How Easy Is Hypnosis To Learn?

“How easy is it to learn hypnosis?”
I get asked that question often.

The short answer is, if you are motivated, you can learn hypnosis in a weekend. But the short answer hides a bigger truth.

The best analogy is to compare learning hypnosis to learning to play the guitar. It’s easy to learn the basics but mastery takes a lifetime. When I began my hypnosis practice in 1998 I felt I had the skills needed to help people make changes and I did. I proved to be a competent hypnotist and helped thousands of people quit smoking and lose weight.

…but I was very naive.

As much as people sincerely benefited from hypnosis there were concepts within hypnosis that I didn’t grasp. One concept was how giving hypnotic “suggestions” made more likely the subject would not comply. By replacing the “suggestion” with “instruction” the client was more likely to follow along and get a strong result.

Another concept I didn’t fully grasp was how to directly change subconscious habits, patterns and behaviors. “Making changes directly to the subconscious mind” is something hypnotists frequently say but it wasn’t until I studied Jeffrey Stephens hypnosis method that it became clear what that meant. In fact there is a statement in the hypnosis process where the hypnotist says “I am speaking to YOU, the Sub-conscious mind…” that I’ve never heard in other hypnosis trainings.

All of this I learned ten years into my hypnosis practice and I wish I had learned it earlier. The experience left me feeling humbled, and inspired. Once I understood these concepts the speed my clients changed increased dramatically. They also experienced such a positive and dramatic change that there was no one had any doubt if they were hypnotized.

A recent insight I had taught me how the client can quickly integrate the hypnotic change by encouraging gratitude. Specifically, I tell them the changes will be automatic and the more they consciously notice and appreciate these changes the more familiar and automatic the changes will become.

Conclusion: A weekend is enough to learn hypnosis but a lifetime isn’t barely enough to master it.

If you want to start your journey learning hypnosis, or want some great information to improve your ability, I consistently recommend Jeffrey Stephens Complete 3 Day Hypnosis Training.