Directive Hypnosis vs. Ericksonian Hypnosis: Key Differences Explained

Directive Hypnosis and Ericksonian Hypnosis: An Overview

Welcome to one of our favorite topics—hypnosis. In this article, we’ll provide a brief definition of hypnosis and discuss its main types. We won’t go into exhaustive detail here, as hypnosis is a subject we’re passionate about and could talk about endlessly. For a deeper dive, check out our trainings and seminars, where we cover this topic extensively. Still, a concise overview is in order, and that’s what you’ll find below.

Types of Hypnosis

There are countless forms of hypnosis and even more of self-hypnosis: classic hypnosis, alpha hypnosis, new hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis, hypnotism, and so on. To avoid confusion, let’s focus on the two most commonly used types: directive hypnosis and Ericksonian hypnosis. This binary classification will be more than enough for now, though many other types exist.

What Is Directive Hypnosis?

First, you might wonder: what exactly is directive hypnosis? To help you understand, think of the famous Russian hypnotist Kashpirovsky. Or picture this: someone sits with wide eyes while a hypnotist, exuding authority and a somewhat “demonic” presence, commands them to sleep, listen, and obey. Directive hypnosis is characterized by a strict, authoritarian approach.

In this method, the hypnotherapist gives direct instructions, and the hypnotized person follows them. The mechanism behind this involves various phenomena—experience, unconscious contact, telepathy, or even bioenergetic effects related to chakras. Traditional hypnosis also offers its own explanations, but the key features are an authoritarian approach, somnambulism in the subject, and deep trance states.

What Is Ericksonian Hypnosis?

Ericksonian hypnosis is structured very differently. In the past, the depth of trance was considered crucial, but Milton Erickson demonstrated that significant hypnotic changes can occur even in light trance states.

This approach uses a wide range of techniques to connect with the subconscious. Rather than just using the patient as a passive subject, Ericksonian hypnosis often teaches individuals to use hypnotic phenomena on themselves. The method relies on specific verbal patterns that overload the conscious mind and distract attention, allowing important work to be done at the subconscious level. This often involves inducing amnesia for certain suggestions, which we cover in detail in our hypnosis courses.

There are a few core techniques: guiding the subject through trance using their own states, and influencing them through the hypnotist’s state. The first can be done in many ways—from confusing the subject and gradually shutting down their conscious mind, to communicating in a way that “jams” their usual information-processing mechanisms. This leads the person into trance and disconnects them from their surroundings.

As Russian humorist Zadornov once said, “When a person tries to think, but there’s nothing to think with.” In hypnosis, the subject tries to think but can’t access their usual mental pathways, so they search for new ones. As a result, their activity in the external world drops to a minimum. Physiologically, this can look like unconscious behaviors—spontaneous swallowing, changes in breathing, slower heartbeat—similar to sleep, indicating a deep trance.

Techniques and Stereotype-Breaking

In traditional hypnosis, much attention is given to developing a “hypnotic gaze.” Some dismiss this as nonsense, but as the saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul. Our experience shows that using dominant brain hemispheres in this context can dramatically change a person’s state and induce trance, which can then be maintained and utilized. You can also segment certain experiences to incorporate them into the subconscious.

There’s a saying from Heller’s book: “Everything is hypnosis, and hypnosis doesn’t exist at all.” It’s a hard phenomenon to explain, but easy to feel when you experience a satisfying trance. There’s also a fun exercise—self-hypnosis—where you experiment on yourself to learn to recognize hypnotic states. Can hypnosis be described as breaking your own stereotypes or patterns? Absolutely. The following technique is based on this idea: by breaking your own patterns, you’ll more easily spot them in others, making hypnosis more effective.

Try This: Notice and Change Your Stereotypes

  • Do you always take the same route home from work or school? Try a different one.
  • Do you smoke and always hold your lighter in your right hand? Try using your left hand, and switch the cigarette too.
  • Do you walk a certain way? Choose a new walk that you like better.
  • Do you always eat the same foods? Try something different.
  • Do you type texts with your right hand? Practice with your left.
  • Do you spend your weekends the same way? Change up your routine.

These are examples of automatic behaviors—things people do almost unconsciously. If you can spot where a client is on autopilot, you can effectively hypnotize them. In other words, if you see where they’re already in a trance, it’s much easier to guide them deeper.

By noticing and breaking your own stereotypes, you gradually expand your awareness to include elements that were previously subconscious or unconscious. This approach is also described in Eastern traditions, not necessarily in hypnotic terms, but as part of personal development. The more patterns you break, the more opportunities you have for self-change. You’ll also become better at spotting others’ patterns, which is the key to predicting and even changing them in clients.

Conclusion: Which Hypnosis to Choose?

As you can see, we love breaking stereotypes and patterns—it’s a delight! Watching someone try to process something they can’t quite grasp is fascinating, and sometimes a little nudge is all it takes to spark change.

We could go on and on about how to hypnotize people and break their patterns, even on the street, but let’s keep this as an introductory article. If we kept going, it would turn into a 700-page book! By the way, just by suggesting that we’ll “break and shatter” a client’s patterns in trance, we’ve already disrupted their expectations—a key part of hypnosis.

To sum up: directive hypnosis is simpler but requires significant experience, a strong bioenergetic structure, willpower, or other qualities we mentioned earlier. Ericksonian hypnosis is harder to master because it’s more subtle; the subject may not even realize they’re being influenced, but soon enough, they’ll find themselves in a satisfying trance.

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