Are they just too relaxed to speak?

We discussed above, the risks of mistaking aphasia for amnesia. This is particularly a risk if every part of the induction has been framed as an exercise in relaxation. In such circumstances, it can help to avoid describing the amnesia as “relaxing the numbers” away.

The issue of aphasia is the reason that you do not take your client’s silence as evidence of amnesia. You need to explicitly ask them if the numbers have gone. If, instead of saying their final number they sigh deeply, or do not respond to your question, then you are likely to be at a place of aphasia, not amnesia.

The natural way to respond in such a situation, is simply to have them forget a second item. It can be beneficial, in my experience, to incorporate a visual element to the second item, so that it is not simply a repetition of the earlier attempt at amnesia. You might have them wipe letters off of a blackboard, or see numbers floating away on a cloud.