WORKSHOP ON EYE FASCINATION BRUCE BONNETT I. What Is The Eye Fascination Induction? A. Professional Hypnotism Manual, by John Kappas, page 56 The eye fascination is one of the inductions most commonly over-used by the unsophisticated hypnotist. Its use should be limited to times when the subject s reactions give you a definite indication that it will work. For instance, if when interviewing a client, you notice that his eyes are having a tendency to fade or that his eyes are blinking or partially closing, it would give you a direct lead into the induction. Seat the subject in an upright position in a chair with his hands in his lap. Tell him to stare straight ahead, looking directly into a particular object or light. Make sure his eyes are tipping slightly upward in order to create fatigue of the eyes. Then begin to suggest rapidly and paternally that his eyelids are growing extremely heavy, and that soon they will have a tendency to close. Tell him when his eyelids close, he will enter a deep hypnotic sleep. Continue this pattern of simulating heaviness of the eyelids until you see them beginning to close, flutter, or flicker. At this time, you should be standing close to the subject, preferably at his side. Move your hand very rapidly to his forehead (without him seeing your hand) and touch him lightly with your finger, saying Deep Sleep! At that moment, push his hands off his lap to create a limp, loose feeling in his body. Then continue with a deepening procedure. 1
B. Bruce s Alternative Induction C. Additional/More Alternative Language 1. There will be a tendency for the eyes to blur or blink, getting heavier with every breath, heavier and heavier, and at some point in time, it will be that much more comfortable to let your eyes close (from Bruce s notes from HMI s 101 class) As if there were little tiny weights attached to your eyelids or eyelashes 2. HypnoticWorld.com Script Eye Closure Hypnosis Script Choose a point in this room perhaps a spot or a mark on the wall on which you can focus your eyes. Make it some place that is higher than your eye level but not so high that you need to strain your neck and I want you to keep looking at that point and don t look away. You can blink whenever you need to but it s important to return your gaze to your chosen spot as you listen to what I am saying. You can be hypnotized if you wish to and if you are willing to do as I say by keeping your eyes totally and completely focused on that point. You have already shown that you are willing to go into hypnosis by listening to me, but you will only be hypnotized if you really want to be. I can t make you go into hypnosis if you don t want to, so do your best to concentrate on that spot and pay close attention to my words and what I have to say and whatever you feel is going to happen with your eyes as you listen to me just let it happen just let yourself go into hypnosis and enjoy the experience. And keep listening to my words, concentrating completely and totally on what I am saying as you focus on your chosen spot up there and just feel yourself relaxing more and more as you keep looking only at the point you have chosen to look at. And soon, very soon you will notice those eyelids becoming heavy and relaxed as they begin to blink more and more. They will become so heavy that your chosen mark may begin to look fuzzy or blurred. Or it may look as those it s wavering gently from side to side or up and down or back 2
and forth - but if it does, that s okay; it just means your eyes are getting really tired and ready to close. And even though you are focusing completely on that spot as you listen to me, you can be aware that those eyes are becoming heavier and heavier and just wanting to close. They may even begin to feel a little strained, as if it s too much effort to keep them open, and soon they will become so heavy that you can barely stop yourself from letting them close. But at first, I want you to try to keep them open - just try and keep those heavy eyes open, blinking more and more now because you know that hypnosis is a very natural and normal state that often follows intense concentration and you are concentrating now as you listen to my voice because you are getting ready to go into hypnosis. You really want to experience the good feelings associated with hypnosis and that s all you need to want to be hypnotized. And because you really want to go into hypnosis you can find it really easy to let yourself relax and let go. You know that hypnosis is a little like the feeling you get just before dropping to sleep sometimes you may see images floating in and out of your mind and your mind begins to wander way to its own special thoughts. But you know you can hear what is being said in the room. You can hear it, but it doesn t disturb you. You can hear it, but it seems to form part of the background. Some people notice when they are driving a familiar road one they have travelled many times in the past how they stop when the traffic lights are on red without even realizing they stopped. And when the lights changed to green they were away again continuing their familiar journey. You know that you are driving on automatic pilot and your subconscious mind has taken over and is leading you safely to where you want to be. And right now, you really want to be hypnotized- all you want is to close those eyes and drift off to your own pleasant thoughts and everything else just seems so much effort. And your eyes are so heavy that you can barely keep them open, they just want to close and they are beginning to blink more and more they are so heavy now. Relax those little muscles around the eyes - in the corners of your eyes - and your eyes are getting heavier and heavier, but you try to keep them open just like you are trying to concentrate on my voice but it seems the harder you try, the more those eyes just want to close and your mind wants to wander and find its own way. And soon very soon those eyes are going to close all by themselves and as they do you will just drop right down into a deep and comfortable feeling within you those eyes are beginning to close now, they are feeling heavier and heavier. That s good so just take a deep, comfortable breath and just let those eyes 3
close whenever they want to. That s right, those eyes are now so heavy, so comfortable, so relaxed, that it s just too much effort at all to keep those eyes open those muscles around the eyes just don t want to work at all they just want to close So let them close and remain closed while you continue listening to the sound of my voice. It is just too much effort to try to open them, so let them stay closed and comfortable, heavy and relaxed as you listen to what I am saying to you. And allow that relaxed feeling to flow down through your body - all the way down to the tips of those toes until every nerve, every muscle, every cell, every fibre and every consciousness of your body, becomes comfortable and relaxed, completely and totally relaxed, and at peace with the universe. 3. Milton Erickon s Hypnotic Eye Fixation Induction https://www.hypnosisalliance.com/articles/milton%20ericksons%20eue%20fixatio n%20induction%20-%20shlomo%20vaknin.pdf The Eye Fixation Hypnotic Induction is very simple to understand and use. There are 5 major steps to this method, and right after them comes a deepening). Madonna - [replace this name with your client s first name. Unless, of course, you are so talented that Madonna has hired you] Step #1: Guide your client to the chair and mention with a smile let me show you my hypnotic chair. Offer a little blanket to the client (another useful tip, since in trance they will feel the air conditioning much stronger and colder). Tell your client that they can remove their shoes if more comfortable. They should move to the first or second position in the recliner (no matter which, as long as it s not the regular seated position). Now, Madonna, as you find the most comfortable position you can find in this more comfortable chair, gaze a little bit towards this wall in front of you or if it feels more right to look at the ceiling and see where exactly (half second pause) you can select a 4
spot and once you have chosen a spot, no matter where, but make it constant - let me know, you can nod your had once you ve found that spot that feels right. that s the way Step #2: Now, Madonna, you may keep looking at that spot, wondering around it but coming back to it with your eyes in a nonstressful easy going comfortable manner of, and yes, your eyes may blink a bit more frequently and your breathing might get deeper and you may find that your mouth is a little dry which might cause the urge to swallow. And that is fine and perfectly normal before we step into the first stage of hypnosis, but not yet - I will tell you when. And it is perfectly normal once you feel this fuzziness looking at that wall / ceiling, aiming your eyes at that chosen spot. And some people have told me in the past that this fuzziness caused that spot they have chosen to change color or shape or move around an inch or two. And when it comes to this point we usually close your eyes, that s the way. If the client did not close his/her eyes by now, keep going with Reflection Suggestions - meaning, affirming what you can see or cannot see but know that is happening - like heavier breathing, blinking, dryness of the mouth, movements to adjust position on the chair, heaviness of the legs or arms, tension in the shoulders, random thoughts that fly in and out. If after a couple of minutes they don t close their eyes - continue the session with their eyes open, but affirm it as if it was your intention - and I am glad you chose to be consistent and look at that spot, some people are not as persistent as you and Madonna, I wanted to assure you that there is nothing you need to do now, before we begin hypnosis to help you with XYZ (his / her problem). And it can seem very comforting to know that all you actually need to do is to sit there, breathe obviously and let your mind 5
wonder, and let s make this agreement - once I d like your conscious mind to notice what I say, I will touch the palm of your hand with my finger just like this, (and touch the palm of his/her hand with your finger - GENTLY and slowly and when you move your hand say - ) and release. By now the client must be in a deeper trance, even though you said before we begin hypnosis. The next step would be to install some amnesia commands, this will allow you to smile mysteriously at the end of the session when he/she says - but I don t remember almost anything you told me after I sat on the chair. Step #4: Now, Madonna (GENTLY touch his/her palm with your finger), let s take a trip in time to this early morning (stop touching), and before you ve gotten out of your bed this morning, before you came here to take sometime to heal you was it a sunny morning or cloudy morning, you don t have to answer just think about it the day you have started today is one of many, but today you have made a brave decision to change in this morning / noon / afternoon, and you had made it all the way here, to find a parking spot and get around the building to find my office. And then now (Gently again touch his/her palm with your finger) you seem so relaxed and comfortable - just nod your head if you feel comfortable, that s the way, it s a good feeling isn t it? Remember to use whatever happens - I had a slightly noisy A/C in the office so I used the noise - and you might hear the air conditioning as it works its magic to cool us down in this hot weather, and I always remind myself how wonderful it is to be able to change the terms of where we live. I also had once or twice interruptions of colleagues, opening the door to talk to me (even 6
though I have a huge sign saying Do not Interrupt, session in progress - then one of them jokingly said that do not interrupt actually means interrupt. But even in these cases you can use it - and yes, someone just opened the door, I guess he doesn t have the skill of reading english like you and I have. We won t enter a room where it says Do Not Interrupt, do we? That s the way, and the best thing about such a thing is their embarrassment in their eyes as they suddenly BLINK even faster feeling ashamed that they did pay enough attention to what is going on around you. Step #5: Now Madonna, I am going to be quiet for only a couple of minutes to allow your mind to find its own comfortable spot in your own mind to focus on and relax. I am still here, sitting on MY chair, (wait for 20 seconds and then speak) and now I am going to stand up next to you (stand up and move tothe right or left side of the recliner), and I am on your right / left side, only to make sure you (Gently touch his/her palm, same hand you ve touched before) remember (let go) the sense of. and yes, this is the way. The reason you say couple of minutes but wait only 20 seconds is to further confuse the client s mind and distort his / her sen se of time. It s a classic time distortion method in hypnotherapy, but do not use it more than once in a session and for sure not every consecutive session (since the client will eventually catch you). Step #6: Final step to drop the client into trance. Very important to pay attention now: and Madonna, one last thing before we GO into hypnosis now, isn t that amusing that we can hold a pen in our hand it just SLEEP(s) away, (touch his/her palm as you say sleep, release in away ) 7
4. Another version of eye fixation induction language http://www.howtodoinductions.com/inductions/fixation Eye-fixation From where you are sitting comfortably, you can just pick a spot on the wall in front of you... perhaps the corner of the picture, or that spot on the wall there where the reflection is creating a small rainbow. Great. Now, let your eyes rest on that... and just look at that point... just keep focusing on that spot, without moving your eyes... [Take time for your breathing to match theirs.] And while you keep looking at that spot, wondering around it but coming back to it with your eyes in a gentle easy going comfortable way, you can become aware of the muscles around your eyes... how they they are holding your eyes up... that's right... and your eyelids... and what they feel like... You may [wait for them to blink] blink a bit more frequently [wait for them to blink again] that's right... and your breathing might get deeper, as you relax. Now, as your eyes are resting on that spot on the wall, attracting your focus, your mind wrapped around the idea of that spot on the wall where your eyes are resting now, the eyelids may perhaps become heavy or your eyes want to close. But I don t want you to close them just yet. Let them remain open. 8
And blinking [wait for them to blink] that's it, even more frequently now. You might wonder if that blink is slower than normal... And lots of people, as they begin to enter trance, find that their focus becomes increasingly fuzzy... vision getting dim and misty... And as you look at that spot you might see that it begins to waver... or maybe you see it blurring... or that spot changes shape or colour... [Pause] That's it... You may have noticed your arms and legs are getting heavy, as your eyelids get heavier and heavier. And as you think about how nice it would be to allow your eyes and eyelids to relax... and close those tired eyes... As you focus your eyes on that spot and as they become more tired and more heavy and more fatigued When you are ready, you can close your eyes. [Their eyes may already be closed by now. If so, you would go straight onto the next line.] [Pause] And closing those eyes means you can relax now... It feels so good... so peaceful... as you really let yourself relax... Breathing in for just a moment and breathing out, allow the relaxation to double again throughout your entire body. Going deeper and deeper into a wonderful state of relaxation. deeper... deeply, that's it... all the way...all the way... [Pause] 9
[Proceed to Deepener, if more than a light trance is needed] 5. Eye Fixation with Imagery Method (For Children) Instructions to hypnotist A tactile technique, such as holding a stuffed animal, may be appropriate for a 2-year-old. A 4-year-old may respond better to a rag-doll and a 6-year-old to a coin or television technique. Developmentally, a school child (7-11 years of age) may respond best to a favorite place technique and adolescent to sports imagery. Spoken to subject (Child's name) I would like to teach you something very special that you can learn, and with practice, you can get better and better. The first thing I would like to do is to have you hold this coin (give the child a quarter) up here. (Hypnotist puts coin between the child's thumb and index finger and moves the arm and hand slightly above eye level) I would like you to stare at the coin and concentrate all of your attention on some special part of that coin, and as you do, just let yourself get more and more relaxed. As you get more and more relaxed, the coin will get heavier and heavier. As the coin gets heavier and heavier, you arm will also get heavier and heavier. In a moment, the coin will drop from your fingers and your eyes will close and your arm will come back down to rest in your lap. (Wait for response, and reinforce statements if necessary) We can now talk about some other pleasant things that can help you to become even more relaxed and comfortable. I would like you to imagine yourself at a wonderful picnic. This is the best picnic you have every attended - the sky is blue and clear, the clouds are just the way you like them, it's just as cool and as warm 10
a day as you would like it; just let it be the kind of day you would want it to be. You might want to be at this picnic by yourself or by sharing it with some of your favorite friends and playing some of your favorite games. Somebody at this picnic (child's name) has laid a very special blanket on the ground. I would like you to sit down on that blanket by yourself or with a friend. You find out that this is a very special blanket because you can make that blanket fly. You can make it go as high as you wish or as low, as fast or as slow; you can make it turn left or right, you can do anything you want the blanket to do. You are the pilot and you are in control. You can fly anywhere you wish and see anything you want to see. It is a wonderful feeling to fly along on your blanket, enjoying the day and being in control. (Note: The following two paragraphs can be used when performing therapy) Just enjoy what you are doing on this beautiful day, as you fly along, you might think for a moment (therapeutic suggestions and talk can occur here with the use of ideomotor signals). (Continue to reinforce that the child is the pilot and in control) Anytime you want to go to this very special picnic and to fly on your blanket, you can do it - always remembering that you are the pilot and are in control. Every time you practice, it will get easier and easier to (therapeutic goal). (Note: Return here for trance termination) And now, (child's name), I would like you to land your blanket in a place that you like very much - a place back at the picnic where you feel comfortable and very relaxed and safe. When your blanket gently touches the ground, you can open your eyes, feeling refreshed, relaxed, and comfortable. That's right. You did a swell job (child's name). (Spend a few moments processing the child's experience) http://www.psywww.com/asc/hyp/art/ind10.html 11
II. AHA Members Can Watch More Eye Fascination Examples **Note how they are all similar, but each instructor uses slightly different language and a slightly different approach. A. Cheryl O Neil: Transition from arm (not so) raising to eye fascination Cheryl begins the arm raising induction. Client has very little movement in the hand, so Cheryl then uses the tip of her pen to transition into an eye-fascination induction. https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/1442 Now in your mind s eye, you are getting a sense of this, aren t you? Your hand and arm in your mind s eye become lighter now, doesn t it? So in your mind s eye, your hand and arm are lifted. Would that be right? Where in your mind s eye have your arm and hand lifted to?... they have become lighter and lifted up, and you can sense it in your mind s eye. As you do that, could you imagine it going all the way up towards your face almost like a magnetic pull is occurring like a magnet so the hand and arm go all the way up towards the face... until the hand and arm lift up all the way to your face.... Can you imagine that? Begin to imagine that very strongly.... Nod when in your mind s eye your hand has gone all the way up to your face... I am going to touch this hand. Do your hand and arm now literally feel heavy? Let s just let it go all the way back down. Now I am coming around to the side of you. You can look this way. I want you to focus eyes open -- on the pen top. Put your focus there. In a moment or two, you will begin to notice the eyes tending to blur. Eyelids blinking. With every breath, the eyes becoming heavier. So, at some point in time it becomes more comfortable just to allow the 12
eyelids to close. Eyes blurring. Eyelids blinking. Becoming heavy. Until at some point the eyes close. Deep Sleep. B. Lisa Machenberg: Eye Fascination In Recliner Chair https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/263 Go ahead a push back in the recliner chair. And keep your eyes open. At one of the eye blinks, it will just be more comfortable to allow them to close at some point. Now draw your attention back to the eyes. And, you have the power to relax the eyes. Wonderfully. Totally. Completely. Now relax the eyes twice and much. And, twice as much. And, you can even relax the eyes so much that there is absolutely no desire to open them.... C. John Melton: One more example https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/357 Just find a spot you can focus on. Open your eyes for a moment. Find a spot you can focus your attention on. Just keep your eyes on that one spot. And then allow your breathing to kind of flow. Think about the word flow and what that word means. Keep your eyes right on that spot.... You might notice a little movement of the eyes perhaps a heaviness of the eyelids. And, it happens quite naturally as you begin to give yourself permission to allow me to guide you. Back to that spot. And back to the breathing. Allow your mind to focus on this idea that you are allowing yourself to find the calmness and relaxation. It s about giving permission. You are allowing me to guide you. And, back to that feeling of heaviness in the eyes. Every blink makes the eyes heavier. Until at some point, you just allow the eyes to close. When the eyes close, you turn your attention inward and focus.... 13
D. If you just can t get enough of these eye fascinations Marc Gravelle /Emily - Narcolepsy - 6 of 6 with Marc Gravelle Marc takes Emily into hypnosis using an eye fascination and follows with progressive relaxation. https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/ 296 Susie Kappas/Tammy- Weight Loss, Self Confidence 2 of 6 Susie uses eye fascination, progressive relaxation, staircase, etc. https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/ 320 Michele Guzy/Linda - Self Critical - 2 of 6 with Michele Guzy Michele uses Eye Fascination with Finger Spread, Physical Anchor, Special Place with animals and bugs, Imagery with a tiger to help her through difficult times. https://hypnosis.edu/aha/videos/315 14
III. Some Cartoons (just to make you smile; when we smile, we give off a more attractive and attracting energy) 15
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KEEP PRACTICING! 17