Article - Writing your own scripts

[britannica]

Found this on About.com. It might be helpful if you are trying to write your own scripts.

"Writing a Custom Self Hypnosis Script
by Richard A Blumenthal, MS, NCC*

True Self Hypnosis

Self hypnosis is usually thought of as a person listening to an audio tape, mp3, or other mass-produced media, intended to induce a willingness to absorb suggestions centered around a specific topic such as weight loss, stop smoking, etc. Unfortunately, this kind of hypnosis is generally prepared by someone who has never met the person being hypnotized, often presenting unwanted, even unpleasant imagery and suggestions. For example, if you sunburn easily, that last thing you want to hear about is a slow walk on a sunny beach. In this case, the "self" in self hypnosis simply means that you listen to it by yourself!

A true self hypnosis would necessarily be designed and created by the very person who will ultimately use and benefit from it.

Unlike the mass-produced hypnosis, this hypnosis is made for the exact purpose the person wishes, including the precise words and phrases that mean the most to that particular person. The true self hypnosis is thus crafted by the person to suit his or her own needs. The benefits derived could only be accomplished with such a personal, one-of-a-kind hypnosis. In this case, the "self" in self hypnosis really does mean that you are hypnotized by yourself!

Custom Hypnosis Scripts

The form of hypnosis in this discussion entails the use of the spoken word. There are other forms - drug induced, fixation of sensory attention, etc. But for our purpose, let us confine ourselves to the spoken word, which is by far the most popular of modern methods. The hypnosis, therefore, requires the composition of what will be recited to the person, otherwise known as a script. It has been shown in the literature ( Rational Suggestion Therapy http://self-hypnosis.org ) that the choice of words included in the hypnosis script can have a profound effect on its success in conveying the beneficial ideas to the user. Even if it is written using widely accepted grammar, and just the right jargon to reflect society's opinions on the topic of the hypnosis, this does not guarantee that those words will have any powerful meaning for the person being hypnotized. It must be meaningful to the user, even if to no one else. A fabricated nonsense word fitting no frame of reference to the rest of the world, may be just the thing for the person who made up the word and knows just what it means. This is one of the great advantages of the custom hypnosis script. Particular people, familiar objects, events, routines, etc. peculiar to the person (and possibly no one else) are probably the most effective words to use. Always keep in mind that the aim of the script is to create a supremely meaningful experience for the person from start to finish. Therefore, all elements of the script should be to the taste, vocabulary, and possess a complete resonance with the beliefs of the individual using the hypnosis. As in the sunburn example above, if the imagery is objectionable to the person, it will probably be at that point in the script that the person "turns off" to the hypnosis experience. Likewise, if an objectionable behvioral idea is presented, that idea will either not be acted upon, or may even have some unwanted collateral effect, worsening the sitiuation. However, if the person to be hypnotized can truly say something like, "I wish I could think about this topic using the ideas contained in this hypnosis script.", we would have every reason to anticipate success. Though there is such a thing as "brainwashing", forcing the commission of behaviors and accepting concepts against the will of the person, it is not self hypnosis. In self hypnosis, the user must want to be hypnotized, and must want the ideas presented in the hypnosis, as well.

Having extolled the virtues of custom wording in hypnosis, we may now move on to the common elements found in many hypnosis scripts, regardless of wording. They may be termed in this way: stillness of the physical body; the imagination gateway; suggestion ideation; return to ordinary consciousness.

The Hypnosis Script Elements:

Stillness of the Physical Body

Since hypnotic induction depends on the mind concentrating on an "inner reality", stimulation to the physical body should be at a minimum. Many scripts begin with instructions to relax the various muscles, moving from one group to another. This is called progressive relaxation. However you want to accomplish this "stillness" is your option. The body function of breathing is, of course, one movement that can't be stopped and so it may be used as part of the relaxation, with instructions for slow and rhythmic breathing. Truly, the simple act of giving one's self permission to be still and quiet may suffice,
and prove quite enjoyable to those who lead generally hectic lives.

The Imagination Gateway

This next portion of the hypnosis script is essential, as it provides the entry point into one's inner reality. When the person is engrossed in the imagination and dissociated from the surroundings, the person becomes more suggestible. This is the goal of hypnotic induction, to raise the level of suggestibility. Imagination is not limited to the laws of the physical universe. You may imagine any place, anywhere. Usually, though not necessarily, it is a place where you will feel comfortable and want to return to often. As you construct your scenario, be sure to include all of the five senses, plus movement (or the lack of it). Mention them in the context of the place you are creating and as you touch upon them all, you will find that you have created a rather complete experience.

Remember, this need not be the relaxing lakeside or stroll on the beach that one might expect, unless you want it to be. It all depends on your own free flowing imagination. This is the ultimate in freedom!

Suggestion Ideation

Once you are thoroughly surrounded by your imagined place, it is time to give yourself the ideas you want/need. Though the whole thing takes place within your own mind, we can still call these ideas suggestions because you will hear them spoken to you, even if they are of your own invention. There has been much written about how to word a suggestion - keep it positive and direct, etc. In this case, all it has to be is meaningful to you. It doesn't matter if you use negativity, double negatives, or negative numbers, so long as it makes good sense to you. Suggestions may be thought of as falling into one of two categories: philosophical and behavioral. The philosophical variety would consist of those ideas that form the reasoning behind something that we do or feel, the why. For example, a stop smoking hypnosis may delve into the rationale for quitting - my family is important to me and needs me to be healthy; It is better to live a long life than a short one, etc. The behvioral suggestions would give direct instruction regarding what to feel, or what to do. To continue the smoking example - cigarettes taste like burning garbage and are abhorrent to me.

It may seem unecessary, even artificial to categorize ideas in this way. If it seems so to you, then it is unecessary. In truth, it is best to write any suggestion that you desire.

There is one more type of suggestion worth mentioning. On occasion, it may be useful to trigger some sort of behavior or emotion at the mention of a particular word, or the sight of a particular person, thing, or even imagining a particular symbol.. For example, to combat anxiety, the suggestion might be, "when I say the word 'playful' to myself I will instantly regain my composure and will calmly face the challenges before me." Picturing a symbolic object or person may also be very effective for this purpose. Symbols in themselves have a powerfully hypnotic connection to non-conscious thinking. For more about the non-conscious, please see the article, "What's Hard to Find, but Always With You?"

Closing Your Hypnosis Script

After making the suggestions, it is time to wind down the hypnosis and return to ordinary thinking. You may want to extend the pleasure of relaxation, giving yourself some time to rest. If the hypnosis is to be used just before sleep, you may wish to give yourself instructions on how you want to fall asleep and what time you want to awaken. For other types of hypnosis, you will want to give the instruction to awaken. Many scripts use backward counting to give the mind a chance to prepare for the return. For example, "you will hear counting, moving backward from three to one. When you reach one, you will awaken and return to your ordinary thinking. Three...two...one. You are awake."

Recording Your Hypnosis Script

When your script is complete, you will want to record it on a cassette tape, computer file, or other medium. Some people like to have music playing in the backgound. Many do not, finding it a distraction. Also, some people like to look at something hypnotic while listening to their hypnosis. Such pictures are available at the http://www.geocities.com/hypnosis_self_hypnosis website."

[loadedkaos]

Very boring but also very interesting! Thanks!

[Max]

Thank god your reply was so interesting. :)

[britannica]

hee hee hee...touche!

[loadedkaos]

I know I'm very informative aren't I?

[Max]

Frankly no. I found the original post very interesting. What I usually find boring is when someone talks about their opinion about a thing rather than just letting people experience the thing itself.

I've found that the internet has allowed people to vomit their opinions constantly without any accountability for what sort of reactions their issue elicits.

People were either going to find that post interesting or not. Voting on whether that's true or not by saying it was boring was frankly, the most boring thing about this thread.

[loadedkaos]

Wow, that's a good point. Well maybe it was out of line I apologize, either way it probably wasn't necasary for me to post my opinion anyway. I did find the article interesting though.

[britannica]

Now that you have been verbally abused...yes, it was a tad dry, but I think it will be helpful :)

[danmalara]

Well I didn't even read it, it's way to long. ( :lol: not to post another opinion or anything lol.)

[loadedkaos]

Actually that's what I thought was wrong with it. Ironically I thought it was too short and only overviewed hypnosis in general it would be nice if the author singled out some stuff rather than vaguely describing some methods. I realize your not responsible for boring me it's not your job to make things entertaining for me. However, the article does have some merit though and can be usefull. I probably should've just started a new thread on some of the subjects I wanted to expand on, rather than just posting a pointless comment. Overall though it was a pretty decent find.

[Cubeguru]

all i saw was a billion letters all jumbled into one huge mess......

note to EMG: please make a character limit or something on replys and stuff.

[danmalara]

all i saw was a billion letters all jumbled into one huge mess......

note to EMG: please make a character limit or something on replys and stuff.

note to cubeguru: No, that would suck. As much as I hate reading, I HATE having a limit. If I ever ran out of space when I was typing a post I would be furious. So basically what I'm saying is....that's a shity idea.

P.S. you only need 2 more posts to be a real guru :lol:

[EMG]

P.S. you only need 2 more posts to be a real guru :lol:

Ahh, yes, but you only need 800+ more be an Annoyance(yes, that is the highest level of poster :)

[danmalara]

so...is that a bad thing? Does it mean that you are annoying?

[EMG]

Nah, but I figured when I set it up that it would take a year or more for anyone to get there and by that time I'd have a better title for it. Looks like at the rate your posting I'll have to come up with another name by the end of August.

so...is that a bad thing? Does it mean that you are annoying?

[loony28]

so...is that a bad thing? Does it mean that you are annoying?

:twisted: Annoying if you don't have much to offer to the discussion. Back on track, I think making your own scripts is a good way to get the effects you really want. Of course EMG does custom work and I figure he can incorporate some things to make it more individualized and a bit more effective for that individual. :twisted:

[loadedkaos]

I'm all for discussing what this thread was started for. :roll: As I've stated earlier I think tranceing to your own voice would be incredibly more effective for most individuals. I've finally got my recording stuff set up now I just need a time to record without my family thinking I'm a weirdo from overhearing my "session". Look for updates in the future.

[wetdl]

britannica,
I want to thank you for the post, I'll go check the links as well.
I really can't imagine anyone reading this forum thats not interested in hypno, if there is someone reading this that doesn't want to read about different techniques.... click elsewhere.

[b-poe-01]

Hello,

Newbie here, please be gentle. :) I've been doing hypnosis on and off for about three years, a bit of self-hypnosis, but mainly hypnosis online with women who share a common interest or two with me. I've put women under, some 20 or so of them, over the past three years, by email, IM and telephone, just by using some fairly straightforward repeat and relax stuff. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I screen my ladies so that I am fairly *sure* they want to use the stuff, so that helps.

Anyway, I did read the quoted article....and found myself in agreement with *both* of it's critics....it is a bit long, and for its length it doesn't give enough specific info on *how* to write an effective self-hypnosis script, or what tricks might generally *work* in hypnosis. How's *that* for splitting hairs? ;)

Anyway, with that in mind, I thought I'd relay some of the little tricks I've used in my text-only files, as well as some ideas I'd like to try if I ever get my hands on a more modern computer (I am working with a dial-up connection on a Pentium *one* here).

Stuff I've done:

--Feedback loops are good. :) Meaning if you can link lines in your custom script together so that they form a self reinforcing loop of post hypnotic triggers, it can intensify the trance experience, for instance, say you have in your script for a *triggered girly walk*:

The more you wiggle and sashay in your cute, adorable girly walk, clicking your high heels as you mince taking wee baby girly steps forward,

the more you giggle when you talk and feel sooo pretty and sexy and light-headed and carefree,

and the more you giggle and feel carefree, the more it turns you on,

and the more turned on you are, the more cute and girly your walk becomes as your trance deepens.

*That* sort of thing. ;)

--Countdown triggers can work well, provided they don't make your trancer too uncomfortable, which should not be an issue for a self-hypnosis script. It could be something simple, like a read/listen multiple line:

Every fifth time you listen to this material, your voice will become twice as cute and squeaky and toy-like as it was before.

Every tenth time you listen to this material, you will only be half as able to speak in your normal adult register as before.

Or something more elaborate and long term, such as:

Every 20 times you read this material, you will consider it a doll month.

When your first doll month passes, you will need to use hair gel to give yourself stiff, shiny plastic-looking hair.

On your second doll month, you will need to buy an inch-long set of pretty pink gel nails.

On your third doll month, you will wear bright-bubblegum-pink lipstick and lipgloss, in such thick cute shiny layers that you will need to keep your mouth in an "o" shaped position to keep your lips from sticking together, and it will feel *wonderful* to look and talk like a round mouthed little fucktoy....

*ahem* :oops: You get the idea though.

--It might be a good idea to include a mini-command trigger, something that lets you *add* one-sentence "blank check" triggers to your script on the fly without having to constantly go back in and re-edit the thing (which is a problem once post-hypnotic triggers are in place).

For instance, the actual lines in the script might read:

Whenever you see the words:

"banana cream pie"

in print, and *then* read them aloud, the very next sentence out of your mouth will be *absolutely* true for you, and you will do whatever it takes to make it so.

You will have *no* free will to resist the next suggestion you give yourself after reading the words:

"banana cream pie"

out loud, from print, for indeed, it will feel *sooo* good and *utterly* natural to do what you are told to do once you see and read aloud the words:

"banana cream pie"

Remember those words, and that you have to *see* them in print, and *choose to* read them *aloud* in order to make them work as a command statement.

And then a command might be: (after seeing the printed words and reading them aloud)

For at least the next day when I see a pretty woman I will relax and have the courage to say "hello, my name is Brad" and start a conversation from there.

Such a command would then last all day (or in my experience) until Brad slept, meaning that the command would enter a temporary post-hypnotic trigger without re-editing the script. In my experience, sleeping resets things for most people, temporary triggers *rarely* last more than a day, and you can't really stack more than 5-7 such temporary triggers on someone in a given day usually without the first ones, or all of them fading out.

And now a few things I'd like to use if I ever get a more modern computer:

--voice. Yes, my machine has no sound card or speakers, I know, "how lame". It was a garage-sale special and all I could afford at the moment.

--color. Changing text colors and fonts works well in Instant Messages when I use that medium for trance, so I'd like to have a word processor or desktop publisher that would let me tweak text color and fontage, background colors, and so on.

--NLP. Neruo-linguistic Programming, or the use of rhyme and other phonetic tricks to make the logical bits of the mind slip up. :) They are cheesy tricks but when used sparingly are the closest thing there is to a Jedi Mind Trick (I've done it a few times with folks, mainly by accident).

--Paraliminals. I've heard that if you keep audio audible, or video visible, but present it in a way that the logical mind doesn't pick up on *right off*, you can suggest a bit more with it than you could with subliminals, which only work well with single words or short phrases (both of which could be sabotaged via ambiguity). For example, using paraliminals in a hypnosis script for turning a lady into a bimbo, might mean cueing up a tweaked mp3, of say a Britney Spears tune, that plays at 1/10th of its normal speed and/or volume, synchs with the trance material so that it loops and slowly speeds up/gets louder as the trance deepens (so "Ooops I Did it Again" 's lyrics become a part of the induced trance, for example), then recedes back into the slightly audible but not readily understandable background as the trance fades out. It could make for some spiffy results. ;)

Well that does it for me....let me know if you have any other tricks or tips for writing self- or other-hypnosis scripts and such.

Thanks for your time,

Brad Poe

[sandy82]

I think tranceing to your own voice would be incredibly more effective for most individuals.

Perhaps so. Let me play devil's advocate.

1. Everyone has an ego. Chances are that he will overrate his own efforts.

2. Listening to one's own voice may be a lot like watching one's own play.

3. If the hypnotizing voice is supposed to appealing or authoritative or persuasive, one may find that someone else can do it better....even as they steer clear of such personal turn-offs as mentioning slow walks on the beach to someone with sensitive skin.

4. An off-the-rack suit has all the pitfalls of segmented, generic sizing. But it's vastly superior to anything the typical shopper could come up with...after ten years of effort. Answer: give some personal details to an expert like EMG and let him make you a personalized file.

[b-poe-01]

I think tranceing to your own voice would be incredibly more effective for most individuals.

Perhaps so. Let me play devil's advocate.

1. Everyone has an ego. Chances are that he will overrate his own efforts.

2. Listening to one's own voice may be a lot like watching one's own play.

3. If the hypnotizing voice is supposed to appealing or authoritative or persuasive, one may find that someone else can do it better....even as they steer clear of such personal turn-offs as mentioning slow walks on the beach to someone with sensitive skin.

4. An off-the-rack suit has all the pitfalls of segmented, generic sizing. But it's vastly superior to anything the typical shopper could come up with...after ten years of effort. Answer: give some personal details to an expert like EMG and let him make you a personalized file.

Hi there,

I'd like to chime in with my bit of experience here.

There was a time when I was a self-centered jerk, about three years ago. That attitude had less to do with hypnosis though and more to do with a false sense of security I had got from being a halfway popular short story writer over at an obscure Yahoo Club (now a Group). Point is...I had my ego rather *forcibly* humbled some three years ago when I made a really serious mistake (the details of which I will only discuss in IM or email, not here....Yahoo ID is "B_Poe_2001" minus quotes, email address is in my profile), and justifiably paid the price for it.

Since then, I haven't written anything of note, I've been too busy making sure my ego doesn't get out of hand again. It works about 99% of the time, which isn't bad until you add up the 365 days of a year, d'ohhh. So I know from ego trips and avoid them as much as possible, sometimes to a fault.

But Yes, I do agree mostly with the part of the quote where listening to yourself is like seeing "your own play". In fact this is the big reason why I suck at self-hypnosis with my own material (aside from it not being written with men in mind): I know what is there, see it coming, and don't give it all my undivided attention like I ought to.

And one of the reasons why I prefer to work in text files rather than voice is because....well, I'm 38 years old and folks *still* give me crap about speaking too softly or sounding "like a teenager". I've been shy all my life and it interferes somewhat with real-time *vocal* trancing, I have to concentrate and *impersonate* a deeper more authoritarian voice to make it work.

But....I beg to differ with the suit comparison. How do tailors learn to make good suits? Practice. :D How did EMG get so good at what he does? Practice. I bet for every file he has up here, he has *half a dozen* draft forms of his scripts that just got discarded because he couldn't make them work. It is like that with almost every human endeavor, you have your geniuses of talent, who can *spit out* gold from their minds like it was nothing.....

and then there are those of us who *earn* some virtuosity by virtue of *hard work* and diligence. Not everyone can be born a genius, but for most folks a bit of work and some *directed* attention can close quite a few gaps. It is a part of what being an intelligent human being is about, figuring out stuff so you can *do it yourself*, even if your tunes are more about *punk rawk*, the 3 chords and spitting, and not exactly the kind of music you'd hear from Mozart. ;)

I hope I am making sense...thanks for your time and input,

Brad Poe