NB: We have word for word specific scripts on this page for dealing with 'problems' and many tips on script creation for all areas of trance work. If you are looking for word for word induction or therapy scripts please click here
Hypnotic scripts should be used as guides to induce trance, try not to become reliant on a script because it will restrict you methods. You should have a number of script formats memorised, rather than simply reading them to your volunteers. As your skills develop move away from using hypnotic scripts and simply make-up your induction and deepening dialogue on the spot. This is very simple to do when you understand the structure of hypnosis and the reason that a script contains the elements that it does.
Scripts cover six areas (listed below) and to be successful you will need to be familiar with the content and construction of each. The categories of script you will require are:
We will look at each of these areas in turn. I will give you some examples that you are able to use to get you started, but I really want you to concentrate on the actual structure of the script. Make sure you understand how and why the script works and you will find it much easier to develop your own. When you begin to use your own techniques you will find that your inductions are more flowing.
The pre-induction talk is very important as it allows you to remove any negative misconceptions that your volunteer may have about trance. It is also a fantastic opportunity to implant subliminal messages to ensure a successful and speedy induction. You will spend most of your time explaining what trance is and how it's likely to feel. You should make use of this opportunity to future pace your subject into the trance state by using statements such as, 'Trance is a very natural process, when you go into trance you may notice a that you have become more relaxed and comfortable. As you enter trance you will be able to breathe out any tension and simply sink deeply into this experience.' (Emphasis on the bold text will create the required subliminal messages.) You can use many statements such as this that appear completely innocent because the volunteer will not have realised that the induction process has already begun.
To encourage a more speedy induction you can make use of an innocent suggestion that simply sounds as though you are explaining what might happen. Such as, 'Many people experience trance in very different ways, I don't know if you will go into trance quickly, or perhaps choose a more relaxed approach and simply enjoy the ride.'
The pre-talk also allows you to condition your volunteer, so that they become used to hearing your instructions and following without question. If you are doing a stage show, have the chairs on the stage slightly too close together and tell the volunteers to spread them out. If you are working on someone alone you can tell them to switch off their mobile, change seats or position etc. Whatever instruction you give them at this stage (within reason) they are likely to follow unquestionably because the induction process (in their eyes) has not yet started, so they will accept your directions as pre-induction requirements.
When working on stage, if you do a few simple tests during this section then tell the audience that they are in for a good show as all the volunteers tonight will make excellent trance subjects. Your volunteers will obviously hear this and because of the misdirection in delivery will be more open to aceptance.
Use you pre-talk to gain rapport with your volunteer and explain the trance state using as many subliminal suggestions as you are able.
The induction process is a natural progression from your pre-talk, when you feel ready simply suggest that your volunteers may like to close their eyes and begin to take a few relaxing deep breathes. The purpose of the induction (well this one, there are many other ways you can do this!) is to physically relax the volunteer and lead them into a light hypnotic trance. Not many people know how to relax so you need to talk them through it slowly. Start at the head and work you way through the body, relaxing each muscle group in turn. You should really take your time doing this relaxation process, it is one of the most important areas of the hypnotic induction.
If you can disassociate your subject from their environment as you begin your relaxation process you will increase the effectiveness of your suggestions. A great way to do this is to use a simple relaxation scenario such as, ' In a few moments you will find that you are easily able to relax your body. In order to help you to relax completely I would like you to imagine for a moment, if you will, that you are at the beach on a wonderful summers day, the sand is warm beneath your feet and the suns is high in the sky, find a comfortable place to lie back and relax.'
Using a suggestion such as this really helps to engage the senses. The more you can actively involve your volunteer in the experience you are describing the more successful your induction will be.
Talk about the beach scene in a relaxed and descriptive many including all of the senses. Such as, 'As you lie back relaxing on the beach I don't know if you are more aware of the feeling of the sand beneath you or perhaps the warmth of the sun beating down onto your skin. Maybe you can even hear the sound of the ocean, gently caressing the shoreline, the fresh smell of the sea air is carried on a gentle summer breeze. There is nothing you have to do here, just relax and let go into trance, that's fine.'
This short descriptive, yet vague sentence allows your subject to become more involved with the beach scene and focuses their mind more intently on their internal world. From here, as they lie on the beach, you can continue with your relaxation technique. Remember to keep it nice and slow and take you time to cover their body thoroughly. You should pay close attention to your subject physiology during the relaxation process as they will reveal many signs that demonstrate the level of trance they have achieved.
Relax each area of the body from head to toe, with simple statements such as, ' Your arms are relaxing now, becoming so heavy and relaxed, as though made of lead. That's fine completely relaxed now, the muscles of your upper arm becoming limp and loose, just like a hand full of loose elastic bands, that's good, relaxed and comfortable, you can move if you need to and this allows you to relax even more deeply now.'
Continue with similar suggestion through all of the muscle groups of the body until you reach the toes.
Once your volunteer is suitably relaxed you need to deepen the trance state. In the most simplest of deepeners you count back from 10 to 1 suggesting that with each number, your volunteer will feel more relaxed and go deeper into trance. Such as...
'In a few moments I will count back from 10 to 1, when I reach the number 1 you will be in a deep hypnotic trance. With each number that I count you will become more and more relaxed, the more relaxed you become, the deeper and deeper into trance you go.'
Count back slowly and make suggestions of going deeper into trance between each number. As you count down get slower and slower, and make your voice deeper too. You can use any suggestions you wish, so long as you connect the numbers with the idea of becoming more relaxed. For example, ' 10, relaxing deeper and deeper with each number, becoming more and more comfortable now, 9, that's good, just allow yourself to relax more and more deeply with each number, 8, deeper and deeper, 7, the more relaxed you become the deeper you go into trance.... etc.
As an alternative that gets the volunteer more involved you can use a staircase method in a similar way, telling them that there are 10 steps and with each number they will take another step down.
Your trance work is obviously dependant on the purpose of the hypnosis. If you are constructing therapy be sure to keep your suggestions positive and in the present tense. For example, don't say, ' You will stop smoking' say, 'You are a positive, healthy and happy non-smoker, and very proud of it!' You can find out more about therapy structure else where within the site. However, I strongly advise that you seek professional tuition before experimenting in this area.
Waking a trance subject can be as simple as saying '1, 2, 3, eyes open wide awake!' but you will want to elaborate on this a little, make your wake up script really positive and exciting! You may as well have them wake up feeling great so think of some positive suggestions to bring them out of trance, such as, 'In the next few moments I will count from 1 to 3, on the number 3 you will be wide awake and feeling wonderful, filled with motivation and excitement in your new found skills and abilities. Delighted that you can return to trance whenever you desire and each trance can be more exciting and different from the last. 1, beginning to awaken now, aware of the room around you and feeling your body, 2, a nice stretch as you come right back now you eyes opening and 3! Eyes open wide awake and feeling fantastic!
When you begin practising hypnosis you will soon come across a situation that requires you to think on your feet and step outside of your conventional induction script. Sometimes something happens that you simply can't ignore, and you need to know what to do. This section is all about dealing with 'problems'. You never know when you might need one of the scripts below so make sure you are familiar with them, so that should the need arise you know what to do.
Distractions
Distractions are plentiful when you being practising
hypnosis, many you are able to control yourself, such as your phone etc. But
others you simply need to be ready to deal with should they happen. You can
utilise most distractions by including them within your induction. If you hear a
plane approaching you can use this to link to relaxation by saying something
like, as you hear the sound of the approaching plane allow your imagination to
take you on holiday right now, perhaps relaxing on a beautiful beach, resting in
the warmth listening to the sound of the ocean gently lapping against the shore,
feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin as you drift into a wonderful relaxed
state...
If you hear a car you might want to say...
As you hear the cars passing by you can take a moment to collect all of your
tensions and stresses and imagine that you are throwing them into the back of a
car as it comes closer. As the car passes by it is carrying all of your stresses
away for you, effortlessly and easily, it is fun to throw your tensions away
like this and soon you are feeling completely relaxed now. Each new car can
bring you more and more relaxation, and as each car passes by, you relax even
deeper and soon you will find yourself deeply in trance now.
Notice the shift in tense as you link what will happen, making it sound like an
innocent suggestion, to a command that it is happening now simply by adding the
word now to the end of the suggested outcome. This method is very powerful at
leading your subject to a desired state without them realising what you have
done.
Some distractions need to be included in other ways, it is no use simply
ignoring them as your subject will have heard them if you have, so use them. If
you are going to expect someone to beep a horn then put a suggestion in that
when it happens they will go deeper into trance. Something like.. although you
have no idea when it will happen, at some stage during this session of hypnosis
you will hear the sound of a car horn, when you recognise this sound you will
instantly go deeper and deeper into trance, each beep sends you deeper, making
you even more relaxed, even more comfortable.
Giggling
If you are unable to prevent the giggling from starting then use it to actually aid the trance by creating a biofeedback loop, something along the lines of...
As you listen to the sound of my voice you can feel the birth of a smile beginning to creep into the corners of your mouth, as your smile broadens you can easily release any tensions or stresses. Laughter is a fantastic way to relieve stress and sometimes having a little giggle can really allow yourself to relax afterwards.... that's fantastic! Just let it all out now, really releasing that tension so that you can simply melt into comfort, as your giggling comes to its natural end your face begins to sink into relaxation now, you may notice that perhaps a wave of amusement can wash over you as you listen to my voice and each time this happens you know that you will feel even more relaxed....
(the bold text above should be picked out with your voice tonality as subliminal messages.)
Using giggling in the actual induction is a fantastic way to bring about a state of trance, sometimes you even start giggling a little with them too, this reinforces your level of rapport and you can then lead them into comfort. It helps if you get the subject to do a really relaxing and satisfying sigh at the end of the giggling.
Abreaction
An abreaction is an unpleasant response that may occur during trance. It is usually triggered as repressed uncomfortable memories are brought to conscious awareness during trance. This may happen at any time during hypnosis as the subject is accessing areas of the mind that are normally beyond conscious awareness, but it is more likely to occur during regression.
Many therapists attempt to induce an abreaction in their patients as a form of therapy, to help them release unconscious emotional energy. This can yield remarkable results. Other therapists prefer to look at a traumatic experience from a disassociated position, allowing more recently gained wisdom to change the way that an event affects their life.
So what happens if your client has an abreaction? Initially you will need to make sure that your client is abreacting, sometimes a client will cry after a moment of insight. An abreaction is typically an uncomfortable situation, you should recognize it as distress, usually accompanied by tears. To deal with an abreaction it is important to remember that it is simply a response to an experience. You can immediately ease the client by gaining rapport and leading them to a more comfortable place. You can do this with a simple script such as the one outlined below.
"You are crying, and although I am not sure exactly what you are feeling right now, as the tears run down your face you can understand that your subconscious mind knows that it is safe for you to have this experience. It is not important to make sense of these feelings here and now, just be comfortable that you can trust yourself and feel whatever it is you need to feel and then, with a great sense of relief, be happy that you have been able to do so. A wonderful sense of release and calm can wash over you as you recognize a remarkable step forward in the healing process."
Using such a script will enable you to pace your client to a more comfortable place and give them a positive outlook of the experience.
Excitement
On occasion you will find that someone becomes too excited during the onset of trance because they notice that something is happening. This can jolt them back to conscious awareness, so you need to be able to recognise it and quickly pace and lead them deeper. Using a script such as, 'You feel a sense of excitement wash over your entire body as you notice that something is happening to you, as you feel these wonderful changes you know that you are going even deeper and deeper into trance, pleased with your ability to go deeply into trance you can relax into the comfort that surrounds you and simply allow yourself to sink right down now... relaxing completely... that's fine.'