Vol. 16 – April 25, 2005
Ericksonian Hypnotic Language Patterns
Pattern 17. Covering All Possibilities of Responses
In keeping with last week’s pattern, “Utilization,” the pattern “Covering All Possibilities of Responses” deliberately sets out to create a scenario wherein you can utilize various client responses in a positive way. You do so by making sure you have all bases covered. Imagine we were going to toss a coin. You could say, “As you watch the coin, you may notice it lands heads up, or the coin may land tails side up, or it could land on its edge, and that will mean that today is your lucky day.” Kinda covers it all, don’t it?
As a nice closing to a trance induction you could say, “And tonight as you sleep and dream, you may notice that your dreams are more vivid and exciting than they have been in a long time, or your dreams may seem normal, or you may not even remember your dreams at all, and that will be a sign that all these changes are being integrated at the deepest level of your conscious and your unconscious mind.”
Or when doing the hypnotic convincer Ernest Rossi has referred to as “fail-safe hypnosis” you could say, “I really don’t know if your hands will begin to move together, or if they will move apart, or even if they will stay exactly as they are.” Then, if their hands do move together you say, “That’s right. Many things are coming together for you now.” If they move apart you say, “Excellent. This indicates you are opening more and more to possibilities.” If they don’t move at all you say, “Excellent. Steady like a rock. It’s nice to see someone as steadfast and dependable as you.”
So, again, utilizing whatever response your client offers you in a positive way.
And this week you may find that you write out and practice these patterns every day, or you may just write out and practice a few choice examples, or you may think about it but not do it at all… Hey, wait a minute! Actually, when I stop and think about it, I’ve nothing good to say about that last possibility. If you don’t practice the patterns, you won’t hone your skill. When you do practice, you will. And the more you practice, the better you get.
Any questions?
What are you waiting for? Start now!
(And you can also have fun!) See you next week.
