Lesson 3: Introduction to Inductions theory
In the next few classes we are going to show you how to make up an induction that is customized to the tee and especially effective for them. In this theoretical class we will teach you some generalities about how inductions work and introduce two new ingredients you can use in your own inductions: focus control, and fractionation.
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Inductions and deepeners
Traditionally, we call an induction any process that gets the tee from an awake state to a state of hypnotic trance—although, as we have seen here, the concept of trance as a state is a bit controversial. A deepener, on the other hand, is traditionally defined as something that gets you from a state of light trance to a state of deeper trance. Depth itself is not something that is always considered important, see, for example, point 4 here, but we find it useful as a metaphor.
In our personal experience, there is not a huge difference between an induction and a deepener, as a process. We see trance-to-awake states as a continuum. We often use inductions and deepeners interchangeably, though we have found that a more attention-grabbing process (something mostly featured in inductions) is more effective when utilized in the beginning of trance, while a deepener can be more loose and use more negative space or silences. We would be curious if that’s the case for you too.
Pasting elements together to induce trance
If you agree with us that inductions and deepeners are pretty much the same thing, that we can consider them both as just elements combined with the end result of the hypnotee in trance, it means that you can always just add one induction, one deepener, one element, after another and make a free-form induction by pasting together elements that work especially well for the tee.
When it comes to named or famous inductions- there isn’t anything magical about those words or actions in that order; inductions like those work because the person creating them understands hypnosis and combines enough elements together capable of inducing trance for the most amount of people.
One famous example of such a patchwork induction is the Elman, which consists of 4 distinct parts [Dave Elman, Hypnotherapy, p.98-102]:
Eye relaxation test,
Open and closing the eyes,
Raising and dropping the arm, and
Counting backwards and losing numbers.
Feel free to look it up if you’re curious. Those four elements together results in a lot of people finding their way into trance, but considering why that might be provides a far more useful exercise than taking any one induction as gospel.
And while it may be tempting to just stick to the script, it’s worth noting that they are rigid by nature and not really tailored to the needs or desires or safety of you or your partner. They do not take into account the tee’s reaction, and they keep the tist’s attention elsewhere. On the other hand, using a flowey style in which you freely incorporate elements of known inductions, deepeners, or exercises allows you to both customize the experience and keep your focus on each other.
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Two more elements for the toolbox
We’re going to give you exercises to use this combining elements approach in the next lessons, but what it means for now is that you can take several of the exercises (induction elements) that worked well for you in the previous two lessons and use them together sequentially or in parallel.
Mix and match the things that worked best so far. Consider what order you would use and why and how it might be different if you changed up the order. If you do consider combining elements and giving it a try, be sure to talk about the relevant areas where you need consent as outlined in the previous exercises.
Focus
Hypnosis is a lot about focus manipulation. To a large extent, the tee’s focus and attention are the substance that the tist molds to create trance. That focus can be narrowed and directed towards a single stimulus. For example, the tee can focus on the sensation of the tist’s touch only. It can also be broad and overwhelming, encompassing a lot of sensations, or it can switch from one focus point to another through time.
Traditionally, the tee’s focus is directed to become more narrow as the trance deepens, but you can experiment with different levels of narrowing. In this way, the trance has more to do with focus control than with focus narrowing.
Fractionation
We talked about fractionation as a state that can happen after hypnosis, especially when a tees is hypnotized and woken up several times in a row. That is one definition of fractionation: fractionation as a state.
Another adjacent concept is fractionation as a process. This process can be used as an element in an induction, essentially dropping and waking up the tee in quick succession. The idea being that with each repeat of a fractionating technique, the tee will be closer to trance/deeper into trance/more disoriented or suggestible.
If you use this concept at the beginning of an induction, you can use eyes closed as a proxy for trance and eyes open as meaning awake. It’s possible that the tee will not wake up entirely when they open their eyes after some time, but that’s ok.
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Being hypnotized is a skill
Hopefully you experienced some sort of a mental shift in the last exercises and the meditation homework. Remember that even if it is incredibly subtle, your trance is valid! If you felt any shift, you are starting to recognize what trance feels like for you. Being hypnotized, in general, and recognizing what trance feels like for you is a skill, and as you work on it, it will become easier.
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Next week, look out for our next lesson, where experiment with these new induction ingredients.
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