Some hypnotists choose to employ suggestibility tests to indicate how susceptible to suggestion and hypnosis a person is. There are many different kinds of suggestibility tests and I will discuss those momentarily, but first I want to point out that these tests aren’t generally given in a clinical setting. There is no need for them in a therapeutic sense really. Stage hypnotists do rely on them however, because it’s very important for them to quickly identify the most suggestible members of the audience for use in their act. A very experienced operator can stand several people in a row and know with twenty seconds who is going to respond well to hypnosis.
That’s how quick and how effective these tests can be. I personally don’t see that much use for them in my work apart from demonstrating the power of the mind, but I generally don’t go down that road in my practice. In most cases it’s just not needed.
The handclasp is a standard suggestibility test that stage hypnotists use. It basically involves a person clasping their hands together with their palms held close, and then focusing on something, their thumbs or anything really, while the hypnotist talks about how their hands are coming together tighter and tighter. It may even be suggested to them that their hands are stuck together with glue. Whatever the case, the suggestion is brought into the imagination as a means of eliciting some sort of physical phenomena.
Another type of test involves the person imagining they have something very heavy in their hand, like a stack of books maybe. Sometimes this might instead be a handful of balloons or something that makes their hand feel extremely light. These two might even be combined, with one hand suggested as heavy and one hand said to be feeling light. The hypnotist can then see how well the suggestion was accepted by the difference in the distance of the hands.
Suggestibility tests to gauge how well a person may respond to hypnosis can take on many forms. Most of the tests will involve some sort of physical movement, while others rely solely on the power of the imagination. No matter what form the tests may take, they are all basically designed to help the hypnotist determine how suggestible the person may be to hypnosis.
As I’ve already said, I am not concerned with suggestibility tests in hypnotherapy, because I know that everyone is susceptible to suggestion really. It’s not a matter of how quick and easy I can bring about hypnosis; it’s more about the lasting benefits of deep relaxation and permanent behavioural change.
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