Richard Bandler - Trance–formations. Neuro–Linguistic Programming™ and the Structure of Hypnosis

There are several advantages to presenting instructions in this way. One big advantage is that you don't have to know what you are talking about. You don't have to know details about another person's life in order to give a set of content–free process instructions that will be useful. If someone comes in with a problem, you can give process instructions to "Search through your personal history at the unconscious level, taking time to identify a particular resource that could be of use to you now in dealing with this difficulty." You do not specify what the "resource" will be, only that the person will find one. You don't specify the "problem" and you don't even need to know what it is!

A second advantage is that process instructions engage and occupy the listener in a very active way, because the listener has to fill in the content that you leave out. A third advantage is that the other person's integrity is completely respected. You are never going to introduce inappropriate content for her, because you are not introducing any content at all.

For those of you who know the Meta–Model, it may help you to know that the verbal patterns of hypnosis, including process instructions, are the inverse of the Meta–Model. The Meta–Model is a way of precisely specifying experience. Using the Meta–Model, if a client comes in and says "I'm scared" my response is "Of what?" I ask this in order to get more specific content information about what's missing.

If I'm giving process instructions, I am deliberately unspecific. I leave pieces out in order to give the client the maximum opportunity to fill in the missing pieces in the way most meaningful to her or him.

You can recall examples of this in what we did following many of the inductions we demonstrated earlier. We said things like "And you can allow your unconscious to present you with some memory from the past that you can enjoy. …" I hope that you have a general sense of what process instructions are. (If you want to learn the specific language patterns you can use to build process instructions, see Appendix

II.)

One language pattern, presuppositions, is so important I want to mention it here. Jane, would you come here a minute? Do you know that there have been times in your life when you've been in a deep trance state?

Jane: I'm not sure. I think I'm in one now.

Today would you prefer that I do a verbal or nonverbal induction

to

take you into a deep trance? Jane: Verbal.

All right. Would you prefer to do it now or would you like for me to describe to everyone else what I am going to do before I begin? Jane: Describe it first.

What was the technique I just used with Jane? Man: Giving her choices.

I was giving her choices. However, what was common about all the choices I was offering her?

Man: That she would go into an altered state.

Yes. They presupposed the outcome that I was interested in. "Would you prefer I do a verbal or nonverbal induction to put you into a deep trance?" It doesn't matter which one she says. She has now accepted a world where very shortly she is going to find herself in a trance. "Would you prefer that I induce the trance now, or shall I explain what I am going to do first to the rest of the audience?" Again, the presupposition is that she is going into a trance; the question is whether she'll go now or in a few moments. I create what Erickson calls an illusion of choice—a , false sense of alternatives. That is, she really can choose between verbal or nonverbal, and now or after I finish the explanation. However, all of the alternatives that i am offering her have in common the response that I want, namely a trance. If you were watching, you know that she began to go into a trance before I had a chance to do anything. In a way I agree with Jane. She was in an altered state when she arrived up here and sat down.

Example I: Now I'm going to continue and give you a simple example of a process instruction. Tm going to continue to use presuppositions, as well as the other hypnotic language patterns.

Jane, would you form a really vivid mental image of a particular place that you find restful, maybe a place where you once took an extremely pleasurable vacation. And I trust that your unconscious mind can make a distinction between . . , (He faces Jane.) when I direct my words to you, specifically … (He turns his head to the audience.) and when I direct my words elsewhere… . And I request of your unconscious mind … that it take only those portions of what I offer … directed toward you, which are appropriate . . , for your needs … and respond to those in a way … tailored to your particularly appropriate desires for the task at hand.

And while you are there … Jane … enjoying that particular place and time … I would very much appreciate it if your unconscious mind … would select …a fragment … of a particularly amusing … experience … perhaps one … that you had forgotten about … so that in a few moments, with your permission … when I reach over and … touch you on the right shoulder … you suddenly … remember something of interest and amusing pleasure … that you haven't thought about in years… . (He touches her shoulder.) En …joy… . (Jane smiles broadly; audience laughs.) Really enjoy it! Our past experiences … are a source of constant amusement. And once you've enjoyed it … fully … go ahead and allow yourself to settle into a comfortable state… . When you have that sense of refreshment … please drift back and rejoin us here … so that your conscious mind …as well as your unconscious mind … can be engaged in the learning process… . (He changes to normal speaking voice.) Thank you, Jane.

Is it clear how I just used process instructions with Jane? I asked her to think first of a restful place, and then to think of a pleasurable experience from the past. If I had simply said it that way, however, I wouldn't have gotten the intense response you just observed in Jane's change in expression. As we said at the beginning, hypnosis can be

thought simply as an amplifier of experience.

Example 2; Now I'm going to get a little more complicated. Let's pretend that 1 just walked up to Liz here, and said "Hello, my name is Richard Bandler" and extended my hand. (He does this as he says it.) As her hand comes up, I've already got an unconscious response. Now I need a way to amplify it and utilize it. I might take her wrist and turn her palm toward her face and say "Look at your hand." That gives her a program to replace the one I've just interrupted.

"Watch the changing focus … of your eyes … as you see the tops of your lids slowly move down … over … eyes … only as fast as you become aware of that need to blink. Take all the time you need, and allow your hand to go down only as fast … as you become completely relaxed … in your own special way. And it isn't important how fast that hand goes down. It's only important that it goes down … at the same rate … and speed … that the other hand begins …to liftup.

Because there's something that you want to learn about . , . and it isn't really important that anyone but you knows what that special learning is, because your unconscious mind has known … all along … and if you're going to learn about it, it will be important … slow down!… to learn about it in a balanced way… . And your unconscious mind knows what kind of balance will be necessary… . That's right — — It's so useful and it's really so important …to allow your unconscious mind …to give you , . . the opportunity … and ask it for your own meanings … to make changes and to have a learning experience … and new understandings … which you can use … for yourself … in some way … which will be … beneficial to you as an individual human being… .