Institute of Interpersonal

Hypnotherapy

Fundamentals of Hypnotism
Self-Hypnosis
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HT109 – Self-Hypnosis (2.5 hours)
Prepares the student to enter the hypnotic state for him/herself, as well as how to teach hypnosis to others.
This course encourages self-entrancement and teaches that all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis as it works to
encourage the hypnotist to empower his/her client to enter the trance state on his/her own.

Student Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate an effective approach to teaching another person the basics of self-hypnosis

2. Explain why it is important for client's to learn self-hypnosis

3. Map out the structure of a self-hypnosis session

4. Discuss hypnotic conditioning and how it relates to the Pavlovian Response and Post-Hypnotic
Suggestions and Anchors

5. List some of the abreactions a client may have and what to do when they are observed

6. Explain the basics of an ideomotor response and how it is used in more advanced hypnotherapy sessions.

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SELF-HYPNOSIS
 Self-entrancement

1. Intention

2. Comfortable position

3. Induction

4. Pretend Eye Catalepsy

5. Eye Open and Closure with Compounding

6. Inner Sanctuary/Special Place

7. Deepening with Progressive Relaxation or Countdown

8. Auto-Suggestion

9. Visualization

10. Other Uses

11. De-Hypnotize/Terminate Session

Options:
1. Anchor and Trigger Phrase

2. PNI

3. Creating and Manifesting

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 Tips for Self-Hypnosis
1. One goal at a time
2. For the first two weeks practice twice per day morning and evening
3. Practice for at least one month depending on the desired goal
4. If a client complains that while practicing self-hypnosis and repeating their therapeutic suggestions,
thoughts of the problem they are attempting to remedy flood their mind, then further processing of
the underlying issue could be needed. It’s not that they are not concentrating hard enough. It’s not
that they are not deep enough in trance, and it is not that they are trying too hard and therefore
engaging the conscious mind.

USES OF SELF-HYPNOSIS
1. Stress Reduction – Physical and Mental Relaxation

2. Healing and Pain Management – PNI

3. Suggestion Therapy – Auto-Suggestion

4. Visualization Work

5. Auto-Regression

6. Spiritual Guidance/Higher Self Work

7. Discovering the cause or solution to a problem

8. Creating and Manifesting

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 TEACHING SELF-HYPNOSIS

 Teach as many of your clients as you can.

 “It is my job to become obsolete in your life.”

1. Record Session

2. Educate – Dispel myths, answer questions – “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis.”

3. Teach Eye Fixation

4. Explain Trance Logic

5. Teach Simple Progressive Relaxation

6. Explain the basics of auto-suggestion

7. Explain the basics of visualization

8. Give them a self-releasing suggestion/ simple de-hypnotizing process

9. Establish and Anchor and a Trigger Phrase

© 2016 All Rights Reserved. Anahat Education Group, Inc. – Institute of Interpersonal Hypnotherapy
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AUTOGENIC STRESS REDUCTION
Autogenic Training is derived from the Greek word (auto=self and genus, which means ‘originated’ = genes
= training of the genes)

Tense and relax various parts of the body with auto-suggestion as coordinated with the breath.

 Left leg
 Right leg
 Hips and buttocks
 Low back and lower abdomen
 Upper body, shoulders and upper back
 Left arm
 Right arm
 Face
 Whole body

Auto-suggestion
“My left leg is relaxing”

(Repeat three times for each section of the body)

© 2016 All Rights Reserved. Anahat Education Group, Inc. – Institute of Interpersonal Hypnotherapy
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HYPNOTIC CONDITIONING

 To put someone into trance faster

 Pavlovian Response

 Once trance is established

 Repetition

 Fractionation – Deepening by Re-induction

1. Tell Client to “Remember the Trance State”

2. Use of same inductions

3. Use of same music

4. Conditioning to the chair, room and lighting

5. Conditioning to the sound of my voice

6. Post-hypnotic suggestions:
a. 3,2,1 Sleep Now
b. Elman Eye Open and Closure or Rapid Method
c. Arm Drop with 3,2,1 Sleep Now
d. Trigger Phrases

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ABREACTIONS

Abreact
To release (repressed emotions) by acting out, as in words, behavior, or the imagination, the situation
causing the conflict.

A term for reliving an experience in order to purge it of its emotional excesses; a type of catharsis.
Sometimes it is a method of becoming conscious of repressed traumatic events.

Purging of emotional tension [ syn: catharsis]

The expression and emotional discharge of unconscious material (as a repressed idea or emotion) by
verbalization especially in the presence of a therapist

The release of emotionally charged material from the mental process.

Emotional discharge, usually due to remembering past pain.

Unintentional release of energy with spontaneous and unconscious movement

These are seen as clues/road maps to something – subtle or gross – as energy held around a certain issue

They happen in or out of trance, yet are often amplified in trance

Could be in the form of laughter – the release of nervous energy

When observed it means there is some tension around what you have just addressed

Anything that comes up/moves can be treated as a part and addressed with Focusing, Parts Therapy or Stem
Sentence Completion

Talk to these parts: “What are you doing for [client’s name]?”

Abreaction examples:

1 Head nod/shake
1. Arm/finger movements
2. Coughing/clearing throat
3. Sneezing
4. Twitches
5. Nervous laughter
6. Wincing

E-motion = Energy in motion

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IDEOMOTOR ACTIVITIES
Ideomotor – The involuntary capacity of muscles to respond instantaneously to thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Actions that occur “without thinking about it.”

Action without conscious intention

Examples: Pendulums, Ouija Boards, Flushing of Skin, Change in Heart Rate, Warmth, Blinking, Pupillary
Dilation, Breathing.

Ideosensory – Refer to the capacity of the brain to develop sensory images, which may be kinesthetic,
olfactory, visual, auditory, tactile or gustatory.

Negative Ideosensory Activity – Denial of actual sensory experiences – Not seeing something that is there

Positive Ideosensory Activity – Adding something to sensory experience that is not actually there –
Imagining the smell of a certain odor that does not actually exist

Ideomotor Questioning – Finger Signals (explained in detail in Programs HT and CL)

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Course HT109 - Review
1. What is Self-Hypnosis?

2. Should a professional hypnotherapist teach his or her clients self-hypnosis?

3. A simple Self-Hypnosis Session could consist of:

4. Hypnotic Conditioning is used to:

5. Abreactions to be aware of may include:

6. Ideomotor Questioning refers to:

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