Hypnosis and language

[Kukis]

This is a theoretical question

Given that a great deal of hypnosis is dependent on certain suggestions are made to the conscious and subconscious mind - with ords/language - is the effectiveness of the process slowed down if english is not your first language.

For example, you speak english , however it is not your first language, and possibly not the language you automatically think in, will hypnosis in english be slower? Or more difficult?

Obviously I am not referring to people who do not speak english at all.

[Paddy Landau]

Kukis, I have never done hypnotherapy with someone whose English is that poor. However, I do have two comments.

First, hypnosis itself can be done without any understanding of the language. I have read posts from hypnotists who have successfully hypnotised people without saying a word.

(See an instant induction example, though be aware that there is something not mentioned in the clip.)

For therapeutic use while under hypnosis, the hypnotist would have to ensure that he used simple, common words and straightforward language. As there is usually no need for complex speech, that would slow it down if the hypnotist relied on Miltonian speech, but otherwise I would imagine not.

Paddy

[SueG]

Hi all

I watched the clip, brilliant! How does that happen? I can see that it is using an Ericksonian approach.

Tell more please....

[Gandalf]

[SueG]

Hi

Will take a little while for me to digest Gandolf's suggested article!

In the meantime, I showed my husband the instant induction example, was all excited about it saying thats an Ericksonian technique that I have wanted to practise on you for ages and he said "Well, Erickson did not do any good for English football, so how comes he's any good for hypnotism!" ....

Oh well, feet back firmly on the ground



Sue

PS Has anyone read My Voice Will Go With You by Milton Erickson? It's very good and gave me quite a few laughs.

[Kukis]

thanks for the info paddy,
ok, so how did he do that ? Seriously, I have tried that now on three people and they just looked at me as if i was a martian.

[Paddy Landau]

[Barry Thain]

Hi Paddy

You've seen about 100 seconds of a two hour DVD. There's an awful lot YOU don't know.

Best wishes

barry

[Paddy Landau]

[Gandalf]

[Barry Thain]

Hi Gandalf

Sorry. What do you want me to tell you, exactly? I'm not being awkward. I just don't thing this is the place to deliver my entire thesis on what hypnosis is and how it works. But if there's something specific you want to know I'll try to answer you.

I'd like to revert to the original, and very interesting question.

I've treated lots of patients for whom English is not their first language. I happen to find people from the Indian sub-continent to be generally better hypnotees. They aren't all great, but mostly they are.

I think my patients needs to understand English somewhat, but I've worked well with Japanese and Korean patients who didn't have very much English at all.

I think 'intent' is very important. Words act as a carrier but what I'm trying to convey is intent. I say in my DVD that hypnosis is not a state of mind but an act of communication between one subconscious and another. Now, our brains don't work in English or Punjabi. They work in electrochemical sparks and splutter that Stephen Pinker calls Mentalese. These sparks and splutters are fundamentally the same irrespective of your mother tongue. I suspect the hypnotist's intent works at the non-lingual level of these electrochemical events.

So I suppose it might well be possible to work well with someone who didn't understand a word you were saying because Mentalese is the language of hypnosis and it's the same for everyone, but I have no experience to back that up. In the real world if someone presented as a paying patient wanting me to treat them when their only language is Serbo-Croat I'd feel obliged to refer them to someone who shares their language.

Certainly a basis for some good research, though.

Best wishes

barry

[Gandalf]

[Barry Thain]

I don't know how or why. I'm simply aware that a higher proportion prove to be great hypnotees than most other groups. Gay men also seem to be particularly good hypnotees (though, as ever, not always).

I don't think it has anything to do with deafness. I haven't found profoundly deaf patients to be particularly good hypnotees; that it, they have never stood out as a group in my personal experience (unlike the two groups indicated above). (In case you are interested I use non-verbal inductions, tactile cues and lip-reading with deaf patients. Sadly I don't sign - though I can spell.)

I don't think there is any consensus on the mechanics of hypnotism or the nature of hypnosis. Whilst I have my own theories that's all they are; theories. as such they are of no more or less value or interest than anyone else's unproven theories.

Best wishes

barry

[hypno-therapist]