Does Practicing Hypnosis Require Silence?

Do you really need silence to do hypnosis?

People sure seem to think so. Our students often tell us they were taught that hypnosis requires concentration (true), and that noise is a major distraction.  Therefore, you need a really quiet environment to work with someone in hypnosis.  

Sounds like good advice, except that it just isn’t true!

In this blog post and accompanying videos, you’ll learn:

• How we’re able to hypnotize people even in the most noisy environments.
• How to incorporate noise into hypnosis.
• How to learn hypnosis at the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy, so you can hypnotize anyone in almost any situation.

Incorporation - Making Every Sound Hypnotic

“And as you hear the sound of that subway train rolling down the track, it’s a simple thing to allow yourself to roll into an even more comfortable trance.”

Our CEO, Chris Thompson, improvised this segment of Ericksonian hypnotic language in the video below. In a single sentence, Chris managed to use a variety of Ericksonian hypnosis techniques, such as linkages, unspecified verbs and even an embedded command, marked in bold letters at the end.

But the most important thing is that Chris showed us an example of incorporation of background noises into a hypnotic induction. Not only that, he incorporated the subway setting by repeating the word “roll” in his embedded command. 

Well-trained hypnotists use these clever ways of incorporating the elements of the environment into what they’re doing. It’s almost impossible to find a place where there are no potentially distracting noises in the background. To get around this problem, you simply suggest that each and every noise the subject hears will relax them even deeper and take them deeper into trance.

Of course, we’re talking about the common background sounds that exist in almost every environment. Even now, as you’re reading this article, you may become aware of subtle noises where you are that you hadn’t noticed until now. These sounds might become a distraction for hypnosis subjects, especially if they’re hyper-analytical, and that’s why we incorporate them.

Highly disturbing noises in the environment, like the sound of a marching band or a jack hammer, may be incorporated too. But honestly, we’d recommend doing that only if you had no other choice. In some cases, these sounds may become so annoying they’ll disrupt the hypnosis process, because neither you nor the subject will be able to withstand them.

Mike’s Stage Hypnosis Show: Dealing With The “Noise”

Back in the day, some stage hypnotists would have assistants constantly remind the audience to remain as quiet as possible. This was due to the old school belief that hypnosis requires absolute silence to work. As you’ve learned with this blog post, that’s not the case at all.

Mike Mandel, our head instructor, was a stage hypnotist for many years. The videos below are from one of his many awesome performances. Pay attention and notice how modern hypnosis shows are far from quiet.

The loud reactions of the audience, which include laughter, applause and expressions of surprise, actually help improve the volunteer’s performance. These sounds are automatically incorporated, because they mean the audience is feeling amused and enjoying the show.