Recently I’ve been reading around the subject of hypnosis. Clearly it is very closely linked to NLP, in particular language patterns, and rapport. During my first practitioner model we practiced taking people in to trance by synchronising our breathing and other natural frequencies with that of the “test subject”, and it is scarily easy to do (with a willing participant).
One of the most regularly discussed hypnotic techniques is that of the instant induction. That is, a technique that takes a subject immediately in to trance. Richard Bandler’s handshake interrupt is a famous example, and can be seen on youtube if you are interested. An even better video is Brian David Phillips’ Arm Pull Induction.
A pattern interrupt is essentially a surprise that interrupts a subject’s habitual framework to initiate a momentary confusion. To use a computer analogy, this surprise causes the subject to go “command line” momentarily whilst he or she regains composure. A skilled hypnotist can use this moment to insert a command that induces trance. Not quite as gentle as standard inductions, but a dramatic example of the power of hypnosis nonetheless.
However, as Spiderman’s Uncle said “with great power comes great responsibility” and this is certainly a skill not to be trifled with (not that I possess it). The risk with using it for fun would be getting a reputation for being the hynotist off Little Britain, and very quickly you would struggle to find anyone who would go to the pub with you!
It’s important to note that a hypnotist can’t get you to do anything that you don’t want to do, so it really is impossible for a stranger to turn you in to a sleeper agent or similar, unless of course you quite fancy a change in career…
