Hypnosis - NLP & EFT

As a professional hypnotherapist with a strong interest in personal development it always amazes me when I suggest self-hypnosis techniques to a client and they respond with “what, you mean I could hypnotise myself?”

There is a truism in hypnosis circles… all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. By this we mean that the hypnotist simply acts as a guide, leading the client into trance by going first and assisting the client by directing the client’s attention in specific ways.

Hypnosis is many things… in many ways it similar to the photon in quantum physics… what it is and how it behaves depends on how one views it and the preconceptions one brings to it.

Hypnosis is communication… all communication directs attention in one way or another. With language and non-verbal communication we shape events in another human being’s mind. We cannot NOT communicate. Self-hypnosis is a process of communicating with oneself, directing one’s own attention in specific ways in order to produce states that are commonly recognised as trance states.

Trance states are nothing special, we go in and out of these states all the time. There is a mystique built up around this term trance, but a trance state can be characterised by the direction of attention being inwardly focussed. This focus can be very intense, as in deep meditation, or broad and unspecified as in daydreaming states. If you have ever driven a car and realised that you have no recollection of the last three miles, or if you have ever been so absorbed in a book or a film that you’ve failed to hear someone calling your name, then you have been in a trance state.

In hypnosis we use those trance states to positive effect, through a combination of any or all of techniques such as suggestion, mental rehearsal, guided imagery/visualisation and more. In self-hypnosis you can do exactly the same.

I am going to share a very simply yet profoundly effective method of inducing such a trance state with you right now. Although it can help to speak out loud while learning the technique, once you are comfortable with this approach you can practice in silence, which makes it ideal for all sorts of circumstances.

This technique is a variation of that developed by Elizabeth (Betty) Erickson, wife of the late Milton Erickson. Dr Erickson is recognised by many as one of the greatest clinical hypnotherapists of the 20th century and founded an approach to therapy that bears his name, Ericksonian Hypnosis. However, his wife Betty was no mean hypnotist herself and had a deep understanding of the relationship between perception and mental state, as experience with this technique will show.

There are a number of ways in which you can use this technique… you could use it to enter into a state in which you then carry out a guided visualisation using symbols or visual metaphors or a mental rehearsal of yourself performing with excellence in some future activity. You could give yourself positive suggestions prior to the induction, saying something like “and as I enter a state of deep relaxation, I become increasingly (positive quality one wishes to acquire)…” The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, and will be explored in a future article.

Now to the technique, the Betty Erickson Self Hypnotic Induction. First, ensure you are sat somewhere comfortable. Somewhere with some external activity is useful but not too stimulating, and that has some visual variation (you will understand why in a moment). Take a few deep, slow breaths (always a good precursor to relaxation, and with practice will give you a head start in entering that trance state).

So, now you are sat comfortably, notice, and make comment about, something you see (e.g. I see the shadows formed by irregularities on the wall). Do this three times with three different observations. Do this slowly and give yourself plenty of time.

Notice, and make comment about, something you hear (e.g. I hear the sound of my own breathing). Do this three times with three different observations.

Notice, and make comment about, something you feel (e.g. I feel the temperature of the air on my skin). Do this three times with three different observations.

Repeat the cycle (I see… I hear… I feel…) twice for each sense (sight, sound and sensation) with two different observations, and then again once for each sense.

You may wish at this point to close your eyes if you haven’t done so already, and repeat the whole process from within an imagined scene, or using internal images and external sounds and sensation. The trick with this technique is not to be too rigid, but to go with what works for you. After some practice I find myself in trance quite rapidly and usually close my eyes around the point at which I repeat the visual observation twice. If your mind wanders, that’s OK, just relax into the state. This is a method of entering deep states of relaxation, not a competitive sport!

That really is it. As I said, a profoundly simple yet effective technique. Use it to relax, use it to install positive suggestion or use it to simply enter a calm still space within. With practice you can enter deeply relaxing trance states very quickly, in all sorts of situations, at work, travelling, at home, and use this states to boost productivity, explore your own personal/spiritual development and step up to excellence in all aspects of performance. Enjoy!

About the author:

Adam Sargant is a professional hypnotherapist with his own clinic in the UK, The Haworth Hypnotherapy and Healing Clinic. He is the author of A Small Course in Self-Hypnosis and has a free mp3 guide to the Betty Erickson Induction.

This is the second part of a two part article
Applying NLP on your auction description
Using NLP on ebay can be very effective however as with all things, you should use some common sense and not overdo it.
When you write your NLP laced ad description, formulate a plan. The following is an example of the order of operation.
1) Elicit Values
Eliciting Values simply means putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and find out their needs and wants. Know your target market.
Some of the questions you can ask yourself are:
- What do they want?
- What do they like?
- What are they afraid of?
- Can my product or service fulfill that need?
- How much would they pay for much a service or product?
Some of the answers to the questions above are already there on ebay market research section. Use ebay pulse to find out what they want. Check the completed items on the average selling price of your product or service.
2) Set up mental states, bind them linking to your product or service
I have already mentioned this in the first part of my article. It is called Thought Binding. Since I already talked about it, I shall not go into detail here.
Essentially, it is about building a chain of states, with the first link being the current state they are in now to the final state you want them in.
For example, they are in a state of indifference about buying your product. That is the first state. The final state is you want them to be drooling about your product and whipping out their credit card to buy after reading your auction description.
Using curiosity, intrigue or just paint a picture in their minds how they will benefit by using your product.
3) Presuppositions - Influence the buying decision with ‘trick’ questions
Presuppositions can be used in ordinary sentences to help someone decide or rather decide for them indirectly. A presupposition is a question in which a person is choosing the path you indirectly set for them. So, in a sense you are not giving them a chance to say yes or no to your product.
One example is the following sentence
“You won’t the most out of the product just reading about it, since the best way is to experience it yourself”
Another example:
“Won’t it be great after you get (your product) and you can experience for yourself what it can do for you? Then you can just look back, smile that smile of satisfaction and wondered why you hadn’t got it sooner”
4) Binder commands
Binder commands or subliminal messages/command is the one of the most sneaky facets of NLP.
An example is “When you buy (your product) by today, you will also get X amount dollars worth of products free to the first 50 people”
The binder command is Get It Now.
The above order of operation is only an example and may vary from case to case. In most cases, you may need to change the order depending on your product or service.

About The Author

Dan Lim is an avid ebay fanatic who has been quietly earning a comfortable living online. For more ebay selling secrets and strategies, visit bestnzb.com.
Dan@bestnzb.com

EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques was developed by Gary Craig. He, attended a course on TFT - Thought Field Therapy (Dr. Roger Callaghan) and wanted to simply what he discovered to make the process as easy as possible to use but without detracting from its effectiveness.

What is EFT?

EFT is a technique which involves the stimulation of various acupuncture points whilst connecting to (thinking or talking about) the issue that the person wants to resolve.

In order to understand the principals beyond EFT it is useful to start off with an understanding of acupuncture.

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in China as a method of helping people overcome physical, psychological and emotional problems and issues. The underlying idea of acupuncture is this: -

1) The body has a number meridian lines contained within the body.

2) Along the meridian lines flows energy which is called ‘Chi’ (pronounced chee)

3) The ends and beginnings and parts in between of each of the meridian lines (acupuncture points) are close enough to the surface of the body for them to be affected by physical manipulation.

4) If a person has an particular issue, an experienced acupuncturist will know which meridian lines will have a blockage in them relevant to the issue, will know the acupuncture points appropriate to use for the resolution of that issue.

5) Acupuncture needles, which are very thin and hollow, can be inserted in appropriate acupuncture points to deliberately help the flow of energy through a particular meridian line.

6) With the blockage in the flow of Chi gone the issue goes or improves as well.

Now acupressure is the manipulation of those same acupuncture points on the body but instead of using acupuncture needles, the fingers and thumbs are used instead. Forms of acupressure that you might have experienced before are reflexology or shiatsu.

With EFT, instead of using needles or pressure on the acupuncture points, a series of light tapping with the fingers is used. The tapping can be done by the person with the issue for themselves or a practitioner can do the tapping for them.

Now at the same time the person is asked to repeat a sentence which describes the issue. The idea behind this is that the person stays connected to the issue (by repeating the description of the problem). At the end of one round of tapping on various acupuncture points, the strength of the issue is checked with the person. Of the issue is still present more rounds of EFT (tapping) will be used.

One round of EFT takes only around 60-90 seconds and the majority of people who have experienced EFT report a decrease in the strength of the issue.

With EFT being a process that anyone can use on themselves, it can be a very useful tool to help anyone deal with any issue whether physical, psychological or emotional.

The great news about EFT is that you do not have to have your belief system involved. You do not have to believe in EFT for it to be effective. All you do need is maybe a sense of curiosity and willingness to do it. As the rewards are high, the loss of that old issue, thousands of people have become regular EFT users and there are many EFT practitioners in the UK and worldwide now available to help people quickly.

Steven Harold
EFT Practitioner London