Food for thought

[Hyp-know-fetish]

I came across a few interesting things while perusing the internet. One of them was the concept of learning styles -- that is, that some people learn easier with different methods.

The two most common types are the visual learner and the verbal learner. It's fairly self-explanatory: Visual learners learn more easily with things to look at, while verbal learners prefer speech. Slightly less common is the tactile learner, which is the kind of person who likes to do things more hands-on.

While I read this, it occured to me: This can just as easily apply to hypnosis as well. Think of the different varieties of hypnotic inductions, deepeners, suggestions, etc. Isn't hypnosis just another form of learning? You're training your mind to think a different way than it did before. Sounds like learning to me. Let's look at the parts of hypnosis:

First off, there's the induction. The classic "follow the watch/crystal/lights" approach to induction sounds cheesy at first hearing to some, but there's a reason that hypnotists use that gimmick, and it isn't to sell tickets. Someone who might be considered a visual learner might be more easily induced by such an induction, because it gives one's eyes something to do.

On the other hand, other inductions ask the subject to do things, such as the classic "relax your feet, then your legs" induction, require no visuals at all, and therefore are much more suited to the verbal learner. Also, the tactile learner can more acutely feel the relaxation, aiding in the induction.

OK, deepeners. I've seen a lot of deepeners that have the subject paint a picture in their minds of a specific scene, then focus on it, or some other form of getting the subject to relax further. Staircases, elevators, etc. are the main examples.

Verbal people might not benefit as much from the deepener as others do, since deepeners are geared for the visual. However, some aren't, and can work more for the verbal folks out there. Of course, hand-drop deepeners and the like are suited for the tactile -- but you probably already guessed that. ;)

The suggestions are no different. There are as many approaches to this as there are possible suggestions. Some have the subject visualize what they are supposed to do ("see yourself do XYZ whenever someone says ABC"). Others simply tell the subject what to do, while a rare few have the subject act out the suggestion while in trance, since they're more suggestible there and doing it once may help.

I'm not going to go into the awakenings, because that would basically be repeating myself from the above paragraph, just changing a few words.

So, if you are having trouble with a particular file or script, ask yourself if it really goes with your learning style. An excellent reason to use Virtual Hypnotist, since you can write your own scripts if desired.

If you need to know your style, here's a test I found. I think they're meant more for younger people, since a couple questions involve studying and schoolwork, but you can do what I did and just apply the question to your job or whatever else requires deep thought. :)

http://www.berghuis.co.nz/abiator/lsi/lsitest1.html

Cheers, all.

[CuriousG]

In my experience, generalizations such as "type of learner" are broad to the point of being borderline unhelpful.

[Hyp-know-fetish]

OK. Just thought it was interesting. :)