Covert hypnosis

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Covert Hypnosis is a form of hypnosis whereby linguistical patterns are used to achieve hypnotic states, or phenomena, in the listener (sometimes called "sleight of mouth"). ^[1]) In covert hypnosis the subject is unaware that the hypnotist is either a hypnotist, or hypnotising them, or that anything out of the ordinary is occurring. Covert hypnosis is a phenomena not too different from indirect hypnosis (as derived from Milton H. Erickson popularised as The Milton Model [1]) in style ^[2] but the defining feature is certainly the act of an individual subject becoming hypnotised and taking part in hypnotic phenomena without conscious effort/choice - covert hypnosis like "Ericksonian Hypnosis operates through covert and subtle means... to reach deeper levels of consciousness than are touched by the surface structure of language";^[3] it is the concept that an individual, 'the hypnotist,' can control another individual's behavior via gaining rapport (co-operation of their attention - as without rapport covert hypnosis does not take place) ^[4] with the subject and then making suggestions which the subject isn't fully consciously aware the meaning of.

Contents 1 How it works 1.1 A basic example 1.2 A more complicated example 2 Covert Hypnosis in the Media 3 References

[edit] How it works

The hypnotist gains rapport^{[4] [5]} with the listener/s and the hypnotist maintains psychological congruency ^[6] [the act of truly acting towards your goals without hesitation] both linguistically and in ones nonverbal communication while this relationship of the subject listening while feeling a psychological connection with the hypnotist and the hypnotist displaying behaviors such as confidence and understanding^[4] - the hypnotist then presents linguistical data in the form of some kind of metaphor "The Metaphor presents a surface structure of meaning in the actual words of the story, which activates an associated deep structure of meaning that is indirectly relevant to the listener, which activates a recovered deep structure of meaning that is directly relevant to the listener" ^[7] in other words; this process builds neurological (most likely unconscious) states within the listener and then neurologically associates those states through covert conditioning (see Anchor (NLP)) also known as covert anchoring [2]. thereby forming unconsciously controlled behaviors and thoughts. Often methods of tricking the listener to believe that the hypnotist is talking about something else other than the subject are employed for instance by shifting use of time and use of identity in language; one famous example is employed by Milton H. Erickson "And A Tomato can be happy".^[7]

[edit] A basic example

The hypnotist says: "Don't think of a black cat"[quoted from Derren Brown mind control series 2] and the listener's neurology has to access the association 'black cat' in order to understand the sentence thereby the state of understanding a black cat has been accessed in the subject purely by exposure from the hypnotist.

[edit] A more complicated example

While the subject is paying attention to the hypnotist.^[4] A state of forgetfulness can be ellicted by talking about what it feels like to be in that state in a manner that implies the other person is currently experiencing it, once this state is at a heightened peak the hypnotist can then talk about that state relating to a concept like the unsuspecting subject's name (a phenomenon called Name Amnesia ) and the subject will suddenly be unaware of his/her name on questioning (provided the suggestions implied immediate effect).

[edit] Covert Hypnosis in the Media

The psychological illusionist Derren Brown has produced numerous effects which he claims to be achieved through forms of neuro-linguistic-programming directly related to covert hypnosis. Such examples are:

• The Lost Taxi Driver - Derren Brown appears to use Covert Hypnosis to elicit a state of amnesia in a London taxi driver.[3]

• The Magic Doll - Here he is seen to use a combination of indirect/covert hypnosis to cause a state in a unsuspecting woman.[4]

The mentalist Luke Jermay performs several feats in his mentalism tutorial video Skullduggery that he claims to be performed through using suggestions to affect the neurology of the participant.

[edit] References

1. ^ Dilts, Robert (1999). Sleight of Mouth: The Magic of Conversational Belief Change. ISBN 0-916990-43-5. 
2. ^ Erickson, Milton H. (December 1976). Hypnotic Realities: The Induction of Clinical Hypnosis and Forms of Indirect Suggestion. 
3. ^ Cohen, Michael H.. A Question of Time, p. 8. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Trancework: An Introduction to the Practice of Clinical Hypnosis, p. 37. 
5. ^ Haley, Jay. Uncommon Therapy. ISBN 0-393-31031-0. 
6. ^ Gavin, James. Lifestyle Fitness Coaching, p. 41. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Communication and Consequences: Laws of Interaction.