What are Suggestions?

Designed specifically by the Hypnotherapist when working with the client, these are statements of the positive nature that help the client meet their specific goals. The specific suggestions the client receives are based on the client's desires, wants, and needs. Suggestions are always framed positively because negatively phrased suggestions have not been found effective in eliminating destructive habits, changing behaviors, or whatever the case may be. Suggestions may be phrased either directly or inferentially, based on the client's type of suggestibility. For example, a direct suggestion for fear of public speaking might be, "When you stand up and speak in front of others, you'll find the fear will diminish." A more inferential suggestion might be, "You'll calmly express your knowledge, feeling very comfortable, the harder you try to bring up the fear of public speaking, the more it will diminish."

A suggestion can be accepted immediately by the subconscious mind and be there for life. More often, the Hypnotherapist needs to work with the Law of Repetition to insure that the suggestion has been accepted. This is especially true when dealing with a long term habit.

A post-hypnotic suggestion is simply a suggestion that is given in hypnosis that can affect the behavior of the client at some future point in the client's waking state. This is particularly used to help create new behavior when the desired intent is to discard an old, destructive habit, such as smoking.

Suggestions are not always readily accepted by the subconscious mind. Even when the Hypnotherapist has determined suggestibility, an abreaction can occur.  This abreaction can present itself as a movement of some kind in the hand or foot, a scratch, a frown, a yawn. Repeating the suggestion or saying it in a different way at a later session may be necessary before the subconscious will accept it.    

Sometimes, the effect of suggestions does not take place until days, weeks, even months later. Or, the result of the suggestion may not actually occur until the exact situation presents itself.  For example, the client may not feel calm when they think about taking the test, but the moment that they are there, picking up their writing utensil to write the answers, the calm about taking the test is present. This is an example of the Law of Delayed Action.

The Law of Repetition:

This law is used frequently in hypnosis. You get better at going into hypnosis, the more frequently you practice it. By repeating a suggestion over and over, a new conditioned response can be achieved.

The Law of Association:

This law, in conjunction with Law of Repetition, is what helps make hypnosis effective. In the repetition of chosen key words that help describe the state for self-hypnosis, these words become associated with the feeling state of hypnosis.