Sleep!

In the couple of months or so I've been learning hypnosis I've found that nothing freaks a lot of people out more than the way in which somebody under the effects of hypnosis responds when the hypnotist tells them to "sleep". Usually their eyes close, their face goes completely blank and their head will slump forward; quite a spectacular transition from completely awake to a deep state of trance.

For the uninitiated reader to understand this better I guess it's best to explain what's actually going on.

Here comes the science...

The first thing to say is that the state of hypnosis isn't actually sleep, where the mind is generally quite inactive, rather it is a state of trance and the mind is very much active. Books have been written about hypnotic trances so I won't go into that subject in any detail, but suffice to say the term sleep is a misnomer that has stuck for at least a couple of reasons. Firstly it is a nice, short, clear word, which is good as it is probably most hypnotists' most commonly used instruction. The second is that generally speaking everybody already knows what a hypnotist means when they tell someone to sleep, and this alone makes it more effective.

When someone who has been hypnotised is "woken up" they do exactly that; they aren't in hypnosis, they are awake. I've had people ask me "how do you un-hypnotise someone?" and the simple answer is tell them to wake up (or else poke them, tickle them, or tell them if they stay in trance you'll charge them double for the time). The reason people will do unusual things when they are awake, having come out of hypnosis, is the result of what's called Post Hypnotic Suggestion (PHS). Generally speaking, the format is that people are given instructions in hypnosis and those suggestions stay in effect when they are out of hypnosis.

The first time in any given hypnosis session the subject is put into trance by means of a process called an induction. Having woken up from hypnosis the subject is no longer hypnotised and so to put them back into trance requires the hypnotist to perform an induction again, doing this is often referred to as a "re-induction". Technically this can be achieved using the same method as before, but I'm sure you can imagine that going through a formal induction every few minutes could get very time consuming!

The instruction to "sleep" is basically re-induction by post hypnotic suggestion. That's to say the first time the subject is in hypnosis hypnotist gives them an instruction that on being told to "sleep" they will immediately return to hypnosis. This simple procedure is a hypnotist's bread and butter because being able to put someone back into trance with a single word saves an enormous amount of time.

Anyway, having gotten a bit technical and almost certainly having said something that will draw comment from those with a better understanding of such things I'll go back to what I do best, and that's rambling.

Sleep... err... please?

In my opinion the best single thing about being a hypnotist is the buzz that you get when you use the sleep suggestion. Sure I get a heck of a lot out of sharing hypnosis with people, showing them some of the amazing things their mind is capable of doing and listening to them describe their experiences afterward, but just for kicks there's just nothing that beats that first "sleep" on someone. For me it is the moment that I know I have succeeded; I am the hypnotist! Or perhaps just incredibly boring.

I'm quite new to all this so perhaps the buzz will wear off given time, but I hope not.

Of course this suggestion doesn't always work first time with everybody and in fact so far I have found that how well someone responds this suggestion generally corresponds to how good a hypnotic subject they are going to be. Some people seem to get it first time and go out light a light; others need a little bit more instruction. Everybody can do it given enough practice.

I found out quite early on that simply saying "sleep!" repeatedly if the subject doesn't go under the first time doesn't work. "Please sleep!" out of desperation doesn't work either.

Like everything else in hypnosis this trick needs absolute confidence on the part of the hypnotist, outwardly at least, although I have discovered it is still effective if my internal monologue includes "Please work! Please work! Go on, sleep please please please! ...Bloody hell! That actually worked! ...what on earth do I do now?!".

What does it feel like?

What does the experience of being zapped back into trance in an instant feel like? This is where I guess I have to ask for answers on a postcard.

I guess the not so simple answer is that it's different for different people. Some people seem to be in trance before they even realise consciously what's going on, and with some of these people they don't even remember going into trance at all. Others have said to me that they are very much aware of the whole thing and also know that they can always stop the process if they like, but simply choose not to.

One thing I can say for sure is that it's not an unpleasant experience. Anna, the first person I ever hypnotised, describes it as disorientating, which I guess makes a lot of sense. What she's perhaps not aware of is that outwardly she reacts to being told to sleep with the same elation as a young child being told that they can go and play in the swimming pool. She goes completely limp and collapses bodily onto the sofa with a big smile on her face. One time she even said "Okay!" on the way down, which I thought was quite endearing. Then she snuggles up to the sofa and cushions looking very content. Perhaps I should video it and show it to her.

Anyway, I really don't know as much about this particular topic as I'd like to, so I'm always keen to hear people describe the experience to me.

If there's one aspect of hypnosis I really want to experience for myself I have to say this is it. Someday I'm sure I'll get an opportunity that I feel happy with, and then I guess I'll find out; I will continue to look forward to that time.

Is it dangerous?

One evening a friend of mine, who is still reluctant to give hypnosis a try, was asking me about the "sleep" command as I was hypnotising someone else. He was concerned about what he called the "long term effects". "But what if she's driving or something?" he asked me.

"Lets see", I said

My friend was going into trance very easily and deeply whenever I said "sleep", so after proving this a couple of times I asked her to hold out her hand and I balanced a wine glass on it. I then said "sleep!" again. I tried several times. Of course she didn't, she merely said "No, I'll drop the glass!"

I guess what this little experiment shows is that hypnosis doesn't turn people into mindless zombies. As I see it people are generally aware on some level if closing their eyes and zonking out into trance isn't a particularly good idea and in such a situation they simply won't do it.

In any case it's useful to have the above example to bring up whenever people express these concerns to me. I really have had people tell me "don't hypnotise me tonight, I'm cycling home", which I have to say makes me chuckle; I love the mental images it conjures up.

Sleepy...

Anyway I guess I've gone on enough on this particular subject for the time being. Rest assured I'll be back as soon as I've found something else to ramble on about...