With all the hype about NLP and Conversational Hypnosis, it's easy to forget about the basic things like Direct Suggestion.

Direct Suggestions are quick, simple and effective. There are no complex language patterns, no studying the subject accessing queues or body language, just simple commands stated in a very simple, but direct, way.

What is Direct Suggestion?

The phrase is fairly self-explanatory. Direct suggestions are very straight forward. Some examples of direct suggestions are:

"Your eyes are getting heavy. Your eyes are closing. You are going deep into trance."

Another example is:

"You are now a non-smoker. You no longer even think about cigarettes."

Or

"You now make healthier choices when eating. You automatically know what foods to eat to help you maintain your energy, while also becoming more fit."

Compounding and Pyramiding

Direct Suggestion is made stronger by compounding and pyramiding. Compounding is when you repeat the same suggestion over and over again. For example:

"You're feeling calm. That calmness is washing over your entire body. In situations where you used to feel differently, now you feel even more calm."

Pyramiding is when you stack different suggestions on top of each other, each designed to increase the strength of the other. For example:

"The more you relax, the better you feel, and the better you feel, the more calm you become. The calmer you become, the more confident you feel, and the deeper you go into trance."

So as you learn all of the new and interesting techniques of NLP and Conversational Hypnosis, don't forget the basics. Try combining old and new techniques together for even more effective suggestions. For example mix direct suggestion with the cause and effect language patter (X causes Y). For example:

"Your breathing is shifting, which means you are now entering into trance. Every time you go into trance, you go even deeper, and you feel fantastic."

That's all I have for now.

Michael C. White, C.Ht.