To be a hypnotist, you just need to be able to use words. Anyone can do that. So why isn’t everyone able to hypnotize everybody else?
Because they aren’t just any old words.
Hypnotists use specific words and phrases to help people imagine possibilities, which means they need to choose their words with care.
We call those choice words power words (or hypnotic power words).
That’s what words can do. They’re capable of:
- Stimulating your imagination
- Distracting you
- Painting pictures in your mind
- Activating your senses
- Creating associations
- Linking two things that wouldn’t normally go together
- You’ve probably heard the expression “cool as a cucumber” – but does it make any sense?
The Big 5 Hypnotic Power Words
There are dozens of power words you can use, so let’s start with what we’ll call the Big 5. They are:
1. Because
Example: “You’re listening to me, you can relax, and because you’re relaxing, you can feel comfortable because comfort builds more relaxation, so you can relax even more comfortably and because you’re relaxing right now, you can feel more comfort developing inside you.”
“You know you can relax your body because you’ve relaxed in the past.”
2. And
Example: “You can relax and feel comfortable, and the comfort you feel will make you relax even more, and the more you feel the comfort, the more you’ll relax. And as you relax, you’ll feel more comfortable. As you feel more comfortable, you’ll relax more and more. Relaxing more and feeling comfort is important for relaxation, so as you relax and feel comfort and relax even more and feel even more comfort.”
“And the more you relax, the more comfortable you feel.”
3. As
Example: “As you listen to my voice, you can start to focus your attention inside. As your attention focuses inward, so your unconscious mind begins to take you into trance. As you breathe in and out, you will notice an ever deepening comfort starting to develop.”
“As you feel the relaxation coursing through your body, you know that every one of your muscles can just let go and unwind completely.”
4. Imagine
Example: “Can you imagine going into trance? Imagine yourself drifting on a calm and beautiful river. Picture your muscles becoming loose and limp. See yourself feeling completely relaxed. Then imagine enjoying the most exquisite trance experience.”
5. Which Means
Example: “You have been studying these language patterns for some time now, which means that you are learning something of tremendous value. The fact that you are reading this right now means that you are learning at the unconscious level….”
You can see that these are just ordinary words, but their power comes from how you put them to use.
As a hypnotist, you might find it easier to put someone into a trance when they’re relaxed. So let’s use the idea of relaxation to demonstrate how the power words might work. Here are some examples of what you might say:
“And as your body continues to relax you can just let go, which means you’re so relaxed now that your mind just calms right down.”
Scenario 1: Improving Your Sales Technique – Hypnotic Power Word: Remember & The More
“Remember a time when you communicated with real power, and when everything you said was convincing and persuasive. The more you think about that time, the more you remember how easy it is to communicate with people. Remember how powerful you felt back then and feel that power growing inside you.”
“Remember how natural it feels to talk with other people, how effortless it is and how the words just seem to roll off your tongue. Everything you say fills the other person with confidence and assurance, and the more you speak to them the more influential you become.”
The hypnotic power word “remember” does two things
While the word imagine literally stimulates the imagination, the wordremember does something extra. It doesn’t just help you create a scene in your head – it helps you relive a time when you did something well.
Scenario 1: Influencing A Client – Piling On The Hypnotic Power Words
“The more I think about that suit/dress/jacket/car, the more convinced I am that you would look terrific in it. Imagine the looks you’ll get everywhere you go, how amazing you’ll feel every time you wear it/drive it. And as you think about the thrill of owning it, you find yourself wishing it was yours, because you know you deserve it.Sooner or later you have to treat yourself, which means this is an ideal opportunity to do that. Just pretend for a minute that you already have it, and you’ll realize just how perfect it is for you.”
Influential enough for you? It would take someone with an iron will and skin as tough as a porcupine’s to resist. And yet, they’re all really just ordinary, run-of-the-mill words. Nothing special.
What’s perhaps more interesting is how effective these words become when you combine them. If your goal is to grab someone’s attention, stimulate their imagination and switch off the critical part of their conscious mind, then there isn’t a faster or more effective way to do it.