Post Hypnotic Suggestions

By Barrie St John

Post hypnotic suggestions are suggestions given to people while they are under hypnosis that are expected to be acted upon in their full waking state. So if I say to you while you are under hypnosis that each and every day you will feel better, or more confident, more powerful, more in control, or whatever the case, these suggestions are to be taken into your unconscious acceptance. They are to become part of you’re your daily waking thoughts and reality.

Obviously, the hypnotist has to work professionally and ethically and not suggest things against the person’s belief system or personal values. Suggestions given in hypnosis can be very effective, but it’s highly unlikely that suggestions that go against a person’s beliefs will be accepted. For example, unless you believe that you are a dog you probably won’t start barking like a dog just because someone suggested it to you while you were under hypnosis (if you don't like dogs see our 'Fear of Dogs' hypnosis CD/download).

Working with someone’s belief system to bring about results they desire is wondrously effective. However, it’s not a definite science as to how well or quickly someone will respond to suggestions while under hypnosis. Everybody is unique and therefore everyone’s response to hypnosis and post hypnotic suggestions will be unique. Some people might respond very, very quickly while for others it might take a bit of time for the suggestion to sink in.

You could say that most of hypnotherapy and certainly most suggestion has a relation to post hypnotic commissioning because we want these suggestions to stick. There’s no point in helping someone to feel confident for an hour or only while they are in hypnosis. I want people to feel more confident and manage their emotions well beyond the hypnosis session.

Poorly worded suggestions may hinder the unconscious acceptable, which is why I feel it is very important to speak positively in hypnosis. I try to talk about what the person wants, rather than what they don’t want. Depending on whether you are using direct suggestion or indirect suggestion the wording might also change. In direct suggestion hypnosis sessions I might say “when you do this you will feel more confident.” Whereas in indirect suggestion, I might tell the person in hypnosis to just think about or consider what it might be like to experience a particular thought or behaviour.

I use a combination of these suggestions in my self hypnosis CDs and self hypnosis MP3 downloads. I find that this has the best impact and can really help a person get the most out of their self hypnosis sessions.

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