“Never lose sight of the fact that the words used in hypnosis scripts will linger in the minds of listeners forever. Great hypnosis scripts produce phenomenal results but poor hypnosis scripts may not only be ineffective but can unintentionally cause harm.”
Hypnosis scripts are essentially carefully considered suggestions, phrases, and techniques designed to induce a hypnotic state and create desirable, positive life change. To facilitate this, a hypnosis script may be performed in person with a hypnotherapist or used to create a hypnosis audio.
A good hypnosis script uses the powerful tools of induction, progressive relaxation, and deepening, to create a state where the subconscious mind is more open to suggestion. This process is the basis of hypnotherapy. It is important that hypnosis scripts are properly researched so that any therapeutic suggestions given are always safe, positively oriented, peaceful to hear, and empowering.
As with any hypnosis session, there are several components an effective hypnosis script typically contains:
- An INDUCTION—the portion of the hypnosis session which enables the client to enter into the hypnotic state.
- A PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION—the act of progressively relaxing the body through thought or suggestion which can be used to both induce hypnosis or to deepen hypnosis.
- A DEEPENING—a process designed to increase the depth of the hypnotic state.
- THERAPY—suggestions formulated and presented to the subconscious mind during the hypnosis session for the purpose of creating desired change.
- The AROUSAL—a phase of the hypnosis session enacted to return an individual from the hypnotized state.
These components, in this order, help ensure the effectiveness of the hypnosis session. How well a hypnotist performs each phase, as well as how long and effective the progressive relaxation and deepening phases are, will usually determine the depth of the hypnotic trance. The more respectful a hypnotist is of the importance of each of these steps, the more effective the resulting hypnosis session will be.
Hypnosis scripts using rapid or instant inductions, shorten or entirely neglect the progressive relaxation phase—sometimes at the expense of the client becoming thoroughly and completely relaxed. In general, the more relaxed you become, the better able you will be to fully enter into hypnosis.
Making good hypnosis scripts even better: Safeguarding suggestions and learning channels
Although hypnosis scripts are designed to produce only desirable, positive results, in some situations poorly worded suggestions can cause unintentional harm. To improve the safety of a hypnosis script, you may incorporate the following Safeguarding Suggestions written by Julie Griffin:
- During this session, and from this moment forward, you will only accept suggestions that are helpful and safe for your entire body, mind, and spirit.
- Whenever hypnotized, you may freely change, modify, or reject any suggestions to suit your own likes and needs.
- Any suggestions you choose to accept will go into action only in ways and time frames that are safe, comfortable, and appropriate to your overall well-being
- In the future, if any of the suggestions you accept from this session become outdated, or no longer serve your highest good, they will automatically dissipate and disappear from your mind.
You can also use these suggestions anytime you visit a hypnotherapist or listen to a hypnosis audio, simply by reciting them to yourself.
Learning channels—how you process thought and learn—are important factors in determining both the appeal and effectiveness of hypnosis scripts. The learning channels—Auditory, Visual & Kinesthetic—indicate that learning is achieved most effectively through sound, sight, and touch respectively. Usually one of these learning channels will be dominant which means suggestions will be more readily processed when written to appeal to that dominant channel.
Being able to appeal to all learning channels makes a good hypnosis script more effective and more able to reach a greater number of people. Not only does mixing it up—using different imagery, deepening techniques, and therapy styles—ensure a more effective outcome, it also ensures that the hypnosis scripts don’t become boring.
There is no limit to the variety of styles and techniques that can be employed in hypnosis scripts. Some are very simple and use only direct suggestions while some use multiple metaphors, and skillfully blend varieties of styles of hypnosis suggestions together in each program.
Ultimately the quality of a hypnosis script is determined by whether it helps create desirable, positive life change. Using safe suggestions and pleasing imagery, suitable for the likes and belief systems of a wide range of people almost always produces good hypnosis scripts.
I want to learn of hypnosis.