Double bind statements are cool. They create an outcome which you may not have received easily otherwise. They present two choices that result in the same outcome. This technique is used in both everyday life, hypnotherapy and of course Stage Hypnosis.
Double bind statements are alternatives to “yes or no” questions. Yes or No questions give the receiver two options… answer with “yes” or “no” Double Bind statements avoid that problem and work toward getting an answer of “yes” or “yes”
For example, consider the everyday life scenario where a salesperson wants to get a meeting with a potential buyer. The the salesperson asks the buyer, “Would you like to meet at your office or our office?” Instead of simply asking, “Would you like to meet?” which could be answered with a “no,” the prospect is bound to one of the two options. The option to answer with a “no” isn’t on the table. To avoid possible conflict, the prospect will likely answer one of the options in the double bind statement. It’s magic! The salesperson does not actually care which location is chosen; they simply want a meeting.
In general, people build their belief systems off their opinions. Therefore, when the prospect hears the options, he will feel more inclined to select one of the choices offered and feel as though he made the choice himself. Did he? Not so much.
Double binds are also used in in therapeutic hypnosis as well as stage hypnosis. They are fun to use. We talk about them in the members area of Stage Hypnosis University. Regardlesss of where you are as a Stage Hypnotist, you can up the ante with Double Bind Statements.
Here’s some examples of double bind statements you can use on stage:
“Take all the time you need in the next minute… to go into a trance.”
I LOVE THAT ONE!
Take all the time you need as long as it’s within the next minute is essentially what you’re saying. In other words, go into a trance FAST!
This statement makes volunteers feel like they have limitless time, but also confines them to a minute.
“Would you like to enter a trance now? Or struggle to keep your eyes open?”
NICE ONE! This makes people think they have two options, when the hypnotist is really presenting two options with the same outcome. Covert persuasion!
“You’ll find going into a trance easy, or completely effortless.”
This double bind statement makes volunteers think going into a trance is easy… or….easy. Again, two options, one outcome.
Double bind statements are used in everyday situations, or in daily life scenarios. See that? I created a double bind statement about double bind statements. Ha!
But really, double bind statements are strategically used to get an individual to agree with a request, and you should be using them in your hypnosiss. Seriously… you should be.
When people perceive multiple options hidden in double bind statements, they feel powerful. They feel they have choices. They feel like the decision is all theirs. Because of that you gain great rapport and they are far more likely to enter a trance.
As Milton Erickson loved to say… “That’s right.”
