I wanted to share a simple trick to help you when you construct direct suggestions or post hypnotic suggestions for your client.
Imagine telling a 5 year old child, ‘Don’t slam the door on the way out.’ What can you anticipate is going to happen and why? Most likely the child will run out the door and slam the door behind them. Why? Because you painted a big bold picture of themselves slamming the door in their mind. The only way to picture not slamming a door, is to first picture it slamming and then picture not doing that. It’s a two step process. The child had to create the scene you don’t want… and then negate it.
Now, if you were to simply say, ‘ Close the door quietly on the way out.’ Or ‘Close the door gently when you leave’. That puts an entirely different picture in the mind of the child. In their inner mind they see themselves closing the door very quietly. And as they approach the door, they can recall that neural impression.
The mind in hypnosis is like that of a child, in terms of executive function. It’s important to understand that it’s much easier to follow positive directions.
