One of the most
effective suggestibility techniques I use is the law of “Delayed Action.” Here,
I provide a specific suggestion that is designed to work at some point after
the hypnosis session in which it is introduced. The timing may be several hours
or even week(s) after I have introduced it during the hypnotherapy session.
For example, if a client’s most significant
“trigger” to smoke a cigarette is after eating the evening meal, I will create
the hypnotic suggestion that the person engages in a specific alternative
behavior at that time. At the beginning of the session I will ask the client
about various activities that he or she enjoys doing, such as going for a walk
or playing a board game with the kids, etc., to replace that undesired behavior.
When the person is in hypnosis I will drop a suggestion into the person’s
subconscious mind that he or she will engage in that desired, enjoyable
behavior after eating instead of
lighting up. The key to this technique is that the hypnotic suggestion only
kicks in when the specific situation presents itself: in this case, after a
meal.
Depending on
the client’s suggestibility (how the person learns), I will use a direct and
literal suggestion for the physical suggestible client or a more inferential
one for an emotional suggestible person. The key is to use language to which
the person’s subconscious mind will most readily and easily respond whenever a
subconscious trigger “kicks in” the delayed-action suggestion.
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® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2015
