Vol. 19 – May 16, 2005
Ericksonian Hypnotic Language Patterns
Ambiguities
Ambiguities are words or phrases that can have more than one meaning. The mild confusion that results is conducive to developing trance. We’ll be covering four different categories of ambiguities. In the past two weeks we have looked at phonological and scope ambiguities. Today we examine…
Pattern 20. Punctuation Ambiguities
Punctuation Ambiguities are Siamese sentences…sentences joined at the hip. They rely on “pivot words.” Words that function as the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next sentence.
Look at the following example.
“Many People wear a Watch how easily and quickly you can go into trance.”
Here we really have two sentences:
“Many people wear a watch” and
“Watch how easily and quickly you can go into trance.”
We just join the two together via the pivot word, “watch.”
It is also an ideal way to deliver an embedded command, because the second sentence can be a directive, as in the above example. Therefore, when speaking the sentence, remember to shift your tonality… “Many People wear a Watch how easily and quickly you can go into trance.”
“In addition to a watch many a man will wear a Tie in this idea to the others that came before.”
“She sold sea shells down by the See how comfortable you can be at the sea.”
Please note: there is nothing necessarily special about pivot words. In our examples above the word functioned as a noun for the first half of the sentence and as a verb in the second half (which made it very convenient for embedded command use), but it doesn’t have to be that way. Essentially, any word can do the job. It doesn’t even have to make sense, logically. Remember, confusion is conducive to trance. As for instance – the following example: “The director shouted at the actors to take their Places for everything and everything in their places.”
In the following list, notice how many pivot words are also Phonological Ambiguities.
Some PIVOT Words: Watch, Tie, Sea /See, Feel, No / Know, Through, Bye /By / Buy, Change, Hear, Bee/Be, Break, Coast, Move, Change, Believe, Crave, Decide, Experience, Drape, Frame, Places, Realize, Respect, Feedback, Think, Bank, Cast
So, I’m wondering if you wear a watch on your left or on your Write several examples of these punctuational ambiguities… now. Won’t you? Haven’t you – already begun to notice how much better you’re getting at using these patterns? Because the more you practice, the better you get.
Have fun!
See you next week.
