A Glossary of Hypnotic Terms
ABREACTION: A physical movement or an emotional outburst as a reaction to a suggestion or image
while in the state of hypnosis. Some hypnotic abreactions are spontaneous and others are created by the
hypnotist. It is a demonstrative form of regression, the client acts out each element of the past
experience.
ADAPTIVE REGRESSION: Refers to the relative capacity of the client to suspend the conscious mind.
AGE REGRESSION: By suggestion, a client is caused to revert to an earlier age. This phenomenon is
sometimes useful in Psychotherapy, particularly when psychoanalytical procedures are used. If the client
reacts as he did when he was at that younger age, but views the subject matter with his present maturity,
it is called behavioural regression. If he feels that he is actually at the younger age, it is called revivification regression.
AGE PROGRESSION: An attempt by suggestion to have the client experience events which have not
yet happened. The purpose in doing Age Progression includes: Covert rehearsal for future events,
confidence building, to determine how a client will respond to a future event, and in some cases, to
determine what treatment “helped you recover.”.
AMNESIA: By suggestion, certain items are blocked temporarily from memory. This is known as
partial. There may also be produced total amnesia for a certain period of time.
ANALGESIA: Painlessness, being without pain, all sensations are perceived except those of a painful
nature. Analgesia is like turning down the dimmer switch on a light, and is characterised by milder pain
levels with the absence of a startled response, flinch or grimace. At least 70% to 90% of clients can
develop some level of analgesia for pain management.
ANAESTHESIA: General or localized insensibility induced by drugs or other intervention and used in
surgery or other painful procedures. At least 20% of clients can induce complete anaesthesia through
hypnosis.
ANTI-: Prefix meaning against or opposed to.
ANXIOUS: Means being full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger, or misfortune,
or is worried.
APHASIA: Inability to talk.
ATTENUATION: The process by which changes occur to provide positive changes, weakening or
diminishing.
AUTOGENIC TRAINING: A term devised by J. Schultz of Germany. It consists of a series of mental
exercises to produce relaxation - related to auto (self) hypnosis.
AUTO-HYPNOSIS: A self-induced state of hypnosis (Also known as Self-Hypnosis).
AUTOMATIC WRITING OR DRAWING: The hand moves autonomously without conscious guidance
by the client.
BEHAVIOUR: The term “behaviour” includes speech and other movements of the fine muscles as well
as the gross muscles.
BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION: The process of changing behaviour by using techniques based on
learning theory. The techniques include systematic desensitization, aversion therapy, and assertion
training.
BIND: A client is given a choice of alternatives, either of which leads to the desired result.
This has the aspect of permissiveness, and the client finds it difficult to avoid making a choice, but the choice
commits him to a course of action. A simple example: Speaking to a young child and asking,“Would
you rather go to bed now or in ten minutes?” An alternate choice is a double bind.
BIZARRE: strange; odd; unusual.
BUNCHING: When a client fails to separate one problem from another or one area of his life from
another. In order to help this individual, the therapist must help him to separate his problems and
handle them individually.
CANCEL: Any suggestion given in the hypnotic state which the therapist does not wish to carry over
into the non-hypnotic state should be cancelled. For example, if the client has developed glove
anaesthesia which should be terminated with the hypnotic trance, then the hypnotist should say: “Your
hand will now have its normal feeling.” Tests should then be made to determine if the hand has normal
sensitivity.
CATALEPSY: A state of muscular rigidity usually with the antagonistic (opposing) muscles
simultaneously contracted. Catalepsy may be of the whole body or a portion of it.
CATALEPTIC: A light to medium depth of hypnosis, between hypnoidal and somnambulism. So called
because it is the state in which catalepsy is achieved.
CATHARSIS: The emotional relief, through release, that the person experiences during an abreaction or
therapeutic sessions.
CHALLENGE: The client is told to do something and then challenged to do it. For example: Your fist is
tightly closed, tighter, tighter. Now it is so tight it is impossible to open it. You can try to open it,
but it only gets tighter.” If the client now opens his fist, he is not following the suggestion.
Challenges are rarely used in clinical hypnosis.
COMPLAINT: A term which refers to a group of “symptoms”, or complaints.
COMPOSITE: A blend, compound, or mixture.
CONDITIONED RESPONSE: The learned response, to an indifferent stimulus, which has been attached
to it by repeatedly pairing the stimulus with the response.
COUNTER SUGGESTION: If a suggestion is given which is not accepted by the client, it acts as a
counter suggestion. That is, it will be more difficult for the client to accept subsequent suggestions,
unless you suggest the alternate.
CRITICAL AREA OF THE MIND: A function of mind that is part conscious and part subconscious.
Any time a suggestion is given to a client that is detrimental to his well being, or in total
opposition to his way of thinking, it will affect critical areas of the mind, and he will critically
reject it by an abreaction.
CUE: In giving post-hypnotic suggestions, a signal, cue, or trigger, is usually provided as part of the
suggestion. When this cue is given, the suggestion is to be carried out. A cue is also often used to
terminate a post-hypnotic suggestion.
DEEPENING METHODS: Methods which are designed to help a client go into a deeper level of
hypnosis.
DEDUCTIVE THINKING: Beliefs or selected concepts through which facts are perceived. It implies faith,
a paradigm and moves from general to specific.
DE HYPNOTIZING: The process of helping the client to come out of the hypnotic state or hypersuggestible
state.
DEPTH OF HYPNOSIS: See levels of hypnosis.
DIRECT SUGGESTION: An idea presented directly to the client with the hope that he will accept it
uncritically and whole heartedly. Some of the suggestions used in the induction techniques are direct
suggestions.
DISSOCIATION: A splitting of mental and physical awareness which may be produced in some clients
by hypnotic suggestion; i.e. The client sitting in a chair sees himself in a chair across the room.
Examples of a lesser degree of dissociation are found in a successful levitation suggestion.
This is a good pain control method.
DISSOCIATION TECHNIQUE: Suggestions are made to the client that part or all of his/her body is
displaced to another location and/or that he/she is engaged in other activities.
DOUBLE BIND: A client is given a choice of alternatives, either of which leads to desired results. This
has the aspect of permissiveness and the client finds it difficult to avoid making a choice, but the
choice commits him to a course of action. A simple example: Speaking to a young child, -
“Would you rather go to bed now or in ten minutes?”
EGO SENSATION: Change of feeling in the physical body or part of the body.
EXTINCTION: A term from the psychology of learning. If a behaviour is repeated a number of times
without a reward, the behaviour will disappear or be extinguished.
EXPECTATION: The state of mind in which the individual expects something to happen. Expectation
triggers imagination which generally facilitates the hypnotic induction, especially with visually
suggestible clients.
FASCINATION: You are engrossed so as to stop analysing. You have situational shocks. You experience
joy, laughter, love and infatuation.
FINGER LEVITATION: The lifting of a finger in an involuntary manner; i.e., the client knows that the
finger is lifting but he does not feel that he is lifting it. (See Dissociation.)
FIGHT, FLIGHT FREEZE REACTION: A primitive and involuntary reaction that is triggered during
danger, or anxiety, in order to protect oneself or to escape from danger.
FRACTIONATING METHOD: A method designed to deepen Hypnosis. Fractionation consists of
alternately going in and out of hypnosis. Sometimes the client is questioned when out of hypnosis
concerning his feelings while in the state. This information is then fed back to him upon the next
induction.
FRIGIDITY: The inability to experience an orgasm or sexual excitement during sexual intercourse.
GLOVE ANAESTHESIA: Analgesia of the hand, from fingertips to the wrist. It is completely numb and
insensitive. Probably so named because the suggestion often used is that the hand will feel a touch as
though through a heavy leather glove.
GROUP HYPNOSIS: The use of an induction technique with a group instead of a single individual. For
some purposes, this is extremely effective. (Conditioning)
GULLIBLE: Easily deceived or cheated.
GUSTATORY: Of or pertaining to taste or tasting.
HABIT: A settled disposition or tendency to act in a certain way.
HAND LEVITATION: The lifting of the hand in an involuntary manner.
HALLUCINATION: A sensory experience arising apart from any corresponding external stimulation; a
mental image taken for a reality, something that does not exist outside the mind.
HAEMORRHAGE: Profuse discharge of blood.
HETERO: A combining form meaning different, other.
HETERO HYPNOSIS: A state of hypnosis into which the client is helped by another person. (Contrast
with Auto-hypnosis or Self-hypnosis).
HYDRAULIC METAPHOR: When an idea or habit, for example, is removed from the subconscious,
another will take its place unless it has been replaced by the therapist.
HYPER ANAESTHESIA: Apparent increased sensitivity in a sense modality. May be produced by
hypnotic suggestion but not often used.
HYPERMNESIA: Improvement in one’s memory during the hypnotic state.
HYPER SUGGESTIBILITY: A state of waking hypnosis and exaggerated suggestibility to influencing
factors in the environment, especially to negatives, possibly the greatest cause of all emotional and
physical problems.
HYPNO-ANALYSIS: Psychoanalysis carried on with the aid of hypnosis. The client shows less inhibition
under hypnosis, thus hastening the psychoanalytical process.
HYPNO-ANAESTHESIA: The blocking of sensation by suggestion. (Negative Hallucination). Usually
the term refers to the blocking of pain and should properly be termed hypno-analgesia.
HYPNO-DRAMA: The process of acting out a role in the hypnotic state that can be used for increasing
talents or reducing the effects of earlier traumas in the client*s life.
HYPNOIDAL: A light state of hypnosis, usually associated with Indirect Suggestibility; also used
to refer to the state of subconsciousness which is passed through in the transition from sleep to
waking and vice versa.
HYPNOPAEDIA: sleep teaching
HYPNOSIS: A state of mind, self induced by either agreement or fascination, in which deductive or
selective thinking dominates the inductive or judgmental thinking.
HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION: A suggestion given while the client is in the hypnotic state, and to be
carried out while still in hypnosis.
HYPNOTISM: The science of hypnosis including the act and practice of inducing hypnosis.
HYPNOTIST: One who helps another to go into the hypnotic state. An alternate term is operator.
HYPNOTHERAPIST: One who uses Hypnotherapy.
HYPNOTHERAPY: The treatment of any harmful, destructive, or unwanted condition, mental or
physical using hypnotism, and hypnotherapeutic suggestions.
HYPNOTIZABILITY: The ability of the client to go into the hypnotic state.
IDEOMOTOR RESPONSE: The normal human being is so constituted that the acceptance of an idea
will inevitably produce behaviour or modify behaviour. The behavioural change may be so small that
instrumentation is necessary to observe it. (Expression and body shifts)
INDIRECT SUGGESTION: (Or inferred). An idea presented in such a way that the client does not realize
that it is addressed to him. Such a suggestion is likely to bring out less resistance.
INDUCED DREAMS: Hypnosis may influence dream content at night, and “dreams” may be produced
in a hypnotic state. The purpose is for exploration and revelation of causes and conflicts; to identify
solutions and insights; to alter feelings; and for recall of dreams.
INDUCTION TECHNIQUES: Methods used to help a client attain the hypnotic state.
INDUCTIVE: Pertaining to or employing logical induction.
INHIBITORY PROCESSES: The processes that allow a person to deal with himself and with his external
environment in a rational and civilized way. When inhibitory processes are disorganized, hetero
hypnosis results; when they are organized, self-hypnosis takes place.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP: The relationship of one person to another. May be of many
varieties, as friendly, antagonistic, warm, cold, etc. In connection with clinical hypnosis the
therapist/client relationship is emphasized. This should be one of confidence, trust, and cooperation on
the part of the client, and a sympathetic, permissive, attitude on the part of the therapist. It is the
therapist’s responsibility to establish the proper relationship.
I.S.E.: The Initial Sensitizing Event.
KINESTHETIC: The sense of feeling.
KOHNSTAMM EFFECT: The automatic rising of the arm, after the back of the hand, with the arm
hanging from the shoulder, has pressed against a wall for a few minutes. The client has the same
experience as in arm levitation resulting from suggestion. i.e. he knows his arm is rising, but he does
not feel that he is raising it.
LEVELS OF HYPNOSIS: Different depths of hypnosis are recognized, depending upon the type of
suggestion the client will readily accept.
LEVITATION: The Involuntary raising of a part of the body as a result of suggestion. Usually the term
is used with reference to a finger, hand or arm.
MATERNALISM: A soft, gentle, lulling, rhythmic approach to hypnosis.
MESSAGE UNITS: All of the input sent to the brain by the environment, the physical body, and the
conscious and subconscious minds. When too many message units are received (as in life threatening
emergencies), a state of anxiety results.
MIND-SET: The development of an attitude in the client favourable for the induction of hypnosis.
MISDIRECTION: Appearing to be guiding someone into one area with the intention of directing him
into another. It can be used effectively as a deepening technique in hypnosis.
MONO-IDEISM: A term devised by Braid to be used in place of hypnosis or hypnotism. Braid used the
word Hypnotist, derived from the Greek word hypnosis, meaning sleep. Later finding that hypnosis is
not sleep, he tried to substitute mono-ideism (one idea), but was not successful.
NEGATIVE HALLUCINATION: The client fails to sense something which is quite obvious.
NEGATIVE SUGGESTION: A suggestion stated negatively; i.e., “This won’t hurt”. As a rule, the
suggestions stated negatively are less effective than positive suggestions.
NEUROSIS: A relatively mild personality disorder that is caused, or notably influenced by emotional
factors.
PATERNALISM: The authoritarian approach to induction and therapy, using a rapid patter with
commanding or even demanding words.
PATTER: A rhythmic series of words in a semi-monotone or monotone, spoken either slowly or
rapidly, causing stimulation of the different senses and leading to the hypnotic state.
PLENARY TRANCE: A state of complete immobility. A client appears to be in a coma but is not. This
condition is rarely seen.
POSITIVE HALLUCINATION: By suggestion, the client has sensory experience of something which
does not exist. For example, a lemon will smell like roses.
POSITIVE SUGGESTION: A suggestion stated in a positive manner; i.e., “Please sit down, versus “Please
do not stand”.
POST-INDUCTION: An after-session talk designed to help clients set their expectations.
POST-HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION: A suggestion given during the hypnotic trance but which is to be
carried out after the termination of the hypnotic state. This is a very helpful device for therapy.
If these suggestions are of a nature to embarrass the client when he carries them out, they are
known as bizarre post-hypnotic suggestions, (often used by stage hypnotists).
POWER WORDS: The dominant words projected from the therapist to the client that impart some type
of direction or control (example: Deep Sleep).
PRE-INDUCTION: An induction to hypnosis to prepare the client for the induction. It should include
an explanation of hypnosis and an idea of what the client can expect to experience in the state of
hypnosis.
PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES: An unstructured situation is presented to the client, and he is asked to
describe it. His description must be projected from his own personality makeup.
PRIMITIVE AREA OF THE MIND: The part of the brain with which humans will react whenever
threatened beyond the point where they can reason. This primitive brain produces the “fight, flight or
freeze” response, the unthinking impulses of self-defence, or any other rapid reactions without reason.
PSEUDO REGRESSION: Apparently regressed to an earlier time, but uses present and past tenses when
answering questions. May have knowledge of future events.
PSYCHO DYNAMICS: A term to cover motivational factors, particularly of an unconscious nature and
defence mechanisms; i.e., Rationalization, sour grapes mechanism, etc.
PSYCHOLOGICAL: Pertaining to the mind, or to mental phenomena as the subject matter of
psychology.
PSYCHOLOGICAL LOBOTOMY: A don’t care attitude toward pain. The threshold of reactivity to pain
is lowered. This phenomenon is sometimes mistaken for hypno-anaesthesia.
PSYCHOGENIC: Pertaining to a disorder or symptom that is mental rather than organic in origin.
PSYCHOSOMATIC: Pertaining to a physical disorder that is caused, or notably influenced by emotional
factors.
PSYCHOSUGGESTIC: Physical or mental disorder caused or influenced by suggestion into the
subconscious mind during anaesthesia.
RAPPORT: The therapist/client relationship, in which the client has faith and confidence in the
therapist, and the therapist has concern for the client.
REACTIONAL HYPNOSIS: Repeatedly awakening the client and re-hypnotizing him with a postsuggestion
to re-hypnosis. An effective method of achieving depth in hypnosis.
RECALL: Remembering something previously forgotten.
REFRACTORY CLIENTS: Refers to a client who will not enter hypnosis; usually because of fear or
misconceptions.
RE-HYPNOTIZING: Helping a client go back into a state of hypnosis. Usually this involves the use of a
post-hypnotic suggestion.
RELAXCENTRATION: Relaxed, focussed concentration.
RESISTANCE: Some individuals have difficulty going into hypnosis because it is said that they resist
possibly because of erroneous ideas concerning hypnosis, or from other causes. Resistance may be
conscious; i.e., subject to verbalization, or unconscious, not subject to verbalization at the moment.
REVERSAL: A suggestion given with a very weak challenge and a strong negation as in challenging the
eyelids: “Your eyelids are closed. You may try to open them, but the more you try, the more difficult it
becomes.
REVIVIFICATION: The client relives, with a feeling of present reality, a previous experience. These
experiences usually have a strong emotional component.
SALIVATION: The act or process of salivating - an abnormally abundant flow of saliva.
SCIENCE: 1) Systematized knowledge derived from observation, study, and experimentation carried on
in order to determine the nature of principles of what is being studied. 2) Skill or technique based
upon systematized training i.e. Science of hypnosis.
SENSORY INPUT: Of or pertaining to the senses of sensation.
SLEEP: This term is often used in induction techniques, as in “go deeper asleep”. It is a misnomer
because the hypnotic trance is not sleep.
SOMNAMBULISM: The generally recognized greatest depth of hypnosis for clinical therapy.
SPECTRUM: Ordered in accordance with the magnitudes of a common property.
S.P.E.: Symptom Producing Event (See S.S.E.).
SPIRITUAL: A quality of man which is not apparent to the physical senses, but is transmitted and
perceived one to another by means of sensitized feelings and emotions.
S.S.E.: Secondary Sensitizing Event
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND: A concept which is useful for purposes of explanation. For example, one may
be trying to think of a name, saying - “It is on the tip of my tongue”. A second later, he remembers it.
Before the recall, the name may be said to be in his subconscious mind. Another way of looking at the
subconscious mind is to say that it designates those experiences of the individual which are not at the
moment subject to verbalization (Also known as the Unconscious Mind.)
SUGGESTIBILITY: Designates the fact that normal human beings are so constituted that they can accept
ideas relatively uncritically, un-analytically, and with a minimum of resistance. Suggestibility is a
normal characteristic of human beings.
SUGGESTION: 1) The Process by which an idea is brought to the mind through its connection or
association with an idea already in the mind. 2) The inducing of an idea that is accepted or acted upon
readily and uncritically as in hypnosis; or the idea induced; or the stimulus used to induce it.
SUGGESTIVE THERAPY: Therapeutic process based upon changing the ideational makeup of the client.
It plays a part in all therapy even surgery, but is particularly useful for functional and psychosomatic
difficulties.
SUBJECT: The term used by the medical fraternity to indicate a client.
SYMPTOM: Besides the ordinary use of this term in medicine and dentistry, it is used in psychotherapy
to apply to the complaint which the client presents; i.e. nail biting, enuresis, functional pains, etc.
This use is a relic of the psychoanalytic approach which teaches that the presented complaint is the
manifestation of an underlying difficulty. Unless one is psychoanalytically inclined, it would be
preferable to use the term ‘complaint.
SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION: The process of inducing a relaxed state in a client and then having
him visualize or imagine an event that was traumatic to him in the past. The relaxation then becomes
the dominant force, and as the client begins to relate to being relaxed and calm while relating to the
trauma area, he allows for removal or desensitization of the trauma.
SYSTEMATIZE: To arrange or reduce to a system.
TABU: (or taboo) Something improper or unacceptable; something prohibited.
TESTS OF SUGGESTIBILITY: Methods designed to measure the degree of suggestibility of a client.
THERAPEUTIC: Of or pertaining to the treatment of disorders.
THERAPY: The treatment of any harmful, destructive, or unwanted condition, mental or physical by
some corrective process and/or program.
THERAPIST: A specialist in therapy.
TIME DISTORTION: 1) Time Expansion - two minutes can seem like twenty minutes, with a subjective
sense of time going by very slowly. 2) Time Contraction - ten minutes can pass in what seems like one
minute. This can be used for trance ratification to convince a client that they were in hypnosis.
TRANCE: A term used to describe the hypnotic experience. The word “state” may be used instead.
TRAUMA: Psychological shock or severe distress from experiencing a disastrous event outside the range
of usual experience.
VOYEURISM: the exaggerated or unseemly enjoyment from being an observer.
WAKING HYPNOSIS: Hypnotic phenomena produced in the waking state.
