8: How do you know if they’re in trance?
It’s very common for hypnotists and subjects who are new to hypnosis to worry a lot about whether someone is actually “in trance.” We know that it’s much more important to emphasize a person’s responses than it is to fret about trance being a box that you’re inside or outside of, but there are some common signs that you can look for that will tell you a person is feeling it.
There’s a lot of variation in hypnotic response even from moment to moment in an individual, so the MOST important sign is that they are having a reaction that is somehow different from their baseline. If someone was blinking normally and now they’re staring; if someone was relaxed and now they’re tense. A change in their outward body language or the like corresponds with them inwardly feeling something different, even if it’s subtle.
All of that being said, here’s some signs you can look for:
Eyes closing fully or partially
Eyes widening
Blinking more, less, or eyelids fluttering
Eyes rolling/moving around, or becoming very still (whether closed or open eyelids)
Glassiness or teariness of the eyes
Redness of the whites of the eyes
Dilated pupils
Relaxation or tension of facial muscles
Relaxation or tension in the body
Muscle twitches or rocking of the body
Stillness/stiffness or limpness in limbs or body
Breathing faster or slower
Acknowledge
One of the best and easiest “tricks” you can do when hypnotizing someone is: When you see something, say something!
Any time that you notice a change in the way your partner is responding, feed it back to them. “That’s right, your eyes are starting to close…” “I can see your muscles engaging…”
Like we’ve said before, acknowledging someone’s response to trance is hypnotic! It “ratifies” (encourages and brings to light) that the person is experiencing a sign of hypnosis, and it lets them know that you are attentive to what they’re feeling. The things that you see externally mean that they’re experiencing something, and they want to know that they’re doing it right! Feeling more confident that they’re being responsive to hypnosis = actually being more responsive to hypnosis.
