Hypnosis Using Language: A Simple "How To" Guide

Every word you use and how you use it creates a picture in the the mind. It may create a powerful emotional state. Your words shape not only your reality but the reality of all those you influence daily.
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Don't think of a pink bunny. No, seriously don't. Whether you like it or not, you have just fallen victim to a post-hypnotic suggestion. Simple as it may seem, the rather ridiculous aforementioned image has been planted into your psyche. You have been hypnotized.

In Star Wars, the Jedi were able to influence and control the minds of others by making use of the mysterious "Jedi mind trick." What if you could move people in any direction using only the power of your words? What if this power was real? What if others knew about and used this power to manipulate the decisions you and the rest of mankind make every day? It sounds far too futuristic to be possible. However, that technology may be more real than you think.

Our words are one of the factors which shape our thoughts, in turn forming an integral ingredient in the construction of our relative "reality" on a continuous basis. People make the best snap decisions possible, given their evaluation of their current environment. A person's evaluation of their environment is formed by multisensory inputs from the outside world. We process those data inputs in order to translate and organize them by relevance to our lives.

Just as your words make up your world, they also make up the world of the people whom you interact with. Similarly, the words you listen to paint intricate pictures in your mind that influence your thoughts, feelings and actions including what you buy and how you buy it.

Neuro Linguistic Programming, or NLP, is a somewhat controversial system in which hypnotic suggestion is moved from a traditional clinical setting into one which applies the tactic in conversational interactions. It may also be applied to your own internal dialog and self talk.

In NLP, language is very carefully crafted in order to deliver a deliberate and hypnotic effect on the listener. Every detail of a spoken sentence is carefully constructed before the sentence is delivered. The tone, cadence, and words in NLP are intentionally orchestrated in order to paint a very specific picture in your mind and to influence your decisions.

Who uses NLP? Just to name a few, speech writers, salespeople, politicians, advertising people and motivational speakers all use NLP. Following a few simple guidelines will dramatically change the way you live and the words you speak. When you are speaking to another person, imagine that you are painting a picture in their mind.

In my new book The Brain That Changes Everything : The Ultimate Guide To Accelerating Your Brain I discuss not only NLP but several new technologies for making more intelligent decisions. However, here are 5 powerful tips for transforming your language to have the most impact in every conversation:

  1. Tell brief colorful stories to form a picture of the setting or scene you want to create when you speak. Avoid any story or image that does not convey what you want to create.
  2. Use only words that reflect the mood and emotion that you want to elicit. Using words that have the right meaning but the wrong connotation or a "double meaning" may be interpreted too broadly or incorrectly, so avoid that risk.
  3. Use fewer words and speak intentionally. Most people have a short attention span. The longer you speak, the greater your chances of having them zone out and not absorb your point.
  4. Be careful with embedded negative commands. If I tell you, "don't forget to buy my book " your subconscious mind may pick up the most powerful words in the sentence (forget) and interpret them as a command. Instead we would be better served to say " remember to buy my book" which has the command "remember" instead of "forget."
  5. Remember to smile. The ears might hear words but the brain picks up so much more. Even a slight smile is picked up immediately and processed in the brain. Similarly, match the tone and cadence of your speaking with the emotion you want to convey and subsequently the environment you want to create.

Every word you use and how you use it creates a picture in the the mind. It may create a powerful emotional state. Your words shape not only your reality but the reality of all those you influence daily. Think before you speak. Speak clearly and intelligently. Get to the point and create a lasting impact on everyone you come in contact with.

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