Several news sources used the following headline to report the results of a recent medical study: Doctors predict impotence after prostate treatment. A number of other news sources used the following wording: Study: Potency after prostate cancer varies widely. And other headlines put it this way: Sex After Prostate Cancer: New Study Helps Predict Erectile Function Post-Treatment
Which of the headlines is a hypnotic command promoting impotence for those facing prostate surgery? I suspect that most readers of this blog know that “Doctors predict impotence after prostate treatment” is a form of “doctor hypnosis.” One of my videos on You Tube, What if You’re a Hypnotist, addresses the issue of unintended hypnosis. Medical doctors and others in positions in authority (especially teachers) need to know that their pronouncements are often accepted as hypnotic commands by those in their care. One of the reasons most people experience an increase in blood pressure when tested by medical personnel, usually called “White Coat Syndrome,” is that the white coat and other medical accouterments create a state of hypnotic apprehension.
The “white coat” induces a “fear trance.” It is not much different from what our ancient ancestors felt when they were walking down a jungle path and came face-to-face with a jaguar. Medical “stuff” makes most patients nervous, and when the doctor (nurse, physician’s assistant) says, “Let’s see how high your blood pressure is today,” you’re already primed to elevate it.
While it would be nice if more doctors and other medical personnel recognized that what they say to patients has hypnotic power, it would be even better if more people recognized hypnotic language patterns when they saw or heard them. One of the hypnotic patterns I have mentioned previously is the line from an ad for flu medication: “What will you do when you get the flu?” Another of the “ask-your-doctor” ads promotes a drug for lowering cholesterol by saying, “Sure … you may feel better now, but the risk never goes away.” Hypnotic language is pervasive. In most cases, speakers (and writers) do not recognize the hypnotic implications of what they are saying. Don’t look now, but see, for example, my recent blog on negative commands.
Hypnotic language patterns may not be obvious, especially when you have not been trained in what to look and listen for. If you think of hypnosis as something done to you by a bearded guy saying, “You are getting sleepy, sleepy, sleepy,” you may already be in the “I can’t be hypnotized” trance. Presuppositions, for example, are “hypnotic” in that what is presupposed in a sentence, typically goes unnoticed while the recipient’s attention is directed elsewhere. Just for a minute, remember something you still feel bad about (even if from a long time ago).
When you have that in mind, notice where your attention goes when you read the following sentence: “How do you manage to continue feeling bad about that?” If you’re like most people, your focus was on how long ago the whatever-it-was occurred and how much time has passed since it happened. Consider what the word manage presupposes. If you still have bad feelings, you’ve had to work hard at maintaining them, haven’t you…. Rather than having to manage hanging onto old pieces of history, it would be a lot easier simply to let them go, wouldn’t it….
Most hypnotic language is like that. It is subtle. That’s what makes it so effective. The when in “when you get the flu” often slips by unnoticed, programming you to think about getting the flu now. And presuppositions are, of course, just the tip of the hypnosis iceberg.
How aware are you of product placement when watching movies or TV shows? The closeups of product logos don’t happen by chance. Have you noticed how often film and TV characters use alcohol to calm down, perk up, have fun, or “self-soothe” following bad news? It may be, of course, that the writers of the scripts have no specific intention of programming you to drink more alcohol. It may simply be an easy answer to the question, “What can we have the characters do to show that they are upset [happy, sad, feeling good, or feeling bad]?” It may also be that the movie or show is partially financed by an alcohol advocacy group and that the reason alcohol was selected as a “vehicle” was to ensure continued financial support.
In terms of hypnotic language, having the characters consume alcohol is a metaphor. What makes the metaphor especially powerful is that it is embedded in one or more larger metaphors of “the story.” Richard Bandler calls this hypnotic technique looping because of the way stories are embedded and sequenced within a larger frame or story. It is a powerful technique, but unless you know to watch and listen for it, it will slip in unnoticed. You may find that TV shows and movies contain a number of embedded stories that convey specific themes in subtle ways. When you are aware, you can choose the degree to which you wish to be influenced.
For more about presuppositions, metaphors, and other hypnotic language patterns, see Chapter 10 in Healing with Language: Your Key to Effective Mind-Body Communication, by Bowman and Basham.
