Hypnotism: Can everyone be hypnotized?

[aranuk]

I was eager to have a past life regression done a few weeks ago and found some therapist and arranged for a session. I was told it would be about a two hour session and would cost £90. I went on the day and had a chat with the lady before we started. She wanted to know a few things about me etc. I explained to her that when I meditate I can quieten my mind and there is silence sometimes as long as 20 minutes. I explained when I close my eyes there is complete darkness and silence. I told that if she intended to speak about walking through a garden she should NOT describe the colors of flowers and such pictorial descriptions but to say things like....you are walking through long grass in your bare feet and you can feel the moist grass brushing your ankles etc. I told her I was audio/kin esthetic. Hearing and feeling. She described walking through a garden and she described everything I told her not to attempt. Anyway I was in a very restful state of mind and in totally pitch darkness. She described a big house and I was to enter it. I was to slowly walk down ten steps and at the bottom there was a long hallway(I couldn't see a thing it was total darkness) I CAN imagine pictures for a nano second but they seem to be above my skull. So I imagined a hallway for a nanosecond and whoosh gone darkness now. She said there were doors on each side of the doorway and I was to choose one. I said I couldn't see a damned thing it was so dark in this basement. (I am wondering here what I would have seen if she had told me she was switching on the light!) So no doors opened. She said ok now keep walking along the hall do you see any pictures hanging on the wall. I told her that it was pitch black. I can't see any doors or pictures. She kept at it. I said ok I see a gold framed picture, which I couldn't. She said well what picture is inside? I said it is black entirely a picture of darkness. She asked to climb through the picture frame. I pretended I did this. She asked what is in the room? What do you think I said? Yes! Darkness everywhere around me. To cut it short here, she went on with this same method for an hour and when I opened my eyes I had found absolutely nothing about my past lives at all. She mumbled something like you might have a dream soon which may reveal something, but we can do another session in a fortnight. I thought no fat chance darling. I gave her the cash and left. Can everyone actually be hypnotized? Did she use the wrong technique for me being audio/kin esthetic? Does anyone have any useful comments please?

Stan

[Dennis Leahy]

I was not able to be hypnotized, and the hypnotist specializes in people who are difficult to hypnotize. I was extremely relaxed, even fell asleep for about 2 seconds, but never dropped into a trance state even as strong as what I sometimes get when driving too long (driving "hypnosis", if that's even the correct word.)

I'm not sure what to make of it. Is it possible I cannot be hypnotized? Or, maybe I simply could not be hypnotized at that particular time, or by that particular hypnotist with the specific 'induction' techniques used? She told me that all hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis - the hypnotist is the facilitator, but the subject allows the trance state to occur. She seemed sincere, and I did not take that as an indictment that it was my fault - but then again, if it really is all self-hypnosis, then who else could be 'at fault.'

It was disappointing.

Dennis

[ulli]

Stan, my feeling is that you would have been better off with a male hypnotist...
Just a feeling

[Donna O]

I have had similar experiences. It seems I can't be hypnotized either

[aranuk]

Posted by Dennis Leahy (here)
I was not able to be hypnotized, and the hypnotist specializes in people who are difficult to hypnotize. I was extremely relaxed, even fell asleep for about 2 seconds, but never dropped into a trance state even as strong as what I sometimes get when driving too long (driving "hypnosis", if that's even the correct word.)

I'm not sure what to make of it. Is it possible I cannot be hypnotized? Or, maybe I simply could not be hypnotized at that particular time, or by that particular hypnotist with the specific 'induction' techniques used? She told me that all hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis - the hypnotist is the facilitator, but the subject allows the trance state to occur. She seemed sincere, and I did not take that as an indictment that it was my fault - but then again, if it really is all self-hypnosis, then who else could be 'at fault.'

It was disappointing.

Dennis

Thanks for your comments Dennis. I think I can hypnotize myself actually. Many years ago I was playing chess in the league against another team of 6 players. We were playing in a room of a sports centre and after about an hour 11 players all started getting out of their chairs and making a lot of noise complaining about something. I asked what the fuss was all about and one of them said to me "Stan can't you hear the kids pipe band in the next room practicing? " I said what noise? I never heard a thing, I was concentrating on my chess game. Some other person said I must have self hypnotized.
Dennis did you also pay the hypnotist? I thought maybe it's my fault not hers. But now I think she did it wrong.
Stan

[aranuk]

Posted by ulli (here)
Stan, my feeling is that you would have been better off with a male hypnotist...
Just a feeling

Do you think so Ulie? Why dear?

Stan

[juliagulia55]

Well... I am currently training to be a hypnotherapist and I qualify in two months. What I can tell you is that everyone has the ability to go into a trance state. We do this all the time i.e when we watch TV, paint a wall, listen to people talking etc. For a long time I, like yourself had trouble visualising things but I got into meditation and started to practice visualising things, then I stopped trying and just went with the flow and now it just happens naturally so from my experience that part just comes from practice. Having said that, I use lots of different scripts which combine visualisation and kinesthetic stuff i.e 'you can feel a light breeze' etc and I always have relaxation music in the back ground because I think using all senses is important and it caters for those who are not yet comfortable with visualisation.

Past life regression was my reason for training as a hypnotherapist in the first place and in September I am going to do a course run by Dolores Cannon - so excited about that! I plan to be the 'best thing since Dolores Cannon' in the past life regression world so I'll keep you posted

[phillipbbg]

Firstly the hypnotherapist didn't listen to you in her pre discussion and it sounds like she was only capable of following her own script... what did she use as her induction? was it just talking you down with progressive relaxation? or even a mental task like counting back from 1000 by 3's ?

I think you were wise not to agree to a second session.

[Jayke]

What might have happened if she'd asked you to turn on the lights?

[aranuk]

Posted by juliagulia55 (here)
Well... I am currently training to be a hypnotherapist and I qualify in two months. What I can tell you is that everyone has the ability to go into a trance state. We do this all the time i.e when we watch TV, paint a wall, listen to people talking etc. For a long time I, like yourself had trouble visualising things but I got into meditation and started to practice visualising things, then I stopped trying and just went with the flow and now it just happens naturally so from my experience that part just comes from practice. Having said that, I use lots of different scripts which combine visualisation and kinesthetic stuff i.e 'you can feel a light breeze' etc and I always have relaxation music in the back ground because I think using all senses is important and it caters for those who are not yet comfortable with visualisation.



Past life regression was my reason for training as a hypnotherapist in the first place and in September I am going to do a course run by Dolores Cannon - so excited about that! I plan to be the 'best thing since Dolores Cannon' in the past life regression world so I'll keep you posted

Good for you Julia! I have been meditating for 53 years now. I started meditating when I was 11. I was also reading books on zen too. But no images come in front of my eyes. Well Julia when you have completed your course with beautiful Delores Cannon that will be something to be proud of she is a terrific woman who I greatly admire.

Stan

[phillipbbg]

Posted by Jayke (here)
What might have happened if she'd asked you to turn on the lights?

He might have seen the light.... sorry just couldn't resist the obvious.

She could have done it with his eyes open but it is probably a little above her skill level. Mainly sports psychologists use this technique with there one on one sports athletes ... coupled with colour visualisation triggers.

[Jayke]

Posted by phillipbbg (here)

Posted by Jayke (here)
What might have happened if she'd asked you to turn on the lights?

He might have seen the light.... sorry just couldn't resist the obvious.

any change from darkness would be a positive shift

[aranuk]

Posted by Jayke (here)
What might have happened if she'd asked you to turn on the lights?

Jayke, I will never know. But if I was the therapist and in my case I would have listened to what my client told me before we started. I warned her NOT to do the usual picturing thing and she went on dis-regardless, which was not very smart of her. I would have began by describing the scene in a way that Julia referred to in her post above. Maybe Julia might be able to guess what would have happened? Maybe I would have seen everything around me like in one of my dreams. I do have pictorial dreams every night. Help Julia!!

Stan

[ulli]

Posted by aranuk (here)

Posted by ulli (here)
Stan, my feeling is that you would have been better off with a male hypnotist...
Just a feeling

Do you think so Ulie? Why dear?

Stan

Hi Stan, I wish I could explain it better, but it came to me more like a flash....
This doesn't mean that I consider men to make better hypnotists than women, but that the energy between you wasnt't right to begin with...
After all, she had ignored an important piece of info that you had given her upfront...seems pretty unprofessional to me.
I feel a man might have paid better attention to that...
How old was the lady, was she a beginner?
Now I'm speculating...
Interesting, the difference between feeling and thinking....with feeling there is no rationalizing, only guess work
Wish I could be more helpful.
I have no positive hypnosis experience to share, by the way. Never subjected myself.

[aranuk]

Posted by phillipbbg (here)
Firstly the hypnotherapist didn't listen to you in her pre discussion and it sounds like she was only capable of following her own script... what did she use as her induction? was it just talking you down with progressive relaxation? or even a mental task like counting back from 1000 by 3's ?

I think you were wise not to agree to a second session.

I totally agree with what you say here Phil. I am trying to remember how she began. I think she started saying take 3 deep breaths maybe. You are feeling very relaxed and your eyelids are heavy or something like that. And then maybe you are walking out your house. And then she asked me if I preferred a garden or hills and valleys. I said garden. Then she described walking through the garden with all that I spoke about in my first post. My mistake I think was that I found her name on the internet, I googled past life hypnotherapist in Edinburgh. I latched onto the first one I saw instead of maybe asking certain friends if they could recommend anyone.

Stan

[Lazlo]

I took part in a group hypnosis session while at a retreat once. It did absolutely nothing for me.
At another time I was discussing this with a psych professor while we were taking a break from some group experiments, and she relayed that certain people are not conducive to hypnosis without the therapist administering drugs, and she said that from what she knew of me, she would be surprised if I could be hypnotized.

I would love to do a past life regression, but I have always suspected that my experience would end up much like what you described Stan.

[aranuk]

Posted by ulli (here)

Posted by aranuk (here)

Posted by ulli (here)
Stan, my feeling is that you would have been better off with a male hypnotist...
Just a feeling

Do you think so Ulie? Why dear?

Stan

Hi Stan, I wish I could explain it better, but it came to me more like a flash....
This doesn't mean that I consider men to make better hypnotists than women, but that the energy between you wasnt't right to begin with...
After all, she had ignored an important piece of info that you had given her upfront...seems pretty unprofessional to me.
I feel a man might have paid better attention to that...
How old was the lady, was she a beginner?
Now I'm speculating...
Interesting, the difference between feeling and thinking....with feeling there is no rationalizing, only guess work
Wish I could be more helpful.
I have no positive hypnosis experience to share, by the way. Never subjected myself.

Ulie I too am an astrologer. I have been studying it for 30 yrs and I have Pluto in my 3rd house. As far as I have learnt Plutos placement indicates where our immediate past live was. So I have always thought that in my last live I was either an astrologer or a scholar of some kind, maybe both. I was always a very keen pupil at school and couldn't miss a day because I was going to learn something new. My pals of course didn't have the same enthusiasm, but I played football, got in fights, climbed trees and things normal kids did. So I wasn't considered strange. But I was rather open minded when I started the session. I was not expecting anything really. As I said I can have an empty mind with ease. I feel as you feel Ulie that a man may have been better. I agree. The lady was Albanian and her English was not perfect shall we say. I also had to strain at times to understand what she was saying and a few maybe 5 times I had to ask her to repeat what she had said, while I was in a very relaxed state. When I come to think about it that in of itself must have upset the relaxation or something too.

Stan

[aranuk]

Posted by Lazlo (here)
I took part in a group hypnosis session while at a retreat once. It did absolutely nothing for me.
At another time I was discussing this with a psych professor while we were taking a break from some group experiments, and she relayed that certain people are not conducive to hypnosis without the therapist administering drugs, and she said that from what she knew of me, she would be surprised if I could be hypnotized.

I would love to do a past life regression, but I have always suspected that my experience would end up much like what you described Stan.

Lazlo Can you visualize clearly when in meditation? I just thought of something...I can visualize better with my eyes open.

Stan

[ulli]

Wow, Stan, another astrologer. Do you have Gemini rising? Going straight to the first name in the Yellow Pages in such a trusting way and yet in such an important matter would confirm that. With Gemini there is alway that gullible element. Meanwhile I would have taken forever investigating to get the exact right one, have Pluto rising and Sun in Cap. The exact reason why I haven't done it to this day.

[Lazlo]

Posted by aranuk (here)

Posted by Lazlo (here)
I took part in a group hypnosis session while at a retreat once. It did absolutely nothing for me.
At another time I was discussing this with a psych professor while we were taking a break from some group experiments, and she relayed that certain people are not conducive to hypnosis without the therapist administering drugs, and she said that from what she knew of me, she would be surprised if I could be hypnotized.

I would love to do a past life regression, but I have always suspected that my experience would end up much like what you described Stan.

Lazlo Can you visualize clearly when in meditation? I just thought of something...I can visualize better with my eyes open.
Stan

I don't remember trying, I usually try to simply be calm, instead of focusing on anything at all. It's the room with both widows open scenario..."Let the thought exit as easily as it came in". Otherwise, I tend to do the meditation in motion regime, like when doing yardwork or going for a walk... "no thoughts at all, just be in the moment."