Hypnosis cannot make you do something you do not want to do, not anything you wouldn’t do in a waking state.

A gentleman recently called me to help his girlfriend quit smoking.

It was no surprise to me when he called again to cancel. Something had come up with her children. He said he would  rebook. He has not. He wanted his girlfriend to stop smoking, but, she came up with excuses. More than two months later, we can conclude she did not want to quit.

Last year a man told me his girl friend who he said, wanted to stop smoking pot and cigarettes. He made the appointment for her, and paid for it. When she arrived, she told me she did not want to quit. Her  boyfriend did. A waste of time for her and money for him.  She found him too controlling and was about to unload him.

Here were illustrations of people unwilling to change, and so hypnosis would not have helped.

The public has the impression a hypnotist can wave a watch in front of someone and have the person totally under his/her spell. The perception stems from stage shows. People go to shows to be entertained. With one person in five being a deep level hypnotic candidate, the hypnotist will find those people, call them on stage and entertain the audience. Witnesses believe all they see. They leave convinced anyone can be made to do anything.

The power of suggestion is amazing when you know how to use.

Applying it is as simple as understanding how people communicate, which comes in two basic ways, direct or literal and inference.

Literal:

“No food or drink is permitted in the store.”

Inference:

 “Thank you for leaving your food and drink outside.”

The first is clear, leaving no room for questions.

The second is open to interpretation. I never told you not to bring food or drink into the store. I thanked you for leaving it outside, assuming you already had done so.

Once more:

Literal: “Take the dog for a walk. He has been inside for two hours. He needs to go to the bathroom.”

Inference: “The dog has been inside a while.”
 
Hear the difference in the way people talk to you. You get to talk back to them in a way they would understand. It is critical to remember that however you take information in, you speak out the opposite way. No one knows why. If you take information in 100 percent by inference, you will speak out 100 percent literally.

Hear how you speak out. Try to hear the way a person is talking with you. When you get it right, people will be far more open and friendly. They fully understand what you are saying.

Do not let a stage hypnotist fool you. He is trained in suggestion, knows what to look for and how to speak in the right way. He cannot make you do anything you do not want to do. If you know what you want to accomplish with hypnosis, there is no limit.

Do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, 310.204.3321, or by email at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net. See my website at www.hypnotherapy4you.net