What is Suggestibility?

According to Dr. John Kappas, an outstanding authority in the field of hypnosis, suggestibility is the way in which we receive information. It is formed in childhood. Determining suggestibility is important to the success of hypnotizing the subject.

Dr. Kappas' Theory of Suggestibility has been revolutionary to the field of hypnosis because it states that everyone, who is of sound mind and body, can be hypnotized. Prior to his theory, it was thought that about 60% of the population could not be hypnotized to the depth necessary to achieve results. The Kappas theory states that some people predominately take in information in a very literal and direct way, while others predominately take in information inferentially, or look for the meaning behind the words. Through his work, Kappas found that words have different meanings to different people. Since hypnosis is created by words, understanding how the words will be received by the client is an important and necessary step. Both for creating the state of hypnosis and having suggestions take effect for the client, understanding suggestibility is paramount for the Hypnotherapist. As a major contributor to the field and to the hundreds of thousands of lives he helped change, Kappas definitely takes on an important role in the history of hypnosis.

How is suggestibility determined?

This is a key factor in successfully hypnotizing the client. Also, for true effectiveness in helping to achieve the client's goals, knowing and understanding their suggestibility is a must. For the client, it is important, as well, to understand about their own suggestibility so that they can more easily work with themselves using various tools for success. Usually, to determine the suggestibility of the client, the Hypnotherapist will give various "tests" to the client. These "tests" have no right or wrong answers and usually consist of certain physical movements performed by the client or answering a series of "yes" or "no" questions.