To put someone into a different state of being, a therapist gives suggestive instructions. This is called hypnotizing. If you want to harness the power of hypnosis as a long-term effect, it is important to adopt the basic attitude of mesmerism: an ancient treatment method from which hypnosis once sprang. Definitely one to carry in your skills bag!
The Power of Mesmer
In a hypnosis session, the goal is to connect on a deep level with your subject (the one undergoing the hypnosis). After reading this article, this will come easier to you. Franz Anton Mesmer is the founder of this magical method, and as a Viennese physician and astrologer, he caused a furor in the 18th century. At heyday, he treated as many as 3,000 paying patients a day. Mesmer believed that magnetism, a wrong turning of it, is the cause of disease. Because of this belief, he miraculously cured people, a precursor to today's hypnotherapy, which is now increasingly used as a full-fledged therapy tool.
"The missing link in effective hypnotism is the application of ancient mesmerism"- Edwin Selij
Magnetizing and fascination
But what exactly did Mesmer do? Namely, he achieved results that others did not manage and did the same suggestions. What Mesmer brought in was more than suggestion; it was working with energy. This is where the magic happens! Every therapist is familiar with the phenomenon that the client feels great after the session but after a few days starts to feel a little worse. You avoid this by adding two important dimensions:
1. Magnetizing
Magnetizing is done using hand gestures and impositions and is a way to restore the magnetic body. This can be valuable because the mind may have already shifted but your body is not yet adjusted on a magnetic level.
2. Fascinate
Fascination is done with the eyes: you look someone in the eye and put them into a deep trance. You can practice this by looking at yourself in the mirror for a long time without blinking. In doing so, you strengthen "the gaze" needed to fascinate.
3. Using rituals
Mesmer used rituals to achieve better results in therapy and also in communication. With these he could almost force a change in his patients, and this, of course, was what his patients desired. A favorite was the ritual of the circle. It goes like this:
When you talk to someone, imagine a circle drawn around you and the other person. Notice what happens. It is as if you are inviting the person to step into your circle of influence. You can now consciously direct your energy and bring the other person into it: if you bring your energy up, the same will happen with subject.
Franz Anton Mesmer's ancient wisdom and rituals are still being applied today and are actually becoming increasingly valuable in contemporary hypnotherapy. See a video in which Edwin Selij practices Mesmer's dimensions here:
