Hypnosis and Relaxation  

© Stephen P. Jefferson 2001

This section is for entertainment purposes only.  It is not meant to be a definitive guide to the mind.  The following text and examples are based on personal experiences that occurred over a period of years.

     If you are interested in learning a little about hypnosis, this is where to begin. We could spend a lot of time on the theory of hypnosis but in the end you will discover it is only words and the delivery of words that causes a peculiar state of mind to exist that allows a person to sometimes do extraordinary things. Do take the time to look for a few good books on various techniques and theories as you will begin to find the human mind is a mysterious place and it always good to find another point of view.

     We would like to get sidetracked a bit here for a moment.  Recent developments in the Great State Of Indiana concerning Certification of Hypnotists has come to our attention and we have addressed it here.  If you are interested in this sidebar, please click below.

Click here to read about the Certification Of Hypnotists in Indiana 

     We have a short history of hypnotism prepared for our readers.  It is always nice to be able to understand what started a movement.  Take a few moments to read this page.

Click here to read A Short History of Hypnosis

     To begin a study of hypnosis, you must first learn about relaxation and how to comfortably relax others. Until you are comfortable working with someone else, it would be difficult to pursue the subject for any reason other than for self relaxation. Working with other people (Known to hypnotists as "Subjects") is best done with someone like a good friend as you begin this journey. It is a quiet subject and you need to practice the "patter" (Term used to describe the text and pattern of speech used by hypnotists) to gain a certain cadence or chanting quality with your voice. The classes I attended back many years ago required us to practice on fellow students. If you can get past that bit of uncomfortable feeling then you are on your way.

     We also worked within the "Code Of Ethics" and the list of "Responsibilities" that were written in the early 1960s by the founders of the now defunct "Indiana Society For Ethical Hypnotists".  If you are going to be working with others then I might suggest that you print off the ethics and responsibility pages and take a few moments to read them. Bear in mind that these were written many years ago and sound somewhat dated as compared to what is politically correct today but these were written by the group which probably had more women in it than men and the core beliefs are never out of date.

Click here to read and print the Code of Ethics

Click here to read and print the Responsibilities

    If you are going to learn to put people, including yourself, into a sleep or trance or meditative state or whatever you choose to call it, you first need to learn how to wake them up! It is very important to first learn the following "Awakening Patter" to gently wake up someone who is off on a journey before you learn how to get them there. The second or "Relaxation Patter" will help you achieve a comfortable level of relaxation.  Practice with both of the following patters until you can recite them by heart. 

Click here to read and print the Awakening Patter

Click here to read and print the Relaxation Patter

     It sometimes helps to use a tape recorder so you can be your own critic. Your partner in this is also a potential critic. Ask the partner to be honest and work with you towards your goal of developing a soft, gentle, delivery of your words. Remember, at this point we are just learning to relax. After you have become comfortable with this part of relaxation/hypnosis you can move on to other subjects.

     In between Relaxation and Awakening, there are many areas of the mind to explore such as ESP and reincarnation which are probably the 2 most popular subjects with lay-hypnotists.  There were people in our group that worked within the medical community to help with childbirth, dentistry, and just about anything concerning pain.  

     To explore these areas it helps to perform "Deepening" techniques and cause the subjects to move to a deeper or more intense trance/sleep state.  We have put a few of these to text for your study.  There are elevator trips up to higher levels to awareness.  There are elevator trips down to the basement of relaxation.  There are golden stairways to walk up and beings to talk to.  One of the most effective techniques to perform after deepening would be to have the subject build a mental movie screen to see whatever it is they are looking for during the session.  Two or three pages here doesn't do the subject justice.

Click here to read and print the Deepening Patters

     If you have multiple people involved in your studies it sometimes is helpful and also fun to perform Suggestibility Test to see who is a better candidate for your studies.  We will link to the page so you can read and print a couple of these patters and let you decide whether you want to or need to use them.

Click here to read and print the Suggestibility Tests

Click here for a variety of Patters for you to use

Click here for a short dictionary of hypnosis terms

     Take your time and study.  Stay positive in your approach and always positive with your suggestions.  There are a multitude of books available to aid you in this discovery. Good luck.

Home