[Neurons] 2010 Meta Reflections #14

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections - 2010 - #14

March 29,  2010

 

JUST HOW REAL IS HYPNOSIS, ANYWAY?

 

You may have notice a little comment that I tucked away in the last Meta
Reflection, many did.  And quite a few wrote and asked me about it.  What
did I really mean by the comment that "too many people think that hypnosis
is real"?  How come you don't refer often to Milton Erickson since he was a
key contributor to NLP?  The one I liked best was: What does your
unconscious mind think about hypnosis? :)

 

First a little historical trip down memory lane.  At the beginning, NLP did
not begin with Erickson, but Perls and Satir and as the co-founders
attempted to model "the magic" that they were doing with their words in
terms of effecting tremendous transformation in the lives of people.  And
they began their modeling by using two models from Cognitive Psychology.
Did you know that?  That, by the way, is why and how NLP is a Cognitive
Psychology Model.

 

First they used Noam Chomsky's Transformational Grammar (TG).  Actually, Mr.
G. was looking for some way to popularize his understanding of TG.  Just two
years prior to "The Meta-Model of Language in Therapy" (today simply
referred to as the Meta-Model) Mr. G. wrote with Suzette Haden Guide to
Transformational Grammar: History, Theory, Practice.(1)  Read that book and
discover for yourself that in it are nearly all of the distinctions in the
Meta-Model.  So when John met Richard who was mimicking Perls and Satir, he
found a great context for using and promoting TG.

 

The second source of NLP in Cognitive Psychology was the extensive use of
George Miller's Plan and Structure of Behavior (1960) which is where B. & G.
got the TOTE model.  And both of these men, George Miller and Noam Chomsky
are credited with founding the Cognitive Psychology Movement in 1956.  From
modeling how the original magicians did their magic came the two volumes of
The Structure of Magic (1975, 1976).

 

It was only after these original formulations of the NLP Model that Bateson
pointed B.&G. to Erickson as someone they should meet.  And from this came
the next two books, the two volumes of Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques
of Milton H. Erickson (1976, 1977).  Now at first Mr. B. said that
"everything is hypnosis" and Mr. G. said that "nothing is hypnosis."  And
they were both right.

 

So what is hypnosis and is it real?  Hypnosis is simply a state of mind- a
highly focused state of mind.  That's why it is actually an everyday
occurrence for everybody.  Hypnosis is also an altered state, again,
something that we all experience everyday.  That's why a trance state of
hypnosis occurs when we drive on the highway, step into an elevator, wait
for a traffic light, find a seat in a movie theater, etc.

 

Now for the tricky question, Is it real?  Ah, "real!"  Do you mean that it
can be quantified by the same science that has brought us most of the
technological marvels of the Industrial and Information Ages?  Then no, it
is not real.  We can't even prove the existence of the "mind" by
quantitative science let alone a focused or altered mind.  Do you mean that
the hypnotic state is a subjective phenomenon that you and I can experience
and learn how to experience more fully to obtain various results?  Then yes,
it is real in that way.

 

But NLP is not hypnosis.  NLP modeled hypnotic processes, language patterns,
and numerous hypnotic states for healing, psychotherapy, wellness, sports
excellence, and the genius state of flow.  NLP as a Communication Model has
used, and continues to use, various hypnotic linguistic and non-linguistic
patterns.  All of the 77 NLP Patterns that I put in The Sourcebook of Magic
Volume I are essentially hypnotic processes, so are the 143 Meta-State
patterns in Volume II.

 

Hypnosis mostly works by words, by language.  Yes, there is pacing and
leading using breath and movements and posture.  Yet the most powerful
hypnotic tool that you can learn and use lies in language.  Now by words you
can do all kinds of magical things.  By words you can invite people on
various kinds of inner journeys and that is the power of "hypnotic language
patterns."

 

We can use words that carry ourselves and others away to wild and wonderful
places- places of enchantment, places of excitement, possibility, wonder,
value, meaning, and sadly, we can also take people to places of mediocrity,
boredom, skepticism, irritation, anger, depression.  We can induce all kinds
of hypnotic states.

 

Yet none of these things or places are real- you can't call up your favorite
travel agency and book a ticket on United or Lufthansa or Virgin or
Singapore Air.  Nor is there a train going there or a Cruise ship.  Instead,
they are entities of the mind- "the communication world" (to use Gregory
Bateson's terminology).

 

While it is not externally real, hypnosis does describe the very real
subjective states that can enhance or diminish our lives.  In fact, given
all of the unresourceful and sabotaging states we humans create and live in,
this is why de-hypnotizing is ever bit as important as hypnotizing (probably
more so).  After all, it is by certain words and linguistic expressions that
so many people today are living out various post-hypnotic suggestions that
they heard or invented in childhood which is making their lives living
hells: "You'll never amount to anything!"  "What's wrong with you?  You must
be stupid or something!"  "You don't deserve to succeed!"

 

How real is hypnosis?  Empirically, not real at all.  It doesn't exist.
Subjectively, it is one description, one model, one theory, one way to map
out how our minds-emotions work.  It is not a panacea; it can't do
everything.  It is just a way of talking about our states and meta-states.
And when you know that, you know about the power of meta-trance which also
isn't real, but can be a powerful tool for actualizing your highest and
best.

 

(1) Grinder, John T.; Elgin, Suzette Haden. (1973).  Guide to
transformational grammar: History, theory, practice.  NY: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, Inc.   "We had intended to call this book The Demystification of
Transformational Grammar." (p. xi)

 

 




 

Trainers' Training ---  International Certification for Training and
Certifying NLP and Neuro-Semantics 

If your are interested in NSTT ---- the details are:

            June 19 - July 3, 2010

            Grand Junction Colorado

            Lead by L. Michael Hall, Colin Cox, and Omar Salom

            Write Dr. Hall, meta at acsol.net for Information, Brochure, and
Registration forms.

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

(ISNS) International Society of Neuro-Semantics

The International Meta-Coach System

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA

1 970-523-7877

      <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com 

       <http://www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com/>
www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com 

       <http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org

       <http://www.meta-coaching.org/> www.meta-coaching.org

       www.meta-coachfoundation.org 

       <http://www.ns-video.com/> www.ns-video.com 

 

To sign up for a free subscription to the egroup of Neuro-Semantics
(Neurons) go to  <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com ---
you can  subscribe and unsubscribe there.   Meta Reflection articles by Dr.
Hall are sent out every Monday and meta-Coach Reflections sent out every
Wednesdday to the Meta-Coaches egroup.  Contact Dr. Hall at  meta@ acsol.net


 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://eight.pairlist.net/pipermail/neurons/attachments/20100329/053df01c/attachment.htm>