Signs of hypnosis.

Here are 17 signs of hypnotic trance a subject will demonstrate:
1. Expansion of Eyelids;
2. Fixation of Glance;
3. Tearing of Eyes;
4. Eyes are Closing (but not always);
5. Blinking Movements Slow;
6. Reddening of the Eyes;
7. Color of Face Changes;
8. Swallowing Movements Slow;
9. Pose of the Subject Becomes Fixed;
10. Muscles of the Body Relax Slightly;
11. Breathing Slows Down and Becomes more Rhythmic and Typhoid;
12. Heart Rate Decreases;
13. Facial Muscles Relax, the Face is flattened, especially the Cheeks, Forehead, Lips;
14. Reaction to External Noise Reduces;
15. Delayed Motor Reaction;
16. Appearance of Spontaneous Reactions, such as Vibration of Hands and Eyelids, a Slight Jerk of the Body, the Lips;
17. Body Temperature Changes.

I took a stress test on the street last week. I was curious about the machine. The operator had me hold two paddles and to think of someone who caused me grief (leading or pacing). And followed with a barrage of questions. I didn’t mention I did hypnosis. He mentioned buying a book and talked about their program and used the phrase “auditing” so I looked it up on WIKI.

The procedure of auditing is a two-person activity. One person, the "auditor", guides the other person, the "preclear". The preclear's job is to look at the mind and talk to the auditor. The auditor acknowledges what the preclear says and controls the process so the preclear may put his full attention on his work.
The auditor and preclear sit down in chairs facing each other. The process then follows in eleven distinct steps:
1. The auditor assures the preclear that he will be fully aware of everything that happens during the session.
2. The preclear is instructed to close his eyes for the session, entering a state of "dianetic reverie", signified by "a tremble of the lashes". During the session, the preclear remains in full possession of his will and retains full recall thereafter.
3. The auditor installs a "canceller", an instruction intended to absolutely cancel any form of positive suggestion that could accidentally occur. This is done by saying "In the future, when I utter the word 'cancelled,' everything I have said to you while you are in a therapy session will be cancelled and will have no force with you. Any suggestion I may have made to you will be without force when I say the word 'cancelled.' Do you understand?"
4. The auditor then asks the preclear to locate an exact record of something that happened to the preclear in his past: "Locate an incident that you feel you can comfortably face."
5. The preclear is invited by the auditor to "Go through the incident and say what is happening as you go along."
6a. The auditor instructs the preclear to recall as much as possible of the incident, going over it several times "until the preclear is cheerful about it".
6b. When the preclear is cheerful about an incident, the auditor instructs the preclear to locate another incident: "Let's find another incident that you feel you can comfortably face." The process outlined at steps 5 and 6a then repeats until the auditing session's time limit (usually two hours or so) is reached.
7. The preclear is instructed to "return to present time".
8. The auditor checks to make sure that the preclear feels himself to be in "present time", i.e. not still recalling a past incident.
9. The auditor gives the preclear the canceller word: "Very good. Cancelled."
10. The auditor tells the preclear to feel alert and return to full awareness of his surroundings: "When I count from five to one and snap my fingers you will feel alert. Five, four, three, two, one." (snaps fingers)

Yes, it’s Dianetics. The above is remarkably very similar to a hypnosis session. Notice the “trembling eyelashes” and the various embedded commands. Even the count down and snapping of the fingers to return them to a waking state.

Various New Age authors also use a form of hypnosis or “Power of Suggestion” on various CD’s and tapes I’ve had over the years, especially Past Life regression ones. Use a little discernment over what you buy and who you talk to. It’s always a matter of choice.

The late, great Milton Erickson often used embedded commands or simply metaphors without inducing a hypnotic state. He also said some of the best work is accomplished in a light trance.

Judge Thomas Troward did write of this in the early 1900’s.