There are many different reasons why someone might choose to learn rapid inductions and stage and street hypnosis skills. Whether you’re a hypnotherapist, a hobbyist looking to use hypnosis for fun, or even if you’re considering a career as a stage hypnotist at some point, here’s what you’re going to get in terms of tangible benefits when you learn the aforementioned skills:
#1 – The ability to deeply hypnotise people really fast
#2 – A way to test how hypnotically responsive anyone is before you hypnotise them
#3 – A huge boost in your confidence as a hypnotist/hypnotherapist
#4 – The ability to do hypnosis without needing a ‘script’
#5 – Enhanced creativity and flexibility with your hypnosis abilities
#6 – All-important practical experience and feedback from hypnotising real people
#7 – A life-changing realisation that hypnosis can be amazing and even fun
So, let’s take a look at those 7 points in a bit more detail.
#1 – The benefits of rapid inductions and hypnotising fast
Obviously, with me being the ‘rapid induction guru’ (my students words, not mine), of course I’m going to tell you that there are benefits to learning rapid inductions, because, well, there are! However, it’s not just me and the ‘stage/street hypnosis lot’, who use them. In fact, many thousands of hypnotherapists all across the world actively use rapid inductions within their hypnotherapy sessions. This is because rapid inductions are simply a different way of hypnotising people, and they are not solely reserved for stage and street hypnosis (although this is where they used to be primarily used).
As you may already know, all hypnosis is self hypnosis, this means no matter what kind of Induction you use to hypnotise somebody, they will be going into their own individual state of hypnosis. Whether a progressive hypnotic induction, an eye-fixation induction, the Dave Elman induction, or any kind of rapid induction, what you get at the end is your client or volunteer in a state of hypnosis – their own state of hypnosis.
I like to think of the hypnotic trance state as a room with many doors that lead inside. Some of the doors into the room of hypnosis lead in through progressively long corridors, where as some of the corridors only take a couple of minutes or even seconds to traverse. These corridors, as I’m sure you realise, are a simple metaphor for the various types and durations of hypnotic induction, but, they all lead to the same place; hypnosis.
As a hypnotist of any kind, it is important to have a range of different tools in your toolkit, not only when delivering hypnotic suggestions for fun or therapy, but also to create the state of hypnosis itself. Some of the most flexible and effective hypnotists and hypnotherapists in the world will use different inductions for different people, and depending on the scenario or situation that they’re hypnotising in.
Sometimes you will need to hypnotise fast because you don’t have time to do anything but that. Other times, you may have somebody who doesn’t feel that they can relax or visualise, both of which are components of standard progressive type inductions. But what happens when you can’t do what you normally would do? Well, if you understand how to use different types of inductions, including rapid inductions, then you will always be able to do something in order to get your clients or volunteers into hypnosis.
This is why rapid inductions are so valuable to any hypnotist or hypnotherapist.
#2 – Why learning suggestibility testing will enhance your hypnotic abilities
Even before you decide which type of hypnotic induction you’re going to use with someone, wouldn’t it be great to know whether they’re going to respond well to your suggestions? Of course it would! And this is where suggestibility testing comes in to the mix.
Again, as with rapid inductions, this is a skill that was originally used primarily by stage/street hypnotists, in order to select the most suggestible volunteers from an audience. Nowadays, it is still used for this, but it is also an approach used by professional hypnotherapists whilst working with their clients.
By utilising suggestibility test methods, you learn whether a person is able to follow hypnotic suggestions, whether they are able to visualise, if they can respond to IMR (ideo-motor response) type suggestions, and much more.
Suggestibility testing is also a great way for building rapport, to convince people that they can respond to hypnotic suggestions before you’ve even hypnotised them, and they are a fantastic warm up to get people engaged in the hypnosis process. They’re even great for demonstration purposes too!
To be a fantastic hypnotist or hypnotherapist, it helps to tailor your hypnotic process to the individual or individuals that you have in front of you. Suggestibility testing helps you to do just that, which is why, in my opinion, it is an integral skill of any good hypnotist or hypnotherapist.
#3 – Building confidence by expanding your hypnosis skills beyond ‘the norm’
Some students of hypnosis and hypnotherapy will only learn what they are told they should learn by the first person/book/school that teaches them. Sometimes, these schools, trainers or authors will suggest that you should learn as much as you can, and have many different tools in your toolkit, even if you have to go elsewhere to learn them. These are the types of hypnotic role models and influencers that I like, and that I aspire to be myself. I hope all people who practice hypnosis are able to continue to add to and build upon their existing skills, in order to master the art of hypnosis and hypnotherapy.
In contrast, there are some hypnosis and hypnotherapy teachers who will say; “you only need to learn what I’m going to teach you now. You don’t need anything else, ever. Stick to our methods and never deviate from them.” These are the types of hypnotic role models and influencers that I very much dislike, and who are limiting the progress and the confidence of the people they teach. Not to mention limiting the results that can be achieved by doing things in a slightly different way!
As I always say to my students and colleagues, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. It’s a gross analogy, I know, but it’s the truth. Learning new methods that are outside of your original scope of training (and your comfort zone) is a fantastic idea. You may not necessarily use them all the time, and of course, you may fall back on what it is that you usually do the majority of the time. However, sometimes you will need to do things differently, and just like with the rapid inductions, if you don’t have those tools in your toolkit, then you’re stuck in limbo!
So, right here and right now I am giving you permission, if you feel that you need it, to go out and learn new skills that you can use within your hypnosis demonstrations or hypnotherapy sessions. By learning and integrating new skills, knowledge and practical experience, you will become a better hypnotic professional.
By learning, and more importantly understanding, how and why to do things differently, this will, by default, increase your confidence immeasurably. In the case of this blog, and the topic of stage and street hypnosis skills, there are many concepts and methods that are used on a daily basis, that the ‘average’ hypnotherapist or hypno-hobbyist may be unaware of, but that can help improve their confidence dramatically. Point #4 is a great example of this…
#4 – Freedom from the dreaded ‘hypnosis script’
Many newbies to the world of hypnosis and hypnotherapy learn what to say using hypnosis scripts. Unfortunately though, a great many of these individuals aren’t taught what to do in order to start creating scripts for themselves, let alone how to start working script-free.
Look at any good stage/street hypnotist, and you’ll notice that there is no script in sight. So, how do they know what to say in order to achieve the results that they get? What wizardry is this?
Well, these entertainment hypnotists most likely used scripts in the first place (out of the public eye), in order to get an understanding of how to achieve the results that they want. And that’s fine. But what they go on to do differently to many hypnotherapists and hobbyists, is they learn why the scripted suggestion is creating the result that it does, and when they understand why it works, they are able to replicate the results using their own words and suggestions – script free!
It’s like that scene in the Matrix, where Neo sees that everything is made up of binary code. Once you know the code, you are able to create your own reality, or in this case, your own hypnotic suggestions.
Any old shmuck can read a script to somebody to hypnotise them and have them respond in a certain way, whether for fun or for therapy. You don’t need any training for that. So long as you can read, you can do it. But reading a script is not the same as understanding why you are saying whatever it is you are saying.
By learning both rapid inductions and stage and street hypnosis skills, you get an opportunity to start delivering suggestions without needing a script. And if you’re the kind of person that up until now has used scripts, that idea may at first seem a bit daunting, because it is. I know this because I used to be where you are! However, even if you are nervous of stepping outside your comfort zone and the momentary discomfort that you will overcome, imagine the benefits. Imagine a future where you can simply just ‘do’ it. Imagine just how freeing it will be when you are confident in your own abilities as a master of hypnotic suggestion.
Feels like that’ll be pretty good, doesn’t it?
#5 – Becoming more creative and flexible with stage and street hypnosis approaches and ideas
By learning the skills of the stage and street hypnotist, you get the opportunity to be more creative and flexible whilst delivering suggestions to people you’ve hypnotised. For example, you might notice someone responds to a suggestion in a certain way, and then you decide to create suggestions to build upon the way that they’re responding.
(…and there’s not a script for that!)
Just like a comedian talking to the audience and making the interaction funny, so too a good hypnotist or hypnotherapist will be able to build upon what happens during hypnosis, in order to make it an even better, funnier, or more meaningful experience.
Now, this isn’t something that most hypnotherapists will learn to do on any course. In fact, it is something that is quite tricky to teach from a purely theoretical perspective. However, it is an important skill to learn nonetheless, and by far the best way to develop this creativity and flexibility is by getting practice delivering hypnotic suggestions and thinking on your feet.
With stage/street hypnosis skills under your belt, you learn to lean in to your curiosity. You may think; “I wonder what would happen if I suggest XYZ result”. But rather than just wondering, you can try it and see what happens. Sometimes you get exactly the result that you’re looking for. Other times you get a different result, whether positive, negative or neutral. The thing that you will always get however, is an increase in your confidence, your flexibility and your creativity.
So, be curious. Learn to experiment and test what can be done with hypnosis. Your clients and volunteers will appreciate it in the long run, for sure!
#6 – The opportunity to practice hypnotising a range of individuals in a friendly, supportive environment
It can be quite daunting to just go out and practice doing hypnosis, especially if you don’t have much experience, if you’re unsure of a new approach that you’d like to practice, or if you don’t have people who can just easily practice with, like friends and family. This is where a really good short course can be super helpful.
On my rapid induction courses, and my stage and street hypnosis training weekends, attendees are very often blown away by just how easy it is to get practice and to develop confidence using these methods. That’s why people will often come back time after time, just to get more practice, as well as having a fun time with a group of like-minded individuals.
It is vitally important to get practice and feedback in order that you can grow your skills, knowledge, understanding and confidence. If you are able to go out and start practicing right away, without attending a course (whether my own or any other ones), then I recommend that you do it. Step outside of your comfort zone, because that’s where the magic happens.
If, however, you don’t have the opportunity to get practice elsewhere, then a short course is a really good and affordable option to do just that.
Again, in my own experience, and drawing from the experiences of the thousands of people I’ve taught, learning practical hypnosis skills works best in person, in a supportive and friendly environment. So, when you’re ready, take the plunge and dive right in – it may be a little shock to the system initially, but when you get into the swing of things, you’ll never look back!
#7 – The benefits of knowing YOU can use hypnosis to have fun and demonstrate how awesome hypnosis can be
As well as all of the six benefits above that relate to your skills as a hypnotist or hypnotherapist, the final benefit is one that’s also super important. If you are any kind of hypnotist, it’s a given that you will have people asking you to show them what you can do. People will want to be hypnotised by you. They might even want to receive some fun suggestions in hypnosis (yes, even if you’re a hypnotherapist). This is where many people are ill-equipped to deliver, and this is especially true of a lot of hypnotherapists who will often shy away from such requests.
By learning stage and street hypnosis skills and rapid inductions, you will have a lot of things that you can do in order to demonstrate how awesome hypnosis is. This doesn’t mean that you have to go out and perform full stage hypnosis shows or street hypnosis performances, because you don’t need to! It might be that you simply do a suggestibility test with a group of people to show them the power of their minds. Perhaps you’ll demonstrate a rapid induction with a member of the public at an event, which can lead to getting more interest, and more hypnotherapy clients.
Whatever it is that you choose to do with the skills you learn and the confidence you develop, you can rest assured that you’ll have the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of hypnosis in any situation that presents itself.
I hope this blog has been helpful. If you have any questions about learning rapid inductions or stage and street hypnosis, simply get in touch with me personally because I’m always happy to help.
Otherwise, here is a list of resources that can help get you started and moving in the right direction.
- Stage & street hypnosis training weekend (In-person training)
- Rapid induction 1-day course (In-person training)
- Online stage & street hypnosis training (Online course)
- Online rapid induction training (Online course)
- The Stage & Street Hypnosis Handbook (Paperback/Hardback/Kindle)
- The Instant Hypnosis and Rapid Inductions Guidebook (Paperback/Hardback/Kindle)
