The Lady Who Always Was Late

Nicholas PollakOP-ED

A new client told me she had a “huge” issue with time management. She was continually was late for appointments. Her timekeeping was abysmal.

Her husband was losing patience. She wanted to know why she kept on repeating the habit and how she could resolve it.

This was an unusual case.

She had seen a hypnotist once before. They agreed she did not hypnotize well. For three years this issue has trailed her.

When we made an appointment, she was on time with a positive attitude. We talked a little about her last hypnotic session. She definitely had not been hypnotized. When I hypnotized her, she went into hypnosis  quickly, deeply.

The reason is interesting. The hypnotist had not explained what she could expect. You see, the conscious mind will continue to talk to you. A hypnotist is actually talking to and working within your subconscious. If you continue to hear your conscious thoughts, it does not mean that you are not hypnotized.

Most of my clients discover the secret of hypnosis. They think they are going to be unconscious, unaware of anything. Under hypnosis, you are more aware than when in a waking state. You hearing is sharper.  Your sense of smell is improved. If your eyes were open you would see more clearly. Hypnosis enhances your senses.

Here Is a Suggestion

Suggestibility is the second issue. It is no more than or less than how we communicate. How we speak. We all speak in a combination of two ways. One is direct and literal, the other, inference. If we take information in 100 percent literally, you will speak outwardly100 percent with inference. (I only have met two people who were 100 percent one or the other. It is quite rare.)

An example of literal:

“Take the dog out. It has been inside for two hours and needs to relieve itself.”  Straight forward. We know what is said and why.

An example of inference:

“The dog hasn’t been out for awhile.” This is open to interpretation. Eventually the light bulb will flash as the person realizes the dog needs to relieve itself.

Curiously, inference was not used until 1975, a crucial discovery for hypnotherapists. The thinking had been that only people who took in information literally were hypnotizable. This was true, meaning only 48 percent of the American population was hypnotizable. Believe it or not, 80 percent of Brits were unhypnotizable.  For hypnosis to work, the client must be willing to allow it to happen. What was added was the understanding of how inference works, how it can be used as effectively with the same results as for someone who was a literal.

Required Change Is Slight

Another issue for my client was that she was a somnambulist. It meant her suggestibility was a perfect 50/50 of literal and inferential. The client had no mental defenses to any suggestion. When your suggestibility is anything other than 50/50, you have an ability to filter out some suggestions because they were not phrased the right way. Consequently you can plan and follow through within a time framework of your choosing.

Somnambulists are open to all suggestions. They will act on whatever the unfiltered suggestion was, turning their attention from one subject to another as it presents itself.  They are so focused on what is in front of them they lose track of time, and where else they needed to be. 

My client’s problem was easily resolved by helping her to understand how suggestibility was affecting her. She understood this. Remember, it only takes a movement of 1 percent to change from a somnambulist. Before long, she was punctual for all of her appointments.

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