Question of inductions.

[kryptonite3d]

I've tried many of the induction methods here, and some from other sites, but none of them have worked to date. I don't feel any relaxation, or any deepening. Am I one of those people that can't be hypnotised?

[whatthe75]

No you are not - everyone can be hypnotised.

WHen you say you aren't being hypnotised - what aren't you doing.

Are you not listening,closing eyes,finishing the file etc

[Blink]

Every time someone reports a failure to trance, I cringe a little.

First, there is no requirement that you relax in order to go into trance. Hypnotists tell you to do it because it makes you feel good (so you'll want to come back for more), it usually helps with trance, and it give us a nice physical indicator (in person) when we have trance (facial flattening, etc.). There are university studies of trancework with people pedalling their asses off on stationary bicycles. There's the almost universal experience of the "driving trance." Don't worry about relaxing. There's a technique that involves tensing up that might work better for you. All that being said, the first somnambule I worked with didn't care so much about the hypnotic phenomena she could do (and she could do 'em all) as she did about the feeling of relaxation she was left with at the end of the sessions.

Second, if you can make the needles on an EEG wiggle, you can do trance. (The brainwave patterns associated with trance are present--in all people--when you're falling asleep and when you're waking up. Unless you're undead, you're already doing it.) The more "analytical" you are, the better you'll be at it. The problem most people have is that they fail to see the science. If you didn't get what you wanted, you need to change what you were doing and try again. You know more about going into trance now than you did when you started. It's only failure if you stop before you get what you want.

To the hypnotists reading along: something I love to do with people who think they're too analytical is an Ericksonian technique for arm levitation. Sure you're not in trance, but your arm is. Don't think too much about that. Been a while since I've done any in-person work. Mmm....

-- Blink
My job is not to put you in trance. My job is to wake you up at the end and hand you a bill.

[kryptonite3d]

No you are not - everyone can be hypnotised.

WHen you say you aren't being hypnotised - what aren't you doing.

Are you not listening,closing eyes,finishing the file etc

Well, I do listen, close my eyes, finish the entire file, and make myself relax as much as possible...

Every time someone reports a failure to trance, I cringe a little.

First, there is no requirement that you relax in order to go into trance. Hypnotists tell you to do it because it makes you feel good (so you'll want to come back for more), it usually helps with trance, and it give us a nice physical indicator (in person) when we have trance (facial flattening, etc.). There are university studies of trancework with people pedalling their asses off on stationary bicycles. There's the almost universal experience of the "driving trance." Don't worry about relaxing. There's a technique that involves tensing up that might work better for you. All that being said, the first somnambule I worked with didn't care so much about the hypnotic phenomena she could do (and she could do 'em all) as she did about the feeling of relaxation she was left with at the end of the sessions.

The resistance induction one? Tried it, both the regular and the GS version. All it did was my my arm sore...

If it helps, I can't honestly remember any time I've even "zoned out" a little... :?

[whatthe75]

So you listen to the whole file and close your eyes. That sounds pretty promising to me.

You do not have to feel "zoned out" to be in a trance.It can actually make you feel more awake than you ever have before.

The fact you sat through the whole file to me says it worked.

Did you feel like you wanted to stop the file when you were listening to it?

[Blink]

The resistance induction one? Tried it, both the regular and the GS version. All it did was my my arm sore...

There are a few variations. I was thinking of a progressive relaxation exercise where you start by tensing your whole body for a few seconds before relaxing. I don't know if there's anything like that on this site. If your goal is relaxation, that will do it.

If you're looking for something like a lost-time episode to really convince you that you've been in trance, you might need to work a bit harder for it. The trainer in my certification course (these many centuries ago) did a great classroom demo. He asked if we wanted to know what trance felt like. We, of course, said yes. This is what he did:

"Close your eyes."

"Open your eyes."

"How'd you like it?"

The take-home message was that if you want to feel like you've been hit by the trance hammer, you're looking for drugs, not hypnosis. That said, I have worked with people who dropped out of consciousness and lost time and did all the deep trance phenomena. I know the deep trance stuff is possible. I also know that it's not really necessary if you want to do basic changework. (If the goal is to quit smoking or work out more or behave differently, you don't need to have hallucinations. If the goal is to have hallucinations, though, you're probably going to need to practice.)

If it helps, I can't honestly remember any time I've even "zoned out" a little... :?

Have you tried my induction? (I'm not pimping it--much--I'm just curious.)

-- Blink