Non-Visual Hypnosis Techniques

What hypnosis techniques do you offer to a client who does not imagine? You can gain confidence and expand your practice by learning the hypnosis techniques in this article that can change lives.

Hypnosis is generally thought to be entering a trance state using guided imagery. A person can use self-hypnosis to imagine themselves winning a race or passing a test with a high score. A common hypnosis technique is to visually recall an event in the past and try to learn useful lessons by “viewing” the event from a safe distance.

Over the years, I have found that there are many people who cannot see anything when hypnotized. They consistently describe a “blank screen” or “just gray” when trying to remember an event or person. These are “non-viewers” as they cannot conjure images of things into their minds when suggested to them by others. Many counselors can become frustrated or impatient when faced with such people. However, you can be sure that the non-viewer is a valid client. As you become comfortable learning to work with them, they can become a valuable group for your practice.

Here are some things to remember to help you:

• Remember that no hypnotized client is “seeing” anything in a guided meditation — the client’s eyes are closed! The image is built inside the brain, from other stimuli, such as the sound of the counselor’s voice.
• Your client’s brain has difficulty constructing images visually. Don’t confuse this with “resistance to” or “refusal” of the counseling itself. A good counselor remembers that the client is always right. The counselor remembers that the mind is a vast reservoir of talent and possibilities. He or she just changes gear.
• “See” is only one of the senses. These other senses are equally available to the counselor: smell (olfactory), touch (tactile), sound (auditory), and taste (oral). For a person who does not visualize, memories are stored through these senses with as much clarity and force as they are stored visually for someone who can display images on command.
• For both types, feelings (Emotions) are remembered and available for review. Being aware of what the internal body is experiencing (Internal Body Image) is also available. All of these senses are in memory banks and are available as resources for growth and change.

The following techniques are very helpful to the client and the counselor when working with memory and emotional problems:

Life line: “Launching a Lifeline” is to recreate the entirety of a life, containing the client’s past, present, and future. The “timeline” is an imaginary line on the ground. The client walks it slowly, allowing feelings of past events to come up. The purpose of Lifeline is to allow the client to re-experience events and/or feelings related to their past, without having to rely on visual memory.

Plans of Existence: I start with the client standing in the room. Without preparation, I ask you to answer, as quickly as possible, the following questions in this order:

Where is your past? Where is your future? Where is he right now?

The answers may be surprising, and the counselor can explore their implications. Many of my clients have their future behind or beside them.

Your body has feelings too: I begin by asking my client to recall a certain event that made him very sad (Emotional Feelings). Giving him some time to choose an event and get in touch with the sadness, I then ask him where in his body he feels this sadness (Internal Body Image). We then work on how to lighten this emotional load. I have had clients carry strong feelings in the strangest places on their bodies. Your feelings are real, regardless of where they are.

Accessories: Props can also be brought in, allowing the client the physicality of an object to help them change their way of thinking.

By remaining open and flexible, the counselor has the opportunity to help many people use their past in creative and productive ways. By being able to reach those who cannot visualize, the counselor can expand their practice beyond what is predictable. He can gain confidence and expand his practice by learning the hypnosis techniques in this article that can change lives.