Aug 06, 2015

I hear these sentences a lot: "I don't think I can be hypnotized." "I've tried to get hypnotized but it didn't work." "I have too strong a mind to be hypnotized." Heck, I may have used some of these lines myself.

When I took my first hypnosis classes, the instructor thought it would be helpful if the entire class (8 of us, as far as I can recall) experienced hypnosis. 

Well, 7 of us did a pretty good job of going into some sort of hypnotic state. One of us didn't do so well, and that one was me.

So, we did it again. And then again, with pretty much the same results.

Finally, on the 4th try (this time with only me being hypnotized) it worked. The reason? Because I had a reason. A reason to be hypnotized.

The instructor asked if there was anything I wanted to accomplish with hypnosis. I told him that I wanted to find out why I didn't finish things that I started. So...

He had me hold some sort of pendulum, a crystal on a string as far as I can remember, and imagine it going side to side. Before long, it started going side to side. Then he had me imagine it going towards me and away from me, same result. Then, in a circle. Again, the crystal started to move.

As it was going around in a circle he had me imagine that my eyes were closing. The did, and the pendulum dropped from my hand. He did a few more "deepening" suggestions, and I found myself lazily slumping in the chair.

He then took me back to my childhood, first to 12 years old, then to 8 and finally to 5 years old.

He asked questions: "Are you indoors or outdoors?" "Outdoors" "Are you alone or with someone?" "My babysitter, who lives next door." "What's her name?" "I don't know which one it is." (There were two sisters next door and my 5 year old brain couldn't tell them apart.) "What are you doing?" "Coloring in a coloring book." "What is happening?" "My mommy just pulled into our driveway. She wants me to come home. I told her I want to stay and finish coloring my picture." "What does she say?" "If you stay and finish that you'll be in big trouble!"

So that was that. Success! Do I finish everything that I start? No. (But I now know who to blame!)

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