When you first start practising the My Friend John induction, you may feel like your intentions are being broadcast in bright neon lights. You might feel like your client will never fall for what you are trying to do. And that is a sign that what you are trying to do – and your reason for doing it – needs some tweaking.
I almost always use My Friend John in a clinical setting. So, people have come to see me to get hypnotised. I therefore think of it as being conversational, rather than covert. Of course, it is not initially overt, but it is not as if I would be embarrassed if I was caught out. After all, hypnosis is what they are here for!
An example I often think of is a child who is struggling to relax enough to go to sleep. You might offer to read them a story to help them sleep and no doubt your dulcet tones would have the desired effect. Yet, that is a very different scenario to one where a child does not want to go to sleep and they feel their head dropping from time to time, gradually beginning to suspect that you are attempting to trick them into sleep. If your clients feel like that after experiencing My Friend John, then I would suggest that you find a way to frame it that does not imply you are absolutely not doing anything hypnotic.
I sometimes begin by saying something like, “I’d like to try something a bit different today.” This is my way of saying that – within the context of a hypnotic encounter (e.g. in my clinic) – we are not going to proceed as usual. However, none of my clients would have objected afterwards that I had tricked them into hypnosis, as that’s why they were there.
