BCH Hypnotic Suggestions & Therapeutic Applications 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of suggestion uses the client's own resistance by incorporating it into the hypnotic instruction?
- Permissive suggestion
- Paradoxical suggestion (Correct answer)
- Direct suggestion
- Embedded suggestion
Correct answer: Paradoxical suggestion
Paradoxical suggestions use resistance as part of the instruction (e.g., 'the harder you try to open your eyes, the more relaxed you become').
Question 2: In hypnotherapy, 'future pacing' refers to:
- Counting forward to deepen trance
- Rehearsing a desired behavior or outcome in an imagined future scenario (Correct answer)
- Scheduling follow-up sessions
- Pacing the client's breathing rate
Correct answer: Rehearsing a desired behavior or outcome in an imagined future scenario
Future pacing has the client mentally rehearse a successful future experience, anchoring positive responses to upcoming real-world events.
Question 3: When working with a client who has a phobia, systematic desensitization in hypnosis typically involves:
- Immediate exposure to the feared stimulus at full intensity
- Graduated imaginal exposure paired with deep relaxation (Correct answer)
- Aversion conditioning using negative imagery
- Direct suggestion to 'forget' the fear
Correct answer: Graduated imaginal exposure paired with deep relaxation
Graduated imaginal exposure in a relaxed hypnotic state allows the client to desensitize to the feared stimulus progressively without overwhelming anxiety.
Question 4: A hypnotist gives the suggestion, 'You will sleep deeply and comfortably tonight.' This is best classified as a:
- Post-hypnotic suggestion (Correct answer)
- Ideomotor suggestion
- Catalepsy induction
- Fractionation technique
Correct answer: Post-hypnotic suggestion
A post-hypnotic suggestion instructs the client to experience a specific response or behavior after the formal trance session has ended.
Question 5: Which principle explains why vague, permissive suggestions are often more effective than highly specific commands for many clients?
- Law of concentrated attention
- Law of dominant effect
- Psychological reactance (Correct answer)
- Trance logic
Correct answer: Psychological reactance
Psychological reactance describes how people resist perceived loss of freedom; permissive suggestions reduce this resistance by giving the client more autonomy.
Question 6: In Ericksonian hypnotherapy, an 'interspersal technique' involves:
- Alternating between two different induction methods
- Embedding therapeutic suggestions within stories or metaphors (Correct answer)
- Spacing sessions over extended intervals
- Interrupting the trance to re-establish rapport
Correct answer: Embedding therapeutic suggestions within stories or metaphors
The interspersal technique embeds key therapeutic words or suggestions within narrative so they bypass conscious scrutiny and reach the unconscious mind.
Question 7: When a hypnotherapist uses ego-strengthening suggestions, the primary goal is to:
- Induce a deeper level of somnambulism
- Build the client's confidence and positive self-concept (Correct answer)
- Eliminate ideomotor responses
- Create amnesia for traumatic memories
Correct answer: Build the client's confidence and positive self-concept
Ego-strengthening suggestions (e.g., developed by John Hartland) are designed to enhance self-esteem, resilience, and overall psychological functioning.
BCH Hypnotic Suggestions & Therapeutic Applications 2
Which type of suggestion uses the client's own resistance by incorporating it into the hypnotic instruction?