Here’s a great example of somebody getting creative by combining existing resources with some new digital technology and some proven methods – in this case, Ericksonian Double Induction.

Our good friend, Craig Walker, posted this note on Facebook, showing how he cobbled together a pretty unique and amazing intervention with triple whammy hypnotic capacity.  Read on!

Hi Belleruth! I know you're busy and get tons of messages but I hope you won't mind my sharing an amazing experience I had which involved your guided imagery.

A while back, I completed a Mental Health First Responders course and there was a very powerful demonstration on what it feels like to hear voices. It had a very profound impact on me. I was seated across from another person, engaged in conversation, while two people were standing behind me and talking in each ear at the same time. Each person was saying something extremely negative about the person seated in front of me.

Not only was it incredibly confusing but it also was a very creepy and almost frightening experience due to the negativity of their comments. It really made me pause and reflect because I have been studying hypnosis for the past year. As part of my extracurricular study activities, I have been researching confusion inductions [Ed. Note: This is an Ericksonian technique that, among other things, can use multiple conversations going on at the same time, to drive the brain that’s trying to hear it all into a trance state, just to cope with all the messages...] and I got the idea that if this experience was so powerful in such a negative way, what would it be like to flip it a bit and use positive statements in the confusion portion of that exercise?

I have a program that allows me to import audio and add brainwave entrainment as well. So, I decided to use your guided imagery on PTSD, Anger/Forgiveness, Grief and Depression as audio samplings with two set to pan from the right and the other two to come in from the left. I set the brainwave entrainment frequency to Theta (7.83 Hz) so that I might be able to enhance the twilight reverie nature of the experience.

I sat down to listen just before bedtime and found it to be a much more positive experience than the demonstration that occurred during the training. Of course, it was confusing at times, but I was able to pick out portions of each audio that I really like and really enjoyed that.

Later that evening, I had the most amazing dream, and it was totally relevant to the experience. In the dream, I was with a group of wonderful and compassionate people at some type of celebration. While everyday normal conversations were going on, someone would then begin to speak and use a guided imagery script.

Then, another person would do so as well and the passing of the "song" would move around the room from person to another. It was one of the most powerful and soothing dreams that I have had in a long time. I then asked one of the men in the room why the whole "family" had decided to use guided imagery in their profession. The man simply smiled and winked at me.

Anyway... I just wanted to share this really amazing experience. I've been fascinated by the Ericksonian confusion technique since I first came across it. I've been studying mind bending language as well because I'm intrigued at the power that artfully crafted confusion techniques seem to have in bypassing the critical factor and getting people out of negative loops.

I have to tell you that, for me, I think I stumbled upon a "Belleruth on steroids" special place technique. Not a bad place to be at all...

Have a wonderful day!
Craig