There are a number of popular approaches to emerging someone from hypnosis. Rather than limiting yourself to a specific “awakening,” we recommend respecting the flow and nature of the hypnosis that has been experienced.
That is, if you hypnotised someone by means of a rapid induction, followed by a fairly up-beat session around improving sports performance, then an awakening like the following might be appropriate:
In a moment I will count to 5 and you will be fully wide awake… I will count from one to five, and at the count of five – and only on the count of five – you will open your eyes and stretch… all normal healthy sensations restored to every part of you… and every part of you back here with me in the present… coming back with a sense of wellbeing… mental and physical wellbeing. Nod your head that you understand… / …good. So, ready… one, re-orienting to the room around you… two, becoming more alert… three, take a deep refreshing breath of air… four, as you breath out, getting ready to open your eyes… five, eyes open, wide awake, feeling good… Well done!
There are a couple of things to note from this example:
- The awakening is up-beat
As such, the hypnotist may speed-up his voice and increase his volume as he gets closer to five. After all, if you are seeking to rouse someone from what can be a fairly relaxing experience, it makes sense to speak in an increasingly un-relaxed way.
Some hypnotists like to clap their hands when they say, “five!” This is not necessary, but you may find that it suits your style and aims. It is another clear signal to the hypnotee that they are to come out of their ‘trancey’ state.
- The hypnotee is prepared to ‘wake-up’
Just as you prepared you client to go into hypnosis, it is helpful to prepare them to come out. This may not be essential, but I have known a number of people who reported that the hypnotist they saw awakened them “abruptly” and it was not a pleasant experience. (Some report headaches, other say that it simple puts them in a bad mood. At the very least, it risks undoing all of the good that was done in the session.)
Preparing to Awaken
Preparation for the awakening can look like that above. Or you might want to give a more permissive suggestion, such as:
In a few moments time, you can start to allow yourself to re-orient to the present.
If you prefer an indirect approach, you could opt for something like:
As you continue to listen to my voice, I wonder how quickly you will now start to awaken to your normal state of alertness.
To be even more permissive and indirect, you could adopt a conversational approach. That might look like this:
It is at this part of the session that people become aware that they are about to wake up, bit by bit, becoming more aware of their body and becoming more alert to what is going on around them.
Removing Hypnotic Debris
I tend to go for a more permissive approach when awakening someone. However, one of the useful elements in the first awakening above is the suggestion that everything will return to normal:
…all normal healthy sensations restored to every part of you… and every part of you back here with me in the present
This suggestion removes any hypnotic phenomena, as well as reducing the likelihood of unwanted physical sensations (such as a headache, or being overly-relaxed when they need to be alert). It also helps re-orient the client fully, as they may have dissociated somewhat during the session.
Connect awakening to Therapeutic Gain
Mark Tyrell offers the following suggestion:
What happens when… it’s almost time to come back to the room and fully awaken… is that you’ll notice you become more aware of my voice again… and start to think in more everyday ways once more… and people feel so refreshed and alert when… it’s time to come out of trance… when you are ready in a few moments…
You might notice the embedded commands in this instance, both direct and indirect. “It’s time to come out of trance” is a great example!
This type of awakening is one that I more naturally lean towards. However, I always try to honour the experience and goals of my client, rather than simply satisfy my own preferences. Nevertheless, more often than not, I might say something like:
And you can arise from this experience as soon as your conscious and subconscious are ready to work together to enact this solution….
The only thing to be aware of is the variation in how people respond. Some will awaken almost immediately. Others could take a number of minutes.
Similarly, Stephanie Conkle often uses a suggestion like:
now…when the Subconscious has done ALL of the programming at the unconscious level, wake up from hypnosis and come back to the room at the rate and pace that feels right to you….coming back…feeling wonderful…
Summary
The point of this discussion is to argue that there is no correct way to awaken someone. My suggestion is to make yourself aware of the direct example first offered at the top of the page. Consider it and take some time to explore the various elements contained within.
Then, familiarise yourself with the last two examples on this page. Understanding the essence and reason behind these differing approaches will equip you to confidently and comfortably awaken people from hypnosis in a way that matches your client’s experience, your style and the session goals.
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