I don’t think there’s any limit to the type of inductions used to induce hypnosis. There are absolutely hundreds of ways to bring on a hypnotic state, probably even thousands.

In stage hypnosis inductions are generally authoritarian, using a very direct and fast approach. One example of this type of induction is the postural sway, which involves people standing with their feet together, hands at their sides with their heads back. As they enter hypnosis they tend to fall back into the hypnotist’s arms, or onto the floor, which looks pretty good from the audience’s perspective.

Another stage hypnotist induction might involve simply shaking a person’s hand. In this case the hypnotist knows the person is already in hypnosis, although they would never say that to the audience. Undoubtedly, they were 99.9% sure the person was highly susceptible to hypnosis before even trying this type of induction.

Obviously in therapeutic hypnosis, you’re not going to see any inductions that are quite as direct. There’s no need to have someone falling on the floor; it’s more of a laid back, chilled out, and relaxing experience. I incorporate several induction techniques in my self hypnosis CD and hypnosis download recordings to bring about hypnosis in a calm and natural way. It’s very effective and just about everyone responds to this approach.

Each self-hypnosis recording is somewhat different. For example, the stop smoking hypnosis session is very different to the overcome panic attacks hypnosis session. However they all generally involve what is called progressive relaxation. In this type of hypnosis induction I ask you, the listener, to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus on specific areas of your body. Starting from the head and working down, I speak of each body part relaxing deeper and deeper. First the forehead and facial muscles, then your neck and shoulders, all the way down to your feet. I think working down through the body rather than up, is not only more effective, but also works as a metaphor for hypnosis. We associate down with relaxation, whereas up tends to inspire energy and movement. So as we work our way down through the body, concentrating on each body part, the body automatically relaxes and enters hypnosis.

While there are many types of inductions that can be used to bring about hypnosis, in a therapeutic context progressive relaxation is without a doubt one of the most effective. It’s a very simple approach, but one that has the most success at bringing about deep relaxation. When deeply relaxed in hypnosis people are more open to suggestion and to bringing about personal change in their lives. Inductions are merely the process for bringing on these wonderfully creative hypnotic states.