HYPNOTHERAPY: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
HYPNOTHERAPY FOR DUMMIES 3 SOCIAL PROOF: MERCHANTS LIST TESTIMONY AFTER TESTIMONY FROM FAITHFUL, SATISFI ED USERS TO SELL US THEIR WARES WHAT MANY AGREE TO MUST BE TRUE, GOOD, AND DESIRABLE BUT REMEMBER, NOT SO LONG AGO, EVERYONE BELIEVED THE EARTH WAS FL AT! 4 ASSOCIATION: THIS IS THE EFFORT TO LINK FAVORABLE FEELINGS WITH A PRODUCT OR AIM WE SEE POLITICIANS WITH APPLE PIE, BABIES, AND THE AMERICAN FL AG WE SEE STUNNING MEN AND WOMEN IN THE MOST UN- LIKELY OF PLACES, WITH THE MOST UNLIKELY OF APPAREL, JUST TO CONNECT THE PRODUCT WITH THESE IMAGES SIMILARLY, TELEVISION PRODUCERS USE CANNED LAUGHTER TO PUNCTUATE COMEDY MANY PEOPLE DON’T ACTIVELY NOTICE THIS, FOR IN OUR CULTURE, WE OFTEN OVERLOOK SOUND DON’T DISCOUNT EVEN THE MOST INNOCENT OF FEATURES THAT ACCOMPANY A PRODUCT OR ADVERTISEMENT THE COMPANIES BEHIND THEM SPEND BILLIONS ANNUALLY ON DELIBERATELY APPLYING SKILLFUL KNOWLEDGE TO MANIPULATE YOU 5 CONDITIONING AND ASSOCIATION: AS WITH THE ASSOCIATIONS INTEN- TIONALLY BUILT INTO MOST ADVERTISING, CERTAIN CONSCIOUSLY UNDETECTED ASSOCIATIONS CAN OPERATE ON EXISTING CONDITIONING AND PAIR WITH IT TO PRODUCE NEW CONDITIONING HYPNOTHERAPY FOR DUMMIES 6 LIKING: THE MORE WE IDENTIFY WITH OTHERS AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THEM—THE MORE WE LIKE PEOPLE—THE MORE OFTEN WE COMPLY WITH THEIR REQUESTS DISCUSSING ANYTHING SO OBVIOUS MAY SEEM RIDICULOUS, BUT THE LIKING PRINCIPLE HAS NUANCES UNFAMILIAR TO MOST OF US, SUCH AS ITS MECHANICAL FEATURES THIS MEANS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IF A SMILEY FACE IS PAIRED WITH A COUNTRY’S FL AG, WE’LL BE PREDISPOSED TO LIKE THAT COUNTRY 7 AUTHORITY: “AUTHORITY, AUTHORITY, AUTHORITY” HAS A RING TO IT SIMILAR TO THE SECRET OF RETAIL SUCCESS: “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!” EVERYWHERE WE TURN TODAY, THE AUTHORITY INSTRUCTS, INFORMS, AND BE- COMES THAT WHICH WE COME TO TRUST WITH OUR VERY LIVES HOW DID WE SURVIVE BEFORE WE HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT EXPERTS? EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD IS SOLD PARTLY ON THE BASIS OF AUTHORITY WE MUST RELY ON THIS SOMETIMES IN OUR HIGH-TECH SOCIETY, YET BLIND RELI- ANCE IS ABSOLUTE IGNORANCE FORTUNATELY, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE BECOME SUSPICIOUS OF AUTHORITIES MORE IMPORTANT, MODERN TECHNOLO- GY MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR ANY OF US TO CHECK ON INFORMATION AND EXPERTS MUCH MORE RAPIDLY 8 SCARCITY: “THIS IS THE LAST ONE; BETTER TAKE IT ACT NOW, LIMITED QUANTITY DON’T DELAY DON’T MISS OUT TIME IS LIMITED SALE ENDS TODAY HURRY—FI RST COME, FI RST SERVED ” THESE ARE BUT A FEW OF THE SCARCITY STATEMENTS WE FI ND IN ADVERTISEMENTS FOR EVERYTHING FROM PICKLES TO HYPNOTHERAPY FOR DUMMIES PANTY HOSE WHY DOES THE COMPLIANCE PRINCIPLE OF SCARCITY DRIVE US? IN A WORD, GREED! 9 DRIVES: THESE ARE THE BASIC BUILT-IN NEEDS OF THE SPECIES IN PSY- CHOLOGY, HUMAN DRIVES, OR FORCES, ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE 4 F’S: FI GHT, FL IGHT, FEEDING, AND FORNICATION I TEND TO THINK THAT THESE HAVE EVOLVED WITH THE ADVENT OF MODERN MERCHANDISING AND DEFERRED PAY- MENT CONSEQUENTLY, MY VIEW INCORPORATES 5 F’S WHAT IS THE FI FTH FORCE? SIMPLE: MORE! NO ONE HAS ENOUGH; EVERYONE WANTS MORE GAIN HAS SOMEHOW BECOME DESIRABLE IN ITSELF TODAY THE WORD MORE EQUALS POWER, PRESTIGE, STATUS, AND PEACE OF MIND IT NOW MEANS QUALITY AS MUCH AS QUANTITY: “KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES!” 10 JUSTIFI CATION: EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES CAN JUSTIFY RADICAL ACTIONS INDEED, A TENET OF OUR JURISPRUDENCE SYSTEM ALLOWS FOR THIS, WHICH IS WHY THERE ARE RULINGS SUCH AS SELF-DEFENSE, JUSTIFI ABLE HO- MICIDE, AND THE LIKE THIS PRINCIPLE IS PROBABLY THE MOST OFTEN OVER- LOOKED TOOL OF COMPLIANCE AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF ITS POWER EXISTS IN A CLASSIC TELEVISION COMMERCIAL THE VIEWER SEES A WOMAN PERFORMING THE MANY TASKS OF AN ABSOLUTELY FRANTIC DAY: SHOPPING, CLEANING, CAR- ING FOR CHILDREN, BANKING, AND SO FORTH AT THE END OF THE DAY, SHE (A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND SEDUCTIVE WOMAN) RELAXES IN HER BATH, COVERED BY FOAM THE SPOT ADVERTISES A BUBBLE BATH AND ENDS WITH THE STATEMENT, “LET XYZ PRODUCT TAKE YOU AWAY ” IT’S AN EXCELLENT COMMERCIAL THAT HYPNOTHERAPY FOR DUMMIES