Five Simple Ericksonian Hypnosis Techniques for Conversation

Date: September 13, 2018

The founder of Ericksonian hypnosis is the renowned psychotherapist Milton Erickson, who, after suffering from polio as a child and being bedridden, used self-suggestion to improve his condition and eventually made a full recovery.

Ericksonian psychotherapy is a method for accessing a person’s inner resources, which are necessary for resolving psychological issues and eliminating painful symptoms. Its most important component is Ericksonian hypnosis—a non-directive, permissive, flexible, and indirect model of inducing and utilizing hypnotic trance, based on cooperation and multi-level interpersonal interaction between therapist and client.

The Ericksonian model of psychotherapy involves extensive use of multi-level speech. A verbal statement can contain multiple meanings. Thus, at the conscious level, only one possible meaning of a word is processed, while at the unconscious level, all its meanings are processed.

Ericksonian hypnosis techniques can be useful for psychologists and psychotherapists working with clients to improve their psycho-emotional state. They can also be helpful for enhancing communication quality. However, the fundamental principle when applying these techniques is: “Do no harm.”

Ericksonian hypnosis techniques are actively used by gypsies, network marketers, and sales consultants. By knowing these techniques, you can recognize manipulations from others and resist them.

The Sequence of Ericksonian Hypnosis

1. Joining (Pacing) – This means matching:
   • a) Voice tone and speech tempo, using the other person’s speech predicates (visual, auditory, kinesthetic):
     • Visual predicates: words like “see,” “bright,” “foggy,” “clearly,” “perspective,” etc.
     • Auditory predicates: words like “hear,” “sound,” “squeak,” “shout,” “deafen,” etc.
     • Kinesthetic predicates: “feel,” “touch,” “warm,” “heavy,” “rough,” “hard,” or “smell,” “tasty,” “stale,” “aromatic,” etc.
   • b) Posture and movements – By subtly mirroring the posture and movements of your conversation partner, you evoke a sense of rapport; subconsciously, the other person begins to trust you and open up. It’s important that this matching is smooth and unnoticeable, otherwise the person may think you are mocking them, which can negatively affect communication. For example, if your partner is shaking their leg while sitting, you can tap your fingers on the table in rhythm.
   • Masters of pacing not only match body posture but also synchronize their breathing rate, blinking, and other micro-movements with their partner.
2. Leading – As rapport is established, start introducing your own predicates, voice tone, and speech tempo, gradually shifting the conversation to a more positive and resourceful state.
   For example, when talking to someone who is irritated, match their anger but at a slightly lower intensity. If you go too far, you risk escalation. Once you’ve matched, you can begin to lead them down to a calmer state by gradually calming your own behavior. If someone is insistent, you can match them by speaking a bit louder and faster than usual.
3. Inducing Trance – Trance is an altered state of consciousness where critical perception of information ceases and the ability to analyze and comprehend sequentially is reduced. Many people fear the word “trance,” associating it with manipulation or cults. However, in daily life, people enter trance states several times a day, such as while showering, listening to music, or commuting.
   

   Trance Induction Techniques in Conversation:

   • The Three “Yeses” Technique
     First, say several statements the person will agree with, then present your suggestion. For example:
     “Right now, you are reading my article, and thinking about how you can use all this in practice, and you feel a bit confused about it, and it also seems that not everything is clear, and maybe you will read this article to the end.”
     In this technique, your speech should be in the present tense. The initial phrases immerse the person in trance, and the final suggestion catches them off guard, making them more likely to comply.
   • Over-Talking
     Here, you talk a lot, often jumping from one topic to another. Keep your partner’s mind engaged by asking questions like “You understand, right?” or “Isn’t that true?” When your partner’s head is spinning, you finish with your main suggestion. People often comply just to avoid repeating the process.
     For example: “While studying psychology, I started to realize that I don’t understand a lot about people, but I can’t figure out exactly what I don’t understand, and maybe I’ll never understand the difference between what I already know and what I don’t.”
   • Milton Erickson’s Triple Spiral
     The triple spiral consists of three unrelated short stories. In practice, it looks like this:
     You start telling the first story, and at the most interesting moment, without any transition, you switch to the second story. You tell the second story up to its climax, then again, without transition, move to the third story. The third story should contain the actual suggestion, preferably crafted using mind-manipulation techniques (discussed below). After delivering the suggestion in the third story, you return to the second story and finish it, then return to the first story and complete it from where you left off.
     Pay attention to details—everything matters. If you jump randomly from one story to another, that’s not a triple spiral, it’s over-talking. If you make long pauses between stories, it’s not a spiral, just a set of loosely connected statements. Still, this can create confusion, which you can use to your advantage.
4. Suggestion – There are several speech techniques for suggestion:
   • Truisms
     A truism is an obvious statement, something that is strictly true or a banal fact. For example: “…sometimes people make decisions under the influence of emotions…”, “…people often feel relieved after talking about something with someone…”.
     • Truism for trance induction: “Everyone enters trance in their own way.”
     • Truism for creating a learning mindset: “Experience is the best teacher.”
     • Truism for forgetting: “People can forget what they know.”
   • Presuppositions
     This technique assumes a certain behavioral reaction. These sentences use phrases indicating time or sequence of actions.
     Typical phrases: before…, after…, during…, as…, prior to…, when…, while…
     For example: “Before you tell me what problem you want to work on, take a deep breath.”
   • Contrasts
     Here, two behavioral reactions are contrasted. The technique is more effective if you use kinesthetic language, creating a belief in opposites.
     For example: “The harder you try to resist, the sooner you’ll realize it’s pointless.”
     “The heavier the problem seems, the easier the solution turns out to be.”
     “The harder this course is to learn, the easier it will be to apply in practice.”
   • Double Bind (Choice Without a Choice)
     You offer a choice between several options, both of which are acceptable to you.
     For example: “You can start using this knowledge right away or after a little practice.”
   • Right to Choose
     The key to this technique is placing intonational emphasis on the reaction you want, while offering freedom of choice. The other person feels relaxed and not obligated to follow your suggestion. The way you present the options is more important than the information itself. The option you don’t want should be said in a slightly dismissive tone.
     For example: “You can read this article right now, or not read it at all.”
5. Exiting the Trance – This usually happens immediately after the conversation ends. For a smoother transition, you can help the person return to reality. For example, after a therapy session, you might suggest they pay attention to their surroundings or ask how they’re feeling.

In summary, Ericksonian hypnosis techniques are effective and powerful tools for communication. However, it’s important not to use them for direct suggestion or to change another person’s personality, as this approach is usually ineffective or only produces short-term results. It’s more effective to use these techniques to help someone acquire skills and encourage natural, desired personal changes that arise from the learning process, not from hypnosis itself.

© Natalia Sitnikova