Dr Sidney Flowers Induction

Dr Sidney Flowers created an induction technique that involves counting. When a number is counted, the client closes then opens their eyes. This creates eye fatigue and the client will reach a point where they don’t want to keep their eyes open.

Handshake Induction

The handshake induction is a pattern interrupt where the hypnotist does an action that is different to what the client expects. There are three different versions from three different people:

  1. Dave Elman used three outcomes from shaking the client’s hand. One shake does X, second shake does Y and the third shake you will close your eyes.
  2. Richard Bandler takes the person’s hand so they can see it in front of their eyes or onto their head.
  3. Milton Erickson used slight touch and movement to effectively freeze the hand in place.

Bucket and Balloon Suggestibility Exercise

Relying on the body’s ideomotor response system, the bucket and balloon induction involves the client imagining a bucket of something heavy like concrete or water in one hand, and a balloon or bunch of balloons in the other. The client closes their eyes and imagines one hand getting lighter and the other heavier so that when they open their eyes, they can see their hands have changed position in front of them.

Arm Levitation

The subject closes their eyes and imagines that one hand is attached to a bunch of balloons and the other is holding a bucket of sand. As the hand holding the balloon rises as it gets lighter and the hand holding the bucket gets heavier, if the subject is a suitable candidate for the hypnotist, the arms should be in different positions.

Postural Sway

Postural Sway
Postural Sway

The subject stares at an point on the ceiling whilst standing with their head tilted back. The subject closes their eyes and is given the suggestion that they are falling or that the subject is aboard ship and the ship is rocking from side to side. The hypnotist is looking for movement in the body.

The Finger Vice

The hands are clasped together tightly, the index fingers are outstretched and the thumbs cross one another. One thumb is lifted and the subject stares at their thumb. This can be demonstrated as follows:

The fingers touch together and imaginary cotton is tied around the fingers to cause them to be bound together. The hypnotist then suggests that the fingers are bound tightly together “try and find you cannot, the harder you try the harder they clasp themselves together”

Once the hypnotist has an idea as to whom in his/her group is the most suggestible, he/she will mark the hands of those who are the best choice to work on stage.