop into an extremely deep hypnotic state where you will be extremely suggestible and even though I will only give you good suggestions if I wanted to give you suggestions that went against your will you would have to accept them and do whatever I asked you because the state is so powerful as it comes from your autonomic nervous response system. Are you ready to feel this interesting state?" When they say "yes" I then reach over and place my hands on the spots of the classic Vulcan Nerve Pinch and then move my fingers up a bit and let them know that the "actual" spot is a little higher right at the base of the skull where the softness is and I gently press – never apply strong pressure as just a bit of a gentle kiss pressure is all that is ever needed as the switch is highly responsive – and pop they go.
Please note that all of the above is pure bullshit. Other than Roddenberry being interested in hypnosis and his desire to put it into the original Star Trek program. That part is real. There is no real Vulcan Nerve Pinch and he certainly had nothing to do with MK Ultra. But the reality of the story is created through the telling and everything is self-reinforced so that expectation goes pretty high. When you ask if the person is ready to go through the technique and feel the effects, when they say "yes" then you have ’em. It’s pure suggestion and it works beautifully.
I’ve done this with a lot of folks who respond extremely deeply and they always report the depth of the trance is incredibly deep and that they found themselves having to respond to the suggestions automatically. They experience it as a deeply powerful technique . . . bear in mind that I live in a country where Star Trek may be known by some folks but they’re not really a fan country . . . yet, I have never ever failed with this . . . imagine my success rates in a place where trekkies live and breathe the stuff. Muahmuahahahmuahaha (evil laugh). Granted, I do have a bit of prestige suggestion going in my favor when I run these patterns. BTW, when doing something like this with extremely attractive women in appropriate context, one could also add the caveat right before gently massaging the "nerve point" . . . "some people report arousal when undergoing this technique and a few even report having spontaneous orgasms so if you notice yourself becoming sexually aroused, it’s okay, it’s just the technique." Of course, no one here would do that. 🙂 Or, would they?
While the Vulcan Mind Meld is pretty straightfoward and can be adapted to a wonderful couples’ bonding visualization technique, the Vulcan Nerve Pinch is a little more problematic. If anyone reading this actually wants to give it a go, make sure you know the local laws regarding "practicing medicine without a license" as some overzealous types would call referring to nerve pressure as a medical procedure, even a fake one. You can also just simply refer to it as a massage that creates the response. Remember, gentle does it. You are not doing a cartoid artery pressure induction (an induction that is extremley dangerous, has nothing to do with real hypnosis and suggestion, and which I am deeply offended by when I see folks on DVDs teaching it to basic beginners who can’t even run an Elman yet alone responsibly handle the delicacies of performing that move without killing someone) or a sleeper hold. It is very very gentle, like a feather . . . part of the effect is that it is so gentle and yet so incredibly fast (Spock never takes a more than three seconds and his move is very elegant).
BTW, , I finally got talked into running a "couples hypnosis" workshop on sensuality trance and the like. Not sure I’ll be teaching Vulcan Never Pinches though . . . but we will be doing some things that are even more powerful and much more overt. We will definately be doing a quickie couples variation of the mind meld and others though. See the "training" section at http://www.briandavidphillips.com for details.
All the best,
Brian
Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [phillips@nccu.edu.tw]Certified Hypnotherapist
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
http://www.briandavidphillips.com
