A confusing story... any ideas?

[Baggart]

Well, today me and my friend were talking. He said that he'd do anything to find out someones name from when he was in school. I said "Well, you could try age regression hypnosis to take you back to that stage".

Later that day, we tried it. I started by reading an induction script to him, but I changed certain things to fit him better, and from my own experience added things and kind of re-organised it. The point is that it was working.

I got to a point where I said "Alright now I want you to picture a hallway with a door at the end, as I count down from 10 to 1 you're going to take a step closer to the hallway. With every step you will feel yourself going deeper and deeper, and when I say 1 you will be completely relaxed and as deep as you can possibly go". I started counting down with generic suggestions like "deeper and deeper", and "more and more relaxed as you take your next step". When I got to 2 I saw his eyes flutter a bit, I said "Open the door and step through it.". Actually, I should point out at the beginning I told him if there are any problems he should tell me. He then said "the door is locked". He was still under. I started laughing and assuming he was messing me around, because he hardly ever takes anything seriously. Then I realized he was being serious. I tried all sorts including slapping him and he didn't even flinch. To wake him up I had to get his cat on his face and tell him "you are now waking up, you are now waking up, you are now waking up" for about a minute and then he suddenly woke up in shock.

That was really bizzare, he had no recollection of anything I did to try and wake him up, or the door being locked. He said the last thing he could remember was me saying "imagine a hallway".

So, we tried again. This time I said basically the same things, except I added that he is not afraid, nothing bad is going to happen and that the door was OPEN! This time, when he got to the door he went "Aah!" and jumped on his bed, it took me about 20 seconds to get him up this time and he said "I hit the wall.". I asked, what wall? He kept on saying about this wall with red bricks which appeared.

So, for a last time, we tried again. This time I said he's running at the speed of a very fast car through a field, and as I count down he slows down until I say 1 when he'll come to a stop and be as deep as possible and completely relaxed. Fine, so we started, but by the time I said 5 he was flinching, then when I said 4 he said "tell the voice to stop", I asked "what voice?", he said "the angry voice calling my name!". I continued, when I said 1 he started screaming saying a person grabbed him who appeared when he stopped, after running AT HIM. He jumped out of his bed and I could see the fear in his eyes, I knew he wasn't making this up.

What the hell happened? Was his subconcious blocking something? Did something happen to him around the time we were planning on taking him to?

I mean, jesus. I try to go under but nothing works for me, I don't feel a thing. He said he could feel everything I said. This was obviously real, I could just tell. So what was happening? Is there any way around this?

I based a lot of what I was saying on what I've heard from files as I've tried them. But this... it's really bizzare.

[Baggart]

I think I might have figured out what happened when he wasn't responding to what I was saying or anything else. I think it might've been that hypnotic coma state, because I threatened to chuck his cat out the window (cruel but I got really scared) and that was when he woke up, not that I wanted to mention that :(

[dombbum]

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOUR FRIEND HAS BLOCK A MEMORY IN HIS SUBCONSCIOUS MIND THAT OCCURRED IN HIS CHILDHOOD. THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT HIS DEEPEST INNER MIND DOES NOT WANT TO BE BROUGHT BACK UP, AND THE REACTIONS ARE MANIFESTATIONS OF THAT. THE ANGRY MAN FIGURE COULD BE A LOT OF THINGS. IT COULD BE A PRESENCE THAT HE WISHES NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, OR A MANIFESTATION OF HIS OWN ANGER OF A SITUATION THAT HE COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT AS A CHILD. (KINDA LIKE THE MANIFESTATION OF THE HULK PERSONA IN BRUCE BANNER)

[Enargo]

I'd just forget about regressing him for that memory. His subconsious might know so when he's in a trance state you can simply ask and get a few names.

[ftslave67]

I agree with what the others have said. I wouldn't force it. Maybe you could give him a suggestion that he will remember when the time is right so long as and only if he feels safe with it. If you think it's the source of some problems in his life, then he should see a trained professional.

[Ladon]

I believe I've seen that referred to as an abreaction (don't quote me on that), and IIRC some people can be quite shocked indeed when they hit such a wall.

Another possibility is that he's been hypnotized before and given the suggestion that he cannot be hypnotized by anyone else.

You might suggest that there are two doors, and whichever door he's ready to enter will be unlocked. Basically, giving him two options, both going the same place, and letting him choose which way to go.

Another option is to suggest that it is 'his' door, and that only he can unlock it, and ask if maybe he sees another way to move forward, if he wishes to avoid that door. Just a few thoughts.

[bandler]

Well, today me and my friend were talking. He said that he'd do anything to find out someones name from when he was in school. I said "Well, you could try age regression hypnosis to take you back to that stage".

Later that day, we tried it....

What the hell happened? Was his subconcious blocking something? Did something happen to him around the time we were planning on taking him to?

You have a great trance subject in your friend. You should take many positives from this experience: 1) your friend can go into somnambulism easily 2) you put your friend into a hypnotic coma state 3) for a first time hypnotist you did really well!

From what you said, your friend went into a hypnotic coma state. A better way to get him out would be the Dave Elman coma threat: say to him, "I put you into this wonderful state, and I can make it so you can never return to this state if you don't emerge from trance right NOW."

If you focus on what your friend said he wanted - remembering the name of someone from school - you could ask questions based on seeing the face, remembering conversations with that person or that person's friends until the name(s) come back.

When you encounter resistance - the locked door and brick wall - your subject is not ready for a direct confrontation. It is better to back off a little. Give him a suggestion like, "your subconscious knows the answers already, and when your subconscious mind is ready to tell you the name(s) you want to remember you will see it in a dream, or a day dream, or a flash of insight." and then emerge him gracefully.

A direct frontal assault did not seem to work very well. Use your creativity - have him look through imaginary mug shot books, have him imagine walking down the hallways of his school, have him remember pleasant times and good things from school.

If you practice a bit more, and break your ultimate goal into several smaller goals, you can nibble away at the 'problem' until you get what you want.

And if you want to find out more about that angry man, the brick wall, and the locked door right away, go to a professional.