A Question of Suggestibility in Mutts© Cartoons

 

 

On December 27, 2014 I re-posted a blog in which I described different types of suggestibility: Physical (direct and literal) and Emotional (inference and reference). As I explained in that essay, one of the first questions I typically ask a new client is, “Would you please tell me your name?” as a way to get an idea of the person’s suggestibility. When Mutts© comic Patrick McDonnell posted a similar (theme) question in his March 1, 2015 comic strip, I quickly realized that the way the question was asked would influence the response. Furthermore, the potential for miscommunication and misunderstanding was rife on both sides of the dialog.

In the cartoon, a cat named “Mooch” asked his buddy, a dog called “Earl,” to tell him what day it is. Earl responds by saying “March First,” at which point Mooch is shown marching back and forth for several frames before stopping and telling his friend, “Now tell me.”

When I first read it I thought this was an excellent example of John Kappas, Ph.D.’s model of the Theory of Mind and suggestibility. After all, one character asks what seems to be a very simple and direct question and receives an equally simple and direct answer. But then it appears that he infers an instruction in the response—“March, first” (and then I’ll tell you)—rather than interpret his friend’s answer as the date.

But when I re-read the cartoon I started to wonder: What if Mooch was literally asking what day of the week it was and not the date? In that case, Earl would have been the emotional suggestible individual who (incorrectly) inferred that his friend wanted to know the date.

In Kappasinian hypnotherapy, there are two basic kinds of suggestibility:

·         Physical:   Literal and direct. “Yes”/ “No” ([It’s] March First.)

·         Emotional:            Inference and metaphor (looking for the meaning behind the words). You want me to march around for a little while and then you will tell me what day it is.

However, suggestibility also runs along a spectrum that is not determined by gender or sexuality. While you may possess more “physical” than “emotional” suggestibility traits, you will still retain some characteristics of the subdominant suggestibility types, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder explained. That is why, whenever I create hypnotic scripts for my clients, I always use their words to describe their goals, motivations for achieving that goal, emotions surrounding it, etc. Your suggestibility will determine which words/phrases I use during your hypnotherapy session. For example, if you are a Physical Suggestible, and you are working with me to help you relax I will tailor the hypnotic script to include direct and literal suggestions/imagery: “relaxing.” If you are an Emotional Suggestible, I will use the metaphors and inferential imagery that represents relaxation to you: e.g., “calm, comfort” or even a nature scene that represents relaxation to you.

Now I just want to figure out what Mooch really wanted to know: The day of the week or the calendar date!

 

 

 Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.