How to Be a Hypnotist

Have you ever wanted to learn how to hypnotize someone? Why wait? You can learn hypnotism easily through books, seminars or even downloadable media. Although hypnosis training can range from being dirt cheap to being ludicrously expensive, the good news is that you don't even need to receive hypnotherapy certification in order to practice as a hypnotist. Furthermore, you don't even necessarily need to practice as a professional in order to be an effective hypnotist. If you learn self-hypnotism techniques, you can learn to better handle commitments and to enhance the quality of your own life.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Proceed with a goal in mind. Traditionally, hypnotherapists use hypnosis to empower patients with a new psychological perspective. However, recently sports doctors, crime scene investigators and even dentists have used hypnosis to enhance the results of their work. Decide why you want to learn hypnotism. While the power to induce a trance may give you satisfaction, how will you want to apply this power? The more certain you are of your purpose, the more likely others will be to trust you.

2. Decide whether you want to receive certification for the skills you will practice. You are not required to receive hypnotherapy certification in order to practice as a hypnotist. However, if you decide to boost your credentials by receiving certification, avoid throwing your money in the trash by paying for a certificate that isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Rather, consider getting involved as a member in the National Guild of Hypnotists, or in similar groups where peers are dedicated to training and practicing according to established standards (see Resources below).

3. Dramatically interpret scripts. Practitioners of hypnosis must practice playing two roles: a master detective, in the mold of Sherlock Holmes, and a skilled actor, in the tradition of Shakespeare. Comfort with these two roles cannot be learned by reading hypnosis training materials. It must be established through experience. Good hypnotherapists do not simply read from hypnosis scripts non-emotively; rather, they bring these scripts alive by pouring their hearts and souls into them (see Resources below).

4. Gain the assent of your subject. There are different ways of doing this, but the most effective is to exhibit a trustworthy personality. Develop a relationship, and learn how to read non-verbal signals that indicate a subject's susceptibility to hypnotism techniques. As you better learn how to hypnotize someone, you will not only become more observant of these non-verbal signals but you will also know how to influence a subject by using your own set of non-verbal signals to communicate with and draw a desired response from your subject.

5. Appeal to the imagination. One of the first things you will notice when you are trying to learn hypnotism is that imagination is key. As you relate with your subject, you will conjure up a wealth of images and feelings. Through suggestion, you will ask your subject to consider these ideas. For example, you may ask your him to recall a favorite pet, or to imagine a bright light or a tingling sensation traveling from his hand, arm and shoulder. Like a storyteller, you must invite your subject to become interested in the power of the imagination.

6. Consider implementing post-hypnotic suggestion cues. This is especially useful if you are interested in practicing self-hypnotism. Consider, for example, why should an office worker care to place pictures of his family on his desk? The reason is simple: the photos suggest his deeper values. For the same reason, you can provide post-hypnotic cues for yourself, which will spark your memory as well as your inner drive.

Tips & Warnings

• While magicians and shysters try to make us believe that hypnotism is a mystical craft, true practitioners of hypnotherapy understand that the best results usually come by using a methodical approach in the way they relate with a patient. They are far from mind-readers. Rather, they are trained in the art of listening to and commanding the attention of others.
• If your subject is non-responsive to your efforts, it is best refrain and to simply to invite the subject to let you try again some other time. This is more beneficial to the two of you than trying to force yourselves to believe that satisfying results were achieved from your efforts.

Resources

• Free Hypnosis Scripts
• The National Guild of Hypnotists