BCH Suggestion Formulation & Delivery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of using the word 'every' in a suggestion such as 'Every time you hear music, you feel calm'?
- To create a universal trigger response (Correct answer)
- To limit the suggestion to specific situations
- To introduce ambiguity into the message
- To emphasize the hypnotist's authority
Correct answer: To create a universal trigger response
Universal quantifiers like 'every' generalize the conditioned response across all relevant contexts.
Question 2: Which suggestion structure uses the client's own resistance as a vehicle for change?
- Permissive suggestion
- Paradoxical suggestion (Correct answer)
- Direct command
- Post-hypnotic cue
Correct answer: Paradoxical suggestion
Paradoxical suggestions reframe resistance so that acting against the suggestion still produces the desired outcome.
Question 3: When delivering an ideomotor suggestion, the hypnotist should speak at a pace that is:
- Rapid to maintain momentum
- Matched to the client's observed breathing rate (Correct answer)
- Monotone regardless of client response
- Louder than conversational tone
Correct answer: Matched to the client's observed breathing rate
Pacing delivery to the client's breathing rate synchronizes communication with their physiological state.
Question 4: A suggestion that begins 'You may find that...' is best classified as:
- Authoritarian direct suggestion
- Permissive indirect suggestion (Correct answer)
- Negative suggestion
- Shock induction command
Correct answer: Permissive indirect suggestion
'You may find that...' invites rather than commands, making it a permissive indirect suggestion.
Question 5: Why is it important to avoid double negatives in hypnotic suggestions?
- They increase suggestibility
- The unconscious mind processes negatives poorly and may reverse meaning (Correct answer)
- They create stronger amnesia
- They deepen trance automatically
Correct answer: The unconscious mind processes negatives poorly and may reverse meaning
The unconscious often ignores negation, so double negatives can produce unintended meanings.
Question 6: In Ericksonian hypnosis, an 'embedded command' is best described as:
- A suggestion hidden inside a longer sentence, marked by tonal emphasis (Correct answer)
- A command delivered after awakening
- A post-hypnotic trigger using a physical anchor
- A written instruction given before the session
Correct answer: A suggestion hidden inside a longer sentence, marked by tonal emphasis
Embedded commands are directives embedded within normal conversation and marked by subtle tonal shifts.
Question 7: Which factor most affects whether a post-hypnotic suggestion will persist over time?
- The volume of the hypnotist's voice
- Repetition and reinforcement across sessions (Correct answer)
- The subject's age
- The length of the induction
Correct answer: Repetition and reinforcement across sessions
Repeated reinforcement across multiple sessions strengthens and prolongs post-hypnotic effects.
BCH Suggestion Formulation & Delivery 2
What is the primary purpose of using the word 'every' in a suggestion such as 'Every time you hear music, you feel calm'?