Waking Hypnosis: Simple, Fun and Easy Feats Of Hypnotic Suggestion

When word gets out that you are a hypnotist it becomes almost impossible to get through even a day without someone asking you to hypnotize them.

In many cases its great to go straight into an instant induction and some no holds barred trance work, but often this isn't appropriate. In these situations i used to just say "maybe next time" and leave it at that, but a few months ago i got bored and frustrated with this, and decided to try some waking hypnosis.

Waking hypnosis is, to me, basically any hypnotic process which bypasses the whole inductions and deepener section, and goes straight for suggestion and trance phenomena.
Below I'll discuss the core of waking hypnosis (what will ensure it works pretty much every time) and give you some simple waking hypnosis routines to get you started, and a video showing these techniques in action.

I'll admit that waking hypnosis can seem difficult.
The first few waking hypnosis experiments i did (sticking peoples hands to...whatever is handy faces, desks, walls etc) were riddled with Milton model patterns, metaphors, and complicated multi level suggestions, and even with that i only had about a 1/2 success rate.

It feels amazing when it works, but a 50% failure rate was just too high.

A little while ago i made discovery about waking hypnosis.
My friend Jeff Stephens (recently interviewed) told me a story of one of his hypnosis sessions.
The client arrived, and sat down opposite Jeff.
Jeff gazed at him and said "why did you put your hand down in glue?"
The client struggled in vain to lift his hand, was astounded, and went on the have a life changing hypnosis session.
Jon Chase speaks of a time when, at a restaurant one of the waitresses overheard that he was a hypnotist, and told him that there was no was he could hypnotize her.
Jon told her that that may be so, but despite that she could not put down the menus she was holding, and the harder she tried the more impossible it gets.
She never doubted hypnosis again.
Richard Nongard was in a similar situation, and ended up gluing the waitresses eyes shut as she took their order.

Its all down to belief.
You can use all the fancy language patterns in the world, but if you don't believe that what you are doing is going to work, if you don't have confidence in your ability, it almost definitely won't.

After making this discovery, i decided to test it out.
After gluing a few peoples' hands to various things (lacks originality i know, but I'm working on it) in just a few sentences (or even less) with a 100% success rate i knew i was onto something.
Being able to produce deep trance phenomena with just a few words is a very useful ability!

The crucial question is "how to you get this belief and confidence?"
If confidence comes from a belief that what you do will definitely be successful, and being successful is definitely going to happen if you believe you are confident, simply knowing this is all you need.
And if that's confusing don't worry, it will suddenly come together when you begin to use the techniques i am going to give you below.

So, what can we use waking hypnosis for?
Mostly its an amazingly powerful convincer of the effects of hypnotic suggestion, the power of the unconscious mind etc.

The most simple waking hypnosis exercises are often called suggestibility tests, imagination exercises and such like.

There are 100s of these, but we will just focus on one basic technique for now.
This isn't the technique i use the most, but it is simple, powerful, and virtually fail safe.
Heres the way it works:

1. Have the person hold out their hands, palm facing palm, about a foot apart.
2. Have them imagine that their hands are magnetic plates and are being magnetically pulled together (or pick the metaphor of your choice).
   

Keep looping through this metaphor and using similar suggestions, and their hands will begin moving together of their own accord.
Now this can be used as a great platform for an instant induction, but thats not the topic of this post.

The mere unconscious moving of their hands is enough of a convincer for many, but the fun part is to come.

Once their hands begin moving tell them that when their hands touch they will stick together, and they will be unable to pull them apart.
The effects of this can be either hilarious or frightening, so be sure to frame it in a fun and positive way.

Heres a sample "script" of the type of patter that i might use when doing this routine, my patter is always spontaneous and made up on the fly, and i suggest yours be the same, but this basic script will give you something to build on if you need it:

"Now imagine that your hands are magnetic plates, and that they are being pulled and attracted powerfully towards each other. And as you feel that strong magnetic force notice how your hands are already begging to move all by them self. That's right, and as those hands continue to move together this interesting unconscious movement means that when your hands touch they will stick tightly together, become totally locked in place, stuck, glued, bonded and locked powerfully and tightly stuck together, and no matter how hard you try in vain to unstick those hands, they will just stick tighter and tighter. (when hands touch:) They're stuck, you could attempt to try and pull them apart, but when you try you will simply realize that they are glued together."

Now you have your fun for a few moments, then piggy back on some positive suggestions ("and this serves to show the the awesome power of your own unconscious mind, and the amazing things you can accomplish when you put your mind to it"). After such an exercise people will naturally be highly suggestible, so please utilize this and do something good for them.
(oh, and remember to free their hands afterwards!)
I often like to associate the release of the hands with another suggestion, have fun experimenting with this, and notice how easily your suggestions are accepted and acted upon.

Some other waking hypnosis routines which i enjoy doing and have a great success rate with are:

• Gluing hand to face, desk, table, wall, wherever is about!
  
• Eye lock (very powerful!)
• The "A OK" convincer
  
• Magnetic hands, fingers etc

Heres a great video, published on youtube by Richard Nongard, showing some waking hypnosis convincers and effects used as early as the 1950s!
As you watch it think about how you can use and adapt the techniques shown fit whatever scenario you plan to use them in, and how you can make them so much more powerful and impressive.



Now you've read the post and hopefully watched the video its time to get out there are start using these techniques. Be creative,enjoy yourself, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how fast your skills grow!
See you next post
Nathan Thomas