Don’t Turn into a Chicken

“Don’t turn into a chicken,” a friend warned when I had to bounce from a group chat to log in to my upcoming hypnosis training session. Right now, the chicken transformation bit is top of the list as far as reactions of friends and framily to my new adventure in learning hypnosis. In a three-way tie for second place are:

“Can you make people bark like a dog?”

“You’re getting veeeerrrrryyyy sleeeeepppppyyyy” and

“Look into my eyes!”

Once we get the funny stuff out of the way, though, we move into:

“Can you hypnotize me so I won’t snack in the middle of the night?”

“Can you help me stop smoking?” and

“Can I be a practice client?”

As a lifelong learner and experimenter, this isn’t the first time I’ve made an ask for test subjects upon whom I can test whatever new thing I’m trying out. With gratitude, I can report there’s tended to be a high level of willingness to play. This is the first time, though, where I’m getting volunteers before I’ve even asked. There’s something about hypnosis that draws people in. It’s mysterious. It’s weird. It’s different. People are curious about how it works, does it work, is it really like what you see in the movies or on TV. I mean, when you think about it, the idea that you can simply sit in a chair, go into a trance, and emerge with issues solved is pretty intriguing. And I get it, I’m all about maximizing my results while minimizing my effort!

Hypnosis wasn’t even on my radar until a year or so ago. My husband and I had had a scary near-miss with an 18-wheeler while driving to O’Hare a few years ago (I was on the death side and could see it coming right up until the near-miss part). As a directionally challenged person, driving in new places or challenging traffic patterns has always been a little bit fraught, but this near-miss sent me from some occasional steering wheel clenching to full-on panic. After a solo trip to upstate New York left my nerves in tatters (it was the Taconic Parkway (NY) in a downpour — I do NOT recommend), I knew I needed to do something. My usual tricks — mindfulness, slow breathing, etc. — weren’t budging this feeling of absolute dread and panic. When the usual doesn’t work, you look to the unusual, and for me; that was hypnotherapy.

I wasn’t sure what to expect and was maybe a teeny bit disappointed to learn my session would be conducted in a doctor’s office. In the session itself, there was no mesmerizing gold watch on a chain dangled in front of my face, no “Twilight Zone” spiral spinning, and not once did my hypnotist utter the phrase, “You are getting very sleepy.” My hypnotist and I had a nice conversation, she reviewed my intake forms, asked some questions, and then we got down to business. I was not asleep, I did not wake up disoriented; in fact, other than feeling rested and refreshed I didn’t feel significantly different. My first question afterward was, “How many sessions will I need?” Surprisingly, the answer was, “I don’t know. You may be fine after just this one session. Or you may find you need to come back. Everyone is different.” I walked out skeptical, still convinced there was no way I would be able to shift this issue with only one session.

Over a year later, I no longer have panic issues while driving. I never went back for a second session. A month ago, I started hypnosis training. I’m hoping it will be a helpful addition to my toolkit. It’s also been a killer creative and divergent thinking boost!

Like my first hypnosis session, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the training. I had experienced the process and still had no insight into how that process worked. Do hypnotists use scripts; this one for smokers who want to quit, this one for midnight snackers? Is there a specific process you have to follow to hypnotize someone? Like my hypnosis session, the answers I’ve found so far have surprised me, especially learning just how unscripted and deeply creative practicing hypnosis is.

It isn’t completely free-wheeling, there are frameworks for what types of things should happen and when they should happen in a session. What’s emphasized frequently in training, though, is these are guidelines; they are not scripts. We are given transcripts of our instructors’ sessions to use as inspiration and exemplars, but the power of hypnosis comes from listening deeply, asking curious questions to understand what changes a client wants and why. A hypnotist takes this knowledge and then begins weaving words, tone, metaphor, and imagery together in a way that creates a compelling story to influence their subconscious mind. Outlines and frameworks are just the bare bones, the hypnotist determines the details of the story and how to tell it in just the right way to show the client how they will be, how they will feel, what they will do. And much of this is done in the moment.

As in my session, there is a bit of pre-talk and conversation before beginning hypnosis. Often there are forms completed ahead of the actual session, giving the hypnotist an idea of what is needed. The session itself, though, is a bit like improv — taking the bits of information and synthesizing on the fly to paint a word picture, a story, of whatever success looks and feels like for each client. Even as a novice, in our training practice we are encouraged to see each part of the process — even just the classic counting down to deeper relaxation — as an opportunity for creative word crafting. How might I weave a client’s desire for eating more healthfully into this part of the framework? What metaphors would resonate most deeply? How can I shift my tone of voice, my pacing of speech to emphasize my words?

Similar to improv, there’s a lot of laughter — at least there is in my training. The other night we were paired up to practice what should have been a couple of simple counting techniques. Simple if you can count and you’re not also trying to take two sentences of what someone wants “more of” and spontaneously generate meaningful patter! Remembering whether I was counting up or counting down, while I was also trying to tap into meaningful metaphors and phrasing proved pretty challenging. I saw my partner smile, but he kindly still kept his eyes closed, when I went from 9 to 6. When it was his turn and he went from 10 to 3, he just broke out in laughter. And like improv, we laughed, we re-grouped, we started over and created anew.

Creativity is all around us and often found in places where we weren’t expecting it, or even seeking it. When it finds us unawares in those unlikely places, it’s almost like seeing it through new eyes. I’ve never been a fan of improv or, frankly, being spontaneous in general. I’m a planner, a closet organizer. This hypnosis thing is stretching me creatively in ways I could not have imagined. In seeking to find a new skill, I’ve also found new flexibility and fluidity in my thinking, and a fresh appreciation for my creativity.

It’s a pretty cool bonus.

And so far I haven’t turned into a chicken.

Win. Win.