The Dave Elman Induction Steps and ExplanationSeptember 3, 2007One of the first inductions that most hypnotists should be taught in ahypnosis course today is the Dave Elman induction. Unfortunately, alot of courses start with a progressive relaxation or other old timeyinduction. This is my explanation of how to do a modified Dave Elman induction. Ithink it has improved slightly from the original and easier for most neolearners to grasp. Even though Dave passed away about 40 years ago,this remains one of the best inductions in hypnosis today.In short, if you dont know this one, you want to learn this right away. If you do know it, then perhaps my explanation will add a few tidbits ortweaks that you can alter for your own use.Have fun:Start Take a deep breath, hold it for a mental count of three, and let it gowith a sigh As you let that breath go now, close your eyes, and godeeper and deeper into a perfect state of relaxation.Physical Relaxation Take that relaxation now and just go deeper . Sweeping from the topof your head, to the tips of your toes From the soles of your feet tothe palms of your hands, with every breath growing more limp, moreloose, more relaxedTest for Eye Catelepsy, also called The Eye LockNow I want you to relax all those tiny little muscles in your eyelids, likean old wet dish rag has been placed over them. Relax all thosemuscles so limp, so loose, so totally relaxed, that you couldnt possibly open them again without putting tension back into them.When youknow that youve got them that relaxed, just go ahead and give thema good test . [Look at the eyes ... When you see the first signs of eyelidflutter then say:] Thats good, stop testing now, and just let therelaxation grow deeper and deeper. [Notes: You want to tell them to test the eyes only when they knowthat they have relaxed them sufficiently until they won't work. If theireyes open that means they haven't followed that instruction.Occasionally you'll get people who say, "well do you want me to openmy eyes?" and you have to explain to them that when the eyes get sorelaxed, they get so they can't open, and if they can relax their eyes tothat point they will NOT open.If they continue to fail then that generally means they aren't followinginstructions - but keep in mind that as you get more experienced you'llbe able to work with more people and be able to troubleshoot what isgoing on much more effectively.]FractionationIn a second Im going to ask you to open and close your eyes, andwhen you close your eyes back down, I want you to go ten timesdeeper. Now go ahead and open .. and close your eyes ten timesdeeper.In a second Im going to ask you to open and close your eyes again,this time go twice as relaxed as you are right now Go ahead andopen your eyes.. close your eyes two times more relaxed. Double therelaxation and then go deeper.And in a second Ill ask you to open and close your eyes one last time,this time go into the deepest trance that is possible for you, and open and close your eyes deeper .. and deeper relaxed All the waydown into the basement of trance[Note: When you have them open their eyes, put your hand in front of their eye-lids so they don't see the lights/distractions around them ...lift your hand up a little bit for the open motion, and then guide theireyes down with the closed motion.Fractionation is based on the principle that when you take a person inand out of trance, they tend to go more deeply into trance when youtake them back in. Thus when you have them open their eyes, you arebreaking their state. Skilled practitioners know how to fractionate veryoften and very effectively. Don't underestimate how powerful of a toolthis is.]Test for Physical Relaxation and DeepenerIn a second Im going to lift up your right wrist.Dont try to help me or hinder me, just let it hang there like limp, loose, dead weight.[Pick up the wrist] And just go ahead and let me have all the weight [Movethe wrist up and down and then side to side -- it's the side to sidemovement that they don't anticipate] .. And thats right and Imgoing to drop this hand, and let the hand drop only at the rate andspeed that youre willing to go [Drop the hand] All the way down.[That's a double bind: You already dropped the hand, so it presupposesthat they agreed to go all the way down][Note: you can repeat this test at random points during the hypnosis if you want to deepen the relaxation, because it is an already acceptedmechanism that if you lift and drop their hand, they'll go deeper. You have to make sure that they have completely relaxed their handand arm. I find that it sometimes helps to give a little bit of toucharound the shoulder joint because it implies that the hand isdisconnected.]Amnesia for the NumbersNow we want to let your mind relaxas deeply as your body continuesto relax now. In a second Ill give you some numbers, and you willbegin counting outloud, slowly backwards starting with the number100, and with the number 100, I want you toseethe number 100, andwith every descending number, just let those numbers grow smaller,darker, harder to see [gesture and imagine yourself the numbers beinggone], until by the time you reach 96 or even 97, those numbers will just be gone gone from your mind, gone from your thoughts, andyou relax even deeper. Begin countingoutloud, slowly, backwardsfrom100 on down now. [When they pause for more than a second or so,say:] All gone? [Wait for a response] Thats right, now just go deeperand let that relaxation go all the way thru your body.[Notes: (1) An option here is to have the person say the words "deeperrelaxed" in between the numbers. For clients who might take a longertime to get the effect, this will speed up the process because they aresaying "deeper relaxed" out of their own mouth."(2) Make sure they understand that they will countoutloud ,slowly , andbackwards. Very important when doing your Elman Induction.(3) When you tell them that by the time they reach "96 or even 97"you are telling them that the numbers will be gone quickly, and youare testing for somnambulism. If you say a lower number even thoughit seems like you are making it more likely that they'll get the effect, infact they will simply take longer and the convincer aspect of it won't bethere as much. (4) If they continue to count, you can intersperse the numbers withsuggestions like: "Just make them gone now .. I can't do it for you .. If you want it, it will happen instantly" ... If they still continue to notforget the numbers (that is fail at the test) then transition to somethingelse, as if they've done perfectly. Some people will take longer thanothers though.(5) At the end, say "All gone?" or "Are they gone?" ... Don't say "Canyou see the numbers?" because that is a direct suggestion for them tosee the numbers]- End of the induction -Where to go from hereIf your intent is simply to show the person what it feels like to behypnotized, just give them a couple more feel good suggestions, andthen emerge them. To emerge them say something along the lines of:In a second Ill count from one to three, when I reach the numberthree youll emerge out of trance, feeling rested, relaxed, feeling goodand full of energy And one, all suggestions and commands areintegrated deeply two .. as you open your eyes you acknowledge andadmit this has been very very relaxing and fun, and three eyes open,wide awake, feeling fine and in perfect health, better than beforeOtherwise you can bridge into pretty much any other hypnotic thingthat you want to do. At this point is where I would create instantinduction triggers, the circle of excellence exercise, etc.Notes on how to enhance this induction using automatic deepeners:One thing most professionals will do is to build automatic processesbased on utilization. What this means is that they utilize things in theenvironment that are going to happen anyway and they use it as a wayto automatically deepen the trance effect. So, in most inductions aprofessional will say something along the lines of:

Outside sounds, outside influences cannot disturb or distractyou, theyre only the sounds of the environment, and in fact thatcan only cause you to go deeper.

With every breath you take, with every word I say, you can justgo deeper, and deeper relaxed.

Becoming now more attuned to the sound of my voice.. thesound of my voice taking you all the way inside. You are going to keep talking, the person is going to keep breathing,they are going to hear things So instead of being afraid of somebodyyelling in the background, why not train your people to the effect thatif they did hear that yell, it would just make them grow more relaxedand follow the suggestions even more, even to the point where thelouder that yell got, would be the deeper quality of relaxation theywould experience? Its not going to happen that they tense up againbecause the yell gets softer, so you might as well build it in.Other things to link automatic deepeners to include any sensation theperson experiences, the weight of their body on the chair, the feelingof the clothes on their body, the blood moving thruout their body, theair moving thruout their lungs, air touching their skin, cars moving byin the background, or anything else that they see, hear, feel, orexperience.When do you use the automatic deepeners? Sometimes right after theeye lock you want to give the suggestion that noises in theenvironment will only cause you to go deeper, otherwise do it whenthey are in a good starting level of trance like at the fractionation step,and repeat it when you know theyre in really deeply.Other versions of this induction

http://www.omnihypnosis.com/dave-art.htm The original Dave Elman Induction is Dave Elman and can be foundin his book Hypnotherapy.If youre looking for a video version on how to do this and otherinductions, check out theRapid and Instant Inductions HomeStudy Course.