Forced cognition

Techniques > Hypnotism > Forced cognition

Principle | Practice | Example | Discussion | See also

Principle

When you say something, the subject will think about it.

Practice

There are many ways where forced cognition can be used, for example:

In induction, telling them their body may feel heavy.
Noting that they look sleepy.
Asking them to recall a time when they were happy.
Telling them when they wake, they will feel refreshed.

Discussion

A common example used to explain forced cognition used a reversal, where you are asked not to think of, for example, a pink elephant. Of course this becomes impossible as thinking about not thinking about it makes you think about it.

Forced cognition is at the root of suggestion, as it makes the person think about something. Effective suggestion also leads to the person accepting what it proposed.

Hazard warning!

Forced cognition implies a hazard warning: When a person is in a trance they are often highly suggestible and anything that is said can inadvertently have an undesirable effect. This is one of the main ways that hypnosis can go wrong, where the hypnotist says something casually and does not realize the effect it has.