Being hypnotized: How do you know if you can be hypnotized?

MikeMandelHypno... Question: How do you know if you can be hypnotized?
Answer: This is a very good question! The old models of hypnosis, going back to the 1940's and 1950's indicated that x number of people were "good subjects" and the rest were either poor subjects or couldn't be hypnotized at all. This was less a statement on the validity of hypnosis than it was on the skill of the operators, who'd typically use one technique on everyone and base their findings on that. In some cases, the method was to play a hypnotic recording and see how many succumbed to it; a sort of one size fits all method. In reality, if someone does not enter a hypnotic state, it does not mean he or she cannot be hypnotized. Instead, we can only conclude that he or she did not enter hypnosis in that context, with that hypnotist and that method on that occasion. Hypnosis is all about context. In the right context, with the appropriate method, anyone can enter a hypnotic state. It maybe a deep trance or a lighter trance, but as Milton Erickson proved, hypnotic subjects become better adept at entering trance with practise.
Also, it's important to remember the Golden Rule of trance: All hypnosis is self-hypnosis! Hypnosis is a consensual and co-operative state. The old cause and effect model, treated trance as though it was something the hypnotist did to the subject. Now we see it differently. The hypnotist and the subject co-operate with each other and create trance between them.
So...How do you know you can be hypnotized? Just pretend you're a fantastic hypnotic subject - I mean why would you want to be other than that? Pretend it really well...and then pretend...I mean really pretend...you aren't pretending anymore. You'll find you are indeed a phenomenal hypnotic subject.

[@necramanga]

Mike I'm a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist in the UK and just wanted to say how much I appreciate your videos. They are a great reminder for practitioners and also urge us to be that much better. Thanks again.