HYPNODONTICS

Anchor Your Future in the Untapped Field of Dental Hypnosis

Presented By
The Rev. Timothy Jones, B.Min. MA PhD(c)
CI FNGH OB
Board Certified Consulting Hypnotist

Ontario, Canada

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WHY HYPNODONTICS?

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Definition of Dental Anxiety
The Difference Between Anxiety, Fear, and Phobia  -  Measuring Dental Anxiety
The Most Common Types of Dental Anxiety  -  The Impact of Dental Anxiety on Daily Life
Agoraphobia  -  The Effects of Poor Dental Care on Overall Health
An Informative Article in Plain English
Infective Endocarditis

THE DENTAL PRACTITIONER

How to Approach the Dental Practitioner
How to Advertise & What to Say to the Dentist
Uses of Hypnosis for Dental Patients
Precautions
Clinical Applications

How to Structure a Client Appointment
Gagging/Bleeding/Bruxism/Appliances

A Letter to the Receiving Dental Practitioner

SCRIPTS

The Modified Elman Induction

Professional Hypnotist Script

Other Dental Scripts

How to Compose a Great 30-Second Elevator Speech

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HYPNODONTICS

Why is it the “Untapped” Field of Hypnosis?

“No phenomenon of hypnosis is more dramatic than analgesia, and none has more potential for clinical application …” (Kihlstrom, 2000)

HISTORY

Although we tend to think of dentistry as a recent medical specialty, oral disease has been around from the beginning of history.

Skulls of Cro-Magnon peoples inhabiting the earth 25,000 years ago show evidence of tooth decay; the Chinese first used acupuncture around 2700 BC to treat pain associated with tooth decay; and, evidence has been found that Stone Age people in Pakistan were using dental drills made of flint nearly 9,000 years ago.

Despite these findings, cavities were not of a much concern in the world’s agricultural society that didn’t know of sugar until the 1600’s, which only the wealthy could afford. With a historical life expectation of 50 years, gum disease was the predominant concern, not cavities.

That changed substantially in 1886 when Coca Cola first mass marketed their soft drink and in the rush of copy cat competition, we began the new social behaviour of soaking our teeth many times a day with one form or another of sugar, like double-double coffee, sweetened gum, cakes, pies, sugar tarts and “energy” chocolate bars.

These sugar habits are estimated to account for up to 95% of all cavities (caries), but dental science knows that if there were no fermentable sugars in our diets, we would not develop cavities, even if we never brushed our teeth.

PAIN CONTROL

Until the 1850’s, the majority of the world’s dental patients (the working class) were either held down while “operated” on, knocked unconscious, or offered a couple of swigs of strong spirits to dull their senses while “barber surgeons” worked on them.

In Britain, Dr. John Elliotson started successfully experimenting with ‘magnetic sleep’ in his University College Hospital in 1837. At the same time, Dr. James Braid proved by the medical standards of the day that hypnosis is “reconcilable with well-known physiological and psychological principles.”

Having read Braid’s and Elliotson’s work, in 1846, Dr. James Esdaile, a young Scottish surgeon stationed in India, began to experiment with mesmerism and performed several thousand minor and nearly three hundred major operations under mesmerism.

Incredible for the times, Esdaile was able to reduce the operative death rate from 40-50% to only 5% by the use of mesmerism alone, and rather than strapping his fully conscious patients down during an operation, he could boast that due to mesmerism, his patients recommended their friends and family to him for treatment.

Juxtaposing hypnosis, in 1844, Dr. Horace Wells, a Connecticut dentist, initiated the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) inhalation during dental therapy and founded the concept of inhalation analgesia and anaesthesia.

Then on October 18, 1846, the dentist William T.G. Morton applied an ether-soaked sponge to a patient and surgeon Dr. John Collins Warren removed a neck tumor without the patient showing any signs of pain.

Within two years, ether, nitrous oxide, chloroform, and other chemical anaesthetics were widely used in surgery and the international medical and dental community, more comfortable with a measurable science, quickly adopted inhalation anaesthesia as a standard surgical management procedure with the result that the forward thrust of hypnotic sedation was sidelined for 50 years.

As much as hypnotic analgesia is proven to be safe, it has not been proven to be either inevitable or complete when employed as a primary pain treatment.

However, healthcare consumers are now seeking adjunctive alternatives to chemical and surgical interventions, which have become the standard of care in modern scientific medicine.

As a complementary treatment, HypnoDontics, now more than ever, plays a powerful role in adjunctive health care … it improves the quality of anaesthesia services, not just their efficacy and cost-effectiveness; patients gain an increase in perceived self-control; there are fewer intra-operative complications; there is reduced post-operative pain and fatigue; and, there is a faster return to normal activities … which ultimately means that hypnosis leads to increased patient satisfaction and substantially minimized anxiety.

THE BENEFITS

Although the amelioration of dental anxiety is the most important first step, it’s only one advantage of HypnoDontics.

We know that the ability to create and maintain the trance state rests within the client, and Consulting Hypnotists with a focus on HypnoDontics act as guides to easily show clients ...

. Behaviour Modification

. Relaxation

. Anxiety Control

. Fear Elimination

. Quelling undesirable habits

. Tongue Thrust

. Reverse swallowing

. TMJ Disfunction (temporalis jaw muscles)

. Bruxism, Clenching

. Amnesia

. Analgesia, Anaesthesia, Pain control

. Prevention of gagging and nausea

. Control of saliva and bleeding

. Creative visualization for healing

. Restorative Appliance Tolerance

. Pre-treatment desensitization

. Self-image, self-esteem and confidence

… all this while the client is lounging on their favourite beach, regardless of the weather outside the dental office, disconnected to any noise, vibration or uncomfortable sensations!

The Consulting Hypnotist’s raison d'etre in the helping professions is to assist people change their physical and mental health for the better, and HypnoDontics motivates the most basic of positive human emotions readily recognized worldwide regardless of race, culture or creed … the smile.

The objective of this workshop is to show you how easily Hypnodontics can change the complexion of your practice. It will renew your approach helping people exhibiting an easily resolved anxiety … and it’ll all start with most basic of uplifting human emotions … the smile – both your clients’ and yours!

MEDICAL INFORMATION

WHAT IS DENTAL ANXIETY?

While allopathic professionals might call an anxiety a fear, or a phobia, as we don’t diagnose, NGH recommended terminology refers to the client’s issue as regaining a Positive Mental Attitude or to Manage Situational Stress.

When a health care professional has already diagnosed a physical or mental issue, as Consulting Hypnotists, we can then use their diagnostic term in our clinical notes.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) describes dental phobia as a "marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable".

Does that mean it’s a mental disorder? Yes and no.

Studies have noticed that dental phobia appears to be more common in people who suffer from another psychiatric disorder, notably Generalized Anxiety Disorder, agoraphobia, depression, and emetophobia (intense, irrational fear or anxiety pertaining to vomiting). That same research suggests that about 20% of dental phobics also have a concurrent psychiatric disorder.

The main problem in defining "dental phobia" is that there isn't just one type of dental phobia, and that there’s a difference between anxieties, fears and phobias.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANXIETY, FEAR and PHOBIA

DENTAL ANXIETY is very common, and most people experience it to some degree if they're about to experience a dental procedure they've never experienced before.

DENTAL FEAR is a reaction to a known danger, which involves a fight-or-flight response when confronted with the threatening stimulus.

DENTAL PHOBIA is basically the same as fear, only much stronger in that your client experiences the fear induced fight-or-flight response just thinking about, or being reminded of, the threatening situation. Someone with a dental phobia will avoid dental care at all costs until either a physical problem or the psychological burden of the phobia becomes overwhelming.

HOW IS DENTAL ANXIETY MEASURED?

One problem with defining dental phobia is that "dental anxiety" may feel just as frightening as a "phobia" to a person, and they may be defined by a health care professional, as much as it may be to someone with milder dental anxiety. From what little research there is available, this may be more common in people who are generally anxious.

Also, some people who've never had a bad experience with a dentist or a dental procedure can develop dental fear or phobia vicariously from stories from friends.

As with any intake, we need to determine the depth of a client’s anxiety from their point of view.

The MOST COMMON CAUSES of DENTAL ANXIETY

BAD EXPERIENCES
Dental anxiety leading to a phobia is most often caused by painful dental experiences
(studies suggest that this is true for about 80 -85% of dental phobias,
but there are difficulties obtaining representative samples).
This not only includes painful dental visits, but also psychological behaviors such as being humiliated by a dentist.

• HISTORY OF ABUSE - Dental phobia is also common in people who have been sexually abused, particularly in childhood. A history of bullying or having been physically or emotionally abused by a person in authority may also contribute to developing dental phobia, especially in combination with bad experiences with dentists.

• UNCARING DENTIST – Dental schools teach that the fear of pain is what will keep people from seeing a dentist, which is why dental practitioners are intently trained in chair-side psychology. However, when the dental patient believes that the pain is “inflicted” by a dentist who is perceived to be cold and controlling, that has a psychological impact. Pain inflicted by a dentist who is perceived as caring is much less likely to result in psychological trauma (Weiner et al, 1999).

• HUMILIATION – Humans are social animals and insensitive remarks by the practitioner or their staff, and the intense feelings of humiliation they provoke, is one of the main factors that can cause or contribute to a dental phobia. (i.e., “Don’t be such a baby! It’s only a needle!”)

• VICARIOUS LEARNING - If a parent or other caregiver expresses anxiety about visiting a dentist, their children may “inherit” that response, and even though they may not experience any negative experiences themselves while at the dentist, they may well be imprinted with that anxiety. Similarly, hearing friends tell of their own (usually exaggerated) experiences can magnify that anxiety.

• ANXIETY ARISING FROM NEEDLES – A subtype (submodality per NLP) of dental anxiety is one learned from the doctor’s office and Hollywood – the fear of purposefully being pricked with something sharp. Whether the patient knows that it’s for their own good health doesn’t seem to matter, Hollywood has glamorized the pain of needles wielded by mad doctors and we carry that inadvertent fear into the dental and medical office. Plus, allowing ourselves to be hurt goes against our primal fears (self-protection).

• PTSD - Research indicates that people who've experienced negative dental experiences suffer from symptoms very similar to those found in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. This is characterized by intrusive thoughts of the bad experience and nightmares about dentists or dental situations.

THE IMPACT OF DENTAL ANXIETY ON DAILY LIFE

Dental anxiety may lead to anxiety and depression. Depending on how obvious lack of dental care is, the urge to laugh and smile is repressed.  People may avoid socializing and meeting people, even close friends, due to embarrassment over their teeth, or they not be able to take on jobs which involve extensive contact with the public.

As an extension of dental anxiety, approximately 3 million Americans may also be unable to leave their homes due to Agoraphobia.

AGORAPHOBIA

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder traditionally thought to involve a fear of public places and open spaces. However, it is now believed that agoraphobia develops as a complication of panic attacks in that it may arise by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. Alternatively, social anxiety problems may also be an underlying cause.

As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia avoid public and/or unfamiliar places, especially large, open, spaces such as shopping malls or airports where there are few places to hide. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this safe place. Approximately 3.2 million adults in the US between the ages of 18 and 54, or about 2.2%, are reported to suffer from agoraphobia.

THE EFFCTS OF POOR DENTAL CARE ON OVERALL HEALTH

1 - Oral health is not only important to your appearance and sense of well being, but also to your overall health. Cavities and gum disease may contribute to many serious conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and premature and low weight babies. Untreated cavities can also be painful and lead to serious infections.

2 - Maintaining good oral health includes keeping teeth free from cavities and preventing gum disease. Poor oral health can affect your appearance and self-esteem, and has been linked to sleeping problems, as well as behavioral and developmental problems in children. Poor oral health can also affect your ability to chew and digest food properly, and good nutrition itself is important to helping build strong teeth and gums that can resist disease and promote healing. 

3 - Smoking is a major risk factor for oral and dental disease as tobacco reduces blood flow to the gums; therefore, the gums do not get the oxygen and nutrients needed to stay healthy and prevent bacterial infection.

HEALTH RISKS OF POOR GUM HEALTH

Gum disease is an inflammation of the gums, which may also affect the bone supporting the teeth. Plaque is a sticky colorless film of bacteria that constantly builds up, thickens and hardens on the teeth. If daily brushing and flossing do not remove i t, this plaque can harden into tartar and contribute to infections in the gums. 

Left untreated, gum disease can lead to the loss of teeth and an increased risk of more serious diseases, including heart disease and stroke. The bacteria in plaque can travel from the mouth into the bloodstream, and has been linked to the clogging of arteries and damage to heart valves. The same bacteria can also travel to the lungs, causing infection or aggravating existing lung conditions. 

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HOW TO APPROACH THE DENTIST

1 – Rather than calling for an appointment, approach their office as you would making any “sales” call.

2 – Dress as you would for a job interview.

3 – Ensure you have brochure samples to leave for the practitioner’s patients, as well as an introductory letter, for the dentist.

4 – Instead of a generalized cover-all letter, address your letter directly to the dental practitioner(s), and sign each personally with a blue pen.

5 – The introductory letter should only be maximum 4 paragraphs on one page. A single bio-page is a stand-alone second page.

6 - Be prepared to speak to and impress the office manager rather than the dentist on your first visit. They are your gateway into the dentist.

7 – The brochure is your professional statement and should be in full color rather than black and white, and printed on glossy paper rather than plain, printer paper. Rather than leaving a hundred or so, only leave 10 brochures with the dental office until you speak personally to the dentist.

8 – Write and rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse again your 30-second elevator speech. That may be all the time you get at the front desk. First impressions are your stock in trade.

9 – Remember that the dental surgeon is the medical expert and that you are offering a complimentary therapy/technique to assist the professional in their work. Leave the big words at home.

10 - Maintain a record of who you approached and who you spoke to, on what date.

HOW TO ADVERTISE

WEB PAGE
A web page is the most efficient way to advertise at minimal cost. It’s constant, available to all anytime and can explain your procedure, the myths and truths of hypnosis, your method of treatment, billing procedure and availability. Its advantage over a brochure is that you can edit it anytime.

BROCHURES
Full color brochures run about a dollar per all in, and you should have the editable design on your computer so you can change your information at any time. We’ve found printing runs of a thousand at a time useless as when you edit, you’re left with useless copies. Print 50 at a time.

COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
Your local paper is a great place to place an inexpensive ad, but again, all inquiries should be directed to your web page, rather than to your own telephone.

PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINES
Advertising in professional magazines works sometimes. Professionals who use Consulting Hypnotists already have their favourite practitioners and don’t usually switch.

WORD OF MOUTH AND REFERRALS
After a while, you won’t need advertising. Once you get 2 or 3 professionals enjoying good results with you, the word spreads quickly. Similarly, dental patients will just rave about you to their friends.

WHAT TO SAY TO THE DENTIST

In your own words, explain what the dental professional already knows, but may not recently have considered while operating their practice …

... The alleviation of fear and anxiety is of as much aid to the client as any anesthetic procedure. Also, excessive salivation and bleeding can be controlled hypnotically and the gagging reflex can be manageably subdued. The client's ability to tolerate dental appliances can be increased and healing can be more easily facilitated following any procedure.

Experienced dentists, oral surgeons, or orthodontists will readily consider referring their patients to a Consulting Hypnotist if they believe it will benefit their patients.

NOTE: Don’t forget to offer the dental practitioner a “stress-buster” session as a professional courtesy at no obligation, and inform them that training them and/or their staff in the basics of guided imagery for relaxation can be turned into CEU’s by their professional association.

USES OF HYPNOSIS FOR DENTAL PATIENTS

1. Elimination of the patient's tension, anxiety or fear of pain and related discomfort.

2. Accustoming the patient to orthodontic or prosthetic appliances after the patient has agreed to them.

3. Maintenance of the patient's comfort during long and arduous periods of dental work.

4. Modification of unwanted dental habits, such as bruxism, the unconscious grinding of teeth.

5. Reduction of anesthesia (numbing) or analgesia (relieving medication) during dental procedures.

6. Substitution for, or in combination, with premeditation for general anesthesia.

7. Prevention of gagging and nausea and control of salivary flow/bleeding intra-procedure & post-procedure healing.

PRECAUTIONS

The major precaution for the use of hypnosis in dentistry is symptomatic pain removal.

Except in emergency situations, a Consulting Hypnotist SHOULD NOT attempt to deal with symptomatic pain due to oral dysfunction or disease without consulting with a dental or medical professional.

As an example, one of the signs of a heart attack in males can be molar or lower jaw pain.

HOW TO STRUCTURE THE CLIENT APPOINTMENT

Hypnosis can readily ameliorate the tension, nervousness and unreasonable fear of pain exhibited by anxious clients. In an ideal world, the Consulting Hypnotist should meet with this type of dental patient a good week before the scheduled dental appointment, then follow up with a 2nd reinforcing appointment the day before, or if possible, the day of the appointment. Or, if time is a consideration, in order for any PH’s to be most effective, schedule the appointment as close to the dental visit as possible.

The first appointment is to introduce the client to hypnosis, and establish their “safe place” or comfort zone where they’ll go during the dental appointment. Ninety percent of all my clients prefer a beach. From there, you can also embed a PH for numbing themselves.

Before bringing the client to full awareness, embed a post-hypnotic suggestion that they will easily be able to relax as deeply as they are now and enjoy this special place as soon as they sit down in the dental chair or lounge, and assign an associated physical anchor to lock in the state, like the joining together of the thumb and first finger.

After bringing them to full awareness in your clinic, encourage the clients to take themselves to “the beach” and test the anchor for deepening.

LOOKING FOR THE ISE

In my own approach, I may or may not teach a client numbing exercises on the first visit, depending on how deep the client allows me to guide them. The main emphasis for a first time client is to ameliorate their anxiety in anticipation of their dental visit. That’s why they came to you.

Unless I’ve worked with the client before, I don’t usually attempt to determine the ISE during the first visit, although I may well use Parts Therapy.

Remember that once you do regress your client, identified the ISE or the imprint, and guided them through forgiveness or conducted parts therapy, the change in belief may still take time to negotiate its way to full conscious awareness and agreement.

There may be any number of other beliefs that arise along the way that need to be additionally addressed, and as with a fear of flying, you don’t want the client negatively rebounding with newly awakened and partially unresolved memories or beliefs halfway through the dental appointment. That’s why we never treat fear issues as a “one appointment fix.”

As a matter of fact, in my own practice, aside from test-taking or public speaking issues that may be ably addressed in one appointment, I never treat any issue as a one-session “fix.”

Once the client has happily enjoyed their perhaps first ever no-stress dental appointment, they’ll be only too glad to come back to see you for the underlying issues.

That is why hypnodontics is such a terrific part of a hypnosis practice … it’s a natural convincer that springboards the client into improving other areas of their life as easily and comfortably as they did in the dentist’s office.

GAGGING

One of he most troublesome issued for the dentist is that of gagging as soon as anything is inserted into the mouth. Ordinarily this gagging response will occur only if the object is inserted deep into the mouth, and is a natural reaction to protect against choking.

The trigger lies so deep that the reflex does not normally affect the person who is having dental work but for some people, this trigger has moved forward through conditioning to the lips, or the tongue, or some other area touched in the dental examinations.

Unless controlled, the gagging can make dental procedures difficult or impossible.

Fortunately, patients in only light hypnosis levels can learn to eliminate the gagging response, and control can be achieved in many cases by direct suggestion or properly developed imagery, but sometimes more complex methods such as a releasing technique or ideomotor question may be needed.

BLEEDING

Bleeding may present a problem either by bleeding too much or too little such as with dry sockets. For too much bleeding, suggestions such as … “the blood is flowing around the extraction area ... allow just the right amount of blood to flow to the area, healing it naturally and normally” work well.

For too little bleeding, the suggestion may be … “blood is flowing to the socket to allow the right amount of blood to the area, healing it naturally and normally.”

Suggestions for the control of bleeding, salivation and gagging should paint word pictures of tissue healing and blood vessels becoming smaller. Suggest that the mouth is dry during periods of dental work and the gag reflex is inoperative until the patient is awakened or alerted by the dentist.

BRUXISM

Teeth grinding, which is technically called bruxism, can create several problems. An estimated 1 in 20 adults and 3 in 20 children unconsciously grind their teeth at night. While the noise may disturb spouses or children, it has a far more distressing effect on the sleeper.

Nocturnal grinding can exert many pounds of pressure per square inch on the surfaces of teeth and can effect not only teeth but the supporting bone, the gums and jaw joint.

Bruxism is attributed to the release of tension from emotional stress and from an unconscious effort to correct irregularities of the chewing surfaces of the teeth. They grind away to eliminate a spot that is too high or to find a comfortable place to fit the upper and lower teeth together.

We regularly help the client overcome this habit by direct suggestions and teaching self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques. Parts therapy or other releasing techniques and/or ideomotor questioning can also be used to help the client release the need to grind their teeth.

DENTAL APPLIANCES

To help a patient adapt to a dental prosthetic device, induce hypnosis and then give strong and positive end result imagery suggestions. These suggestions should reinforce how comfortable the patient is with the appliance, how nice they look and how confident they feel when wearing the appliance. Post-hypnotic suggestions should be directed at how comfortable the appliance(s) are in one's daily life.

LETTER TO RECEIVING DENTAL SURGEON

Once we’ve hypnotherapeutically prepared an anxious dental client, we’ll give them a letter (following) to take to their dentist.

Although 2 pages long, the letter lets the dentist know how to deepen and work with their patient in an entrained state, how to emerge them, and what words to use to promote a calm state of mind.

Please feel free to adjust to your own situation.

Your Letterhead                                                                    

Current Date

ATTN: Dr. Great Dentist

RE: Your Patient Mr. I.M. Anxious

Your patient I.M. Anxious has been hypnotherapeutically prepared for dental surgery.

Specifically, we have addressed anxiety issues surrounding their procedure. Please note that we have NOT conditioned your patient to self-induce anaesthesia, but that his/her conditioning is to neurolinguistically reframe the sensations arising from a dental procedure to minimise anxiety.

BEFORE YOUR PROCEDURE

Upon application of the initial topical anaesthetic, we have given your patient post-hypnotic suggestions implying that although their physical body is in your office, their mind will drift to a pre-visualized “safe place” - in this case a beach – where they will feel only slight pressure in the area of the oral cavity where you are working.

May we suggest you consider using similar terminology, in that before the injection, that you suggest to them that they may feel “only a slight pressure” in that area of the jaw for a few seconds as you prepare the area, rather than using the words needle or injection, as they have not been de-sensitized to those words as much as the sensation arising out of the action has been reframed to feeling only “a slight pressure” in the area where you’re working.

DURING YOUR PROCEDURE

Similarly, some key phrases employed during the hypnodontic session were, “feeling calm and relaxed.”

When using a mechanized and other instruments, the movements and sounds tends to draw them away from their visualization slightly, but if you repeat our embedded suggestions … “any noises you hear around you of my equipment will fade into the background and only serve to relax and calm you further.”

We try avoid the use of words that have negative connotations for your patient, like “drill,” instead replacing it by telling them you’re going to “buff or clean” the area and that “you may feel some vibration which will comfort you even more.”

While involved in the dental procedure, your patient can readily respond to your instructions to them regarding head movement and jaw positioning, and you may also find that your patient may require a rubber/silicone “donut” device to help keep their jaw extended, as in their relaxed state, they may inadvertently start to close their mouth.

Although your patient can hear you and your dental assistant talking during the whole procedure, if you address them directly, i.e., asking questions, the effort to answer you could tend to bring them up a level or two from her pre-conditioned entrainment.

Additionally, we suggest to dentists that they consider reframing any conversation between their staff present to be on a positive note. For example, to exclaim, “My lord, this is deep one. I don’t know if I can get it all” may leave residual effects on healing.

Instead, numerous peer-reviewed studies have proven that positive post-operative healing is more rapidly realized when the surgeon emphasises intra-procedure how well things are going, how quickly the area is going to heal, etc.

Too, although substantive research has not answered the question as to why it happens, if you suggest to your patient by name while entrained that they “turn off” or “turn down” the level of bleeding or salivation in the area of the procedure, or to “increase” the level of bleeding or salivation, their body will respond appropriately.

If you do decide to invoke this physiologic phenomenon, remember to  “turn it back on”, or “off” as the case may be, to normal response levels, at the appropriate time in your procedure.

FOLLOWING YOUR PROCEDURE

Although your patient is experienced in bringing themselves to full awareness in the room on a five-count when you tell them the procedure is finished, we suggest the dental practitioner consider ensuring their patient is indeed fully aware before leaving by counting them up from one to five, with suggestions that pre-suppose healthy healing and reduction of post operative swelling or pain.

An example might be - “Now, I'm going to count up one to five, and then I'll say, "Fully aware." At the count of five, your eyes will open and you’ll be fully aware, feeling calm, rested, refreshed, and relaxed.

All right. One ... slowly, calmly, easily, you're returning to your full awareness once again, secure in the knowledge that the procedure went very well, and that you heal quickly and comfortably.

Two ... each muscle and nerve in your body is loose and limp and relaxed, and you feel wonderfully good in every way.

Three ... from head to toe, you are feeling perfect in every way. Physically perfect, mentally perfect, emotionally calm and serene.

Four ... your eyes begin to feel sparkling clear, and on the next number I count, your eyelids will open, you’ll be fully aware, feeling calm, rested, refreshed, relaxed, invigorated, full of energy, and slightly hungry (a patient cannot feel nauseous and hungry at the same time.)

Number five, number five (with authority) … open your eyes, open your eyes (practitioner should gently snap their fingers at this point as an audible anchor to the patient) - you're fully aware now. Eyes open. Fully aware. Fully aware. Take a good, deep breath, fill up your lungs, and stretch, feeling absolutely wonderful in every way.”

NOTE: Your patient should be able to respond to normal conversation at this point. If you detect any confusion or hesitation in their responses, they could still be enjoying an entrained state, in which case you can count them up from three again, with your voice becoming more authoritative as you reach the number one.

Typically, your patient is still slightly in state for the first two or three minutes after opening their eyes following a session, and are still accepting of positive suggestions (and equally susceptible to negative ones).

Many practitioners take advantage of this entrainment window to re-emphasize how well the procedure went, how rapidly they’ll heal with a minimum of discomfort, etc.

If you have any questions or queries, of if you’d like to discuss hypnodontics for another of your patients, please feel free to call anytime.

Perhaps I might suggest too that many dental practitioners also take advantage of hypnotherapy sessions to personally relieve their own anxiety after working with nervous or fearful patients, which can take its own toll on your practice.

Please feel free to call any time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

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A WORD ON USING SCRIPTS

Scripts are a guide, not the last word.

The Consulting Hypnotist is advised to practice a script and become familiar with its components before using it with a client so they can, depending on their session’s debrief of changes occurring since the last appointment, vary the order of delivery, or intent of the script, to align with the client’s best interests.

For example, Dr. Hartland’s ego-strengthening routine (Hartland’s Medical and Dental Hypnosis, 4th Editon, Churchill Livingstone, 2007), may not be appropriate in its entirety during a session, but in parts very empowering when integrated with other associated suggestions.

Now, no one of us can memorize all the scripts out there. Nor do we have enough time in a day to configure one script for each individual client encompassing any number of portions of a number of partially applicable scripts on a daily basis. Nor, conversely, is it wise to restrict ourselves to only one, or two, or three scripts we’ve memorized with which we’re personally comfortable.

Remember, we’re working with our clients’ version of the their world, not our own with which we’re comfortable, so it behooves us to become conversant with a wide variance of suggestions and imagery that we can draw on depending on the areas of concern the client has identified.

It’s not uncommon for a seasoned Consulting Hypnotist to have three, or four, or five references open before them during the active part of a session. For example, when regressing, even though you’re very familiar with the technique, you might want to use specific vs. general wording, and if within the same session gauge that switching to Parts work becomes more applicable and judge that a particular turn of phrase fits with the client’s own wording or stated philosophy, then your resources are readily available.

The alternative when relying on memory and then perhaps misstating embedded objectives while flying by the seat of your pants is ineffective and inefficient guidance.

Having said that, if you’re employing parts, or regression, or somatic bridge, etc., the hypnotic practitioner must first be largely familiar with the techniques, their attendant phraseology, and intended applicability. Others who have gone before us have provided us with a solid groundwork of understanding of hypnotherapeutic techniques, which are largely based on common sense.

That still means though that you must read, read, and read more scripts along with the script reasoning and philosophy so you can serve your client’s best interests.

However, we believe without question that your inductions should be memorized. Whether using Chalkboard for logical resistors or Dr. Flowers for the kinesthetic, the idea is to bypass the critical factor, and if the conscious mind is reflecting, “Wow, that voice is really soothing. And it really seems to know what its talking about …” then you can guide your client into theta quicker and more easily.

However, if the practitioner is rustling paper, hesitating, stuttering and delivering an uneasy induction, the conscious mind notices and holds back cooperating, and then may have to be shocked or confused, or the session terminated.

Once past the critical factor, although the subconscious will pick up your voice whether you speak quickly, slowly, in a quiet, high or in an excited voice, you can maximize subconscious absorption, whether direct suggestions or Ericksonian, by “living” the script.

In other words, believe in the script. Say the words with meaning, with expression and with a wholehearted confidence, rather than by bored rote. Although you don’t have to convince the subconscious to listen to you (it’s always listening anyway), it will accept your suggestions even more readily if you yourself believe what you’re saying, and the preference is to deliver while your client is in the somnambulistic state.

Too, remember that the conscious is always still present to some extent, although minimized and off to the side, and can still judge your “performance” when returned to full beta, which could affect the rate and degree of absorption depending on judged credibility.

The Dave Elman Induction

(Modified)

This method of inducing hypnotic trance was developed by US hypnotist Dave Elman. It has gained popularity with modern hypnotherapists because of its ability to create deep trances, and test for responsiveness, extremely quickly and reliably.

The method generally consists of the following stages, interspersed with direct suggestions of deepening relaxation:

1. Deep breath and eye closure.

2. Arm heaviness test (dropping arm to test for loss of muscle tension).

2. Eye catalepsy test (suggestion that subject is unable to open eyes).

3. "Fractionation" of trance by repeated eye closure.

4. "Losing the numbers", deepener for mental relaxation and test for amnesia.

5. "Elevator deepener" (optional). induction is made much easier by a quality pre-induction talk.

In order for most people to allow themselves to become hypnotized you must dispel the myths and misconceptions about hypnosis. In order for them to believe they were hypnotized they need to know what the experience of hypnosis might be like for them. That's what a good pre-talk aims at accomplishing.

Here's the modified Dave Elman induction...

Eye Closure

In a moment I’m going to ask you to take a deep breath while keeping your eyes open. Then, when you slowly let out your breath, let your eyes slowly at the same pace you’re breathing out.

So, with your eyes open, take a deep breath and hold it. Now, let it out slowly and as you let it out, close your eyes and relax. Now, relax your eyes and the muscles around your eyes, fully and completely. Relax them so completely, that as long as you maintain that relaxation, your eyes will just remain closed. As you relax your eyes, you’ll feel your facial muscles relax also.

In a moment, not just yet, but in a moment, I’m going to ask you to try and open your eyes. You might be able to move the muscles around your eyebrows but the harder you try to open your eyes, the more relaxed they become. So, when you've got them relaxed to that point, give them a good try and satisfy yourself that they remain closed. (Pause)

Very good. Now stop trying and relax them even more.

Body Relaxation

Now take that same quality of relaxation, and allow it to spread from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes in a warm wave of relaxation.  (Pause) Good. You’re doing very well.

Fractionation

(5 times)

In a moment, I'm going to ask you to open your eyes and close them again. When you close them, let your whole body, just go 10 times deeper into relaxation. Open your eyes, now close them and allow yourself to become twice as deeply relaxed. (Pause) 

In a moment, I'm going to ask you to open your eyes and close them again. This time, just double your relaxation. Open your eyes, now close them and double that relaxation.  (Pause)

Good. In a moment I'm going to ask you to open your eyes and close them again. This time, just go much deeper.  Open your eyes, now close them. Much deeper. All the way down. Good. (Pause)

1. 1.2 times more with same relaxation suggestions.

Arm Drop Deepening

In a moment I'm going to pick up your left arm by the wrist. If you've followed instructions so far, and I think you've done very well, your arm will be loose and limp like a wet towel. Don't help me, let me do all the work. I'm going to lift your arm up just a few inches and then drop it, and when I do, just allow it to make a nice satisfying plop in your lap, and let yourself go much deeper (do arm drop). Much deeper. Very good.

In fact, each time I pick up your own arm and allow it to plop down, go much deeper into relaxation (repeat arm drop a few times). 

Suggested Amnesia

Good. Now we've got a good workable level of physical relaxation, let's add mental relaxation to it. 

In a moment, I'm going to ask you to count backwards from 100 (or say the alphabet backwards) out loud. Allow each number you say to help your mind to grow more relaxed, calm and serene. And you'll find that within just a few numbers, your mind can grow so relaxed that the rest of the letters just fade away, grow dim and distant, become quiet and disappear altogether.

When that happens, notice how good it feels.  You'll count like this … 100, deeper relaxed … 99, deeper relaxed … 98, deeper relaxed … (say slowly, in time with each of their exhalations), allowing each number to relax your mind so that it grows relaxed and serene like the surface of a still pond. Within just a few numbers the rest of them will just disappear.

Begin counting backwards now.

"100, deeper relaxed"

Good.

"99, deeper relaxed"

Relaxing more and more.

"98, deeper relaxed"

Now just allow them to disappear completely. Just make them disappear like a puff of smoke. All gone. All gone. You just can’t see them anymore.

(When they stop counting, or become obviously too relaxed to repeat the numbers) Are they all gone? (Do not say “are the numbers all gone?” as the word “number” will remind them to “see” a number again.)

Good.

(They’re now in somnambulism. Deepen if you wish, and proceed with your session)

PROFESSIONAL HYPNOTIST SCRIPT

Induction of Choice …

Life is good and the present moment commands your focused attention. You are relaxed and interested as you begin the intake interview. You ask about previous experiences with hypnosis and search out your clients’ attitudes, beliefs and questions about hypnosis.

From deep within your own centre, your confident voice calmly resonates.Your eyes radiate strength, courage, and compassion. Your appearance, your voice, and your methods of communication all express confidence in yourself, in your skills, and in your ability to help others.

Your manner is relaxed and assured. You easily express the right word, the right phrase, the right gesture, and the appropriate feeling when communicating with your client.

You readily enter into the world of your client. You listen openly and with focused attention to what your client has to say. And, because you are competent, skilled and knowledgeable, you speak easily and with authority.

Your clients are eager to be hypnotized by you. They appreciate your poise, your skill and your caring. Your clients expectations make you feel good.

Your clients are relaxed and trusting of you for they sense your deep interest in them. You are positive, persuasive and a force for good. Your highest desire is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others.

You stimulate wonderful, positive and exciting thoughts and feelings in the people you counsel and your clients respond strongly to you. You are an exceptional hypnotist and your past experiences and your present studies serve you well.

You are fully alert to your client's responses. With rapid and sharp perception, you observe changes in their posture, their voice quality, their breathing, and emotional tone. You listen and carefully observe your client's verbal responses and body language.

During an induction, you speak fluently and melodiously, creating an atmosphere of safety and comfort. You trust yourself as you confidently allow your own unique style to surface and flourish. Because you are relaxed and poised, you speak clearly and easily.

You now realize that you are a talented and highly creative person. You use what you have chosen from all that you have learned wisely, appropriately and sincerely.

Each time you hypnotize a client you feel an exhilarating surge of confidence and enthusiasm. You easily remember your many successful and rewarding experiences in helping other clients and everything you've read, studied and heard in courses easily comes to you.

You are highly skilled at understanding and guiding others, and you easily accept the praise and approval that others give to you.

Hypnosis brings to you emotional, intellectual, social and financial eminence among your peers, and you are rapidly moving towards the satisfaction of your deepest needs and the realization of your highest goals.

And so it is.

Now each of these ideas continue making a permanent, deep, vivid impression on your subconscious mind. Each day in your daily life, you will become more and more aware of the full, powerful, positive creative expression of these ideas.

From this time forward, with each passing day, you become more and more aware of a personal feeling of well-being and confidence. Confidence that each day brings you one step closer to each of your goals.

You plan and arrange your daily schedule with care. You allow yourself time for personal recreation and relaxation. It is easy for you to keep to your schedule because you plan it so well.

From deep within your own center, your confident voice calmly resonates. Your eyes radiate strength, courage, and compassion. Your appearance, your voice, and your methods of communication all express confidence in yourself, in your skills and in your ability to help others. Your manner is relaxed and assured.

You easily express the right word, the right phrase, the right gesture, and the appropriate feeling when communicating with your client.

Your clients are relaxed and trusting of you for they sense your deep interest in them. You are positive, persuasive and a force for good. Your highest desire is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others. You stimulate wonderful, positive and exciting thoughts and feelings in the people you counsel.

You now realize that you are an exceptionally talented and highly creative person. You use what you have chosen from all that you have learned.

Each of these ideas continue making a permanent, deep, vivid impression on your subconscious mind. Each day in your daily life, you will become more and more aware of the full, powerful, positive creative expression of these ideas.

And so it is …

HAND-TO-FACE

(Courtesy of Chaplain Paul Durbin @ DurbinHypnosis.com. Used by permission)

Induction of choice …

In a moment I'm going to ask you to open your eyes and put your (right or left) hand up in front of your face with the palm of your hand toward you, and you will be able to look at your fingers and the palm of your hand. As I talk to you, you will continue experiencing a more soothing and peaceful relaxation coming over your whole body.

Open your eyes now and lift your hand up a little above eye level and press your fingers tightly together. You will become aware of all the feelings and sensations in your fingers and hand, and you will keep experiencing a more peaceful, soothing sensation coming over your whole body. It keeps becoming easier for you to respond to the suggestions I tell you.

You can listen to the sound of my voice as I guide you and not even notice that other sounds and noises keep fading away, and your unconscious mind is listening only to the words I'm saying to you.

You will notice the feelings and sensations in your fingers and your hand, and your fingers will feel like they want to start spreading apart. Don't try to make them spread apart deliberately, and don't try to keep them from spreading apart. They will spread apart all by themselves, easily and gently. And as your fingers are spreading apart, you will notice that your eyes start feeling heavy, and your eyes keep feeling heavier and heavier. And your eyes feel like they want to close as you drift into a calm, peaceful, hypnotic state of relaxation.

You'll be experiencing a soothing drowsiness coming over your entire body, and your eyes are closing gently ... Your eyes will soon close ... It’s becoming less and less important for your eyes to be open, and by the time your eyes close, you will be in a deep, calm, very peaceful hypnotic state ...

Notice that your fingers want to spread apart, and you are letting the natural feelings happen ... As your fingers are spreading apart you can notice that your eyes keep feeling heavier...

Being hypnotized is always a very pleasant ... calm, soothing, very enjoyable ... restful experience... (Pause).

(Note: After fingers have started spreading and eyes have started closing, continue as follows:)

In a moment, your (right-left) hand and arm will move toward your face, and you will keep drifting into an even deeper hypnotic state ... Your hand and arm move toward your face, but your subconscious mind will not permit your hand to touch your face until your mind has worked out a solution to that problem of (insert problem in the client’s words, i.e., dental fear, relationship issue, etc.)

You have been experiencing that problem/issue for some time now, and consciously you haven't been able to resolve it ... and I don't know what has been causing that problem, but the subconscious part of your mind does have the information ... so your subconscious mind can review, examine, and explore the information in your mind and find out what has been causing that problem ...

Your subconscious mind can review all the imprints, all the impressions, all the thoughts and ideas in your mind that have been causing that problem ... and your mind can assess, evaluate, and understand that information now from a more knowledgeable, more relaxed, more calm, more mature point of view ... and can work out a solution and resolve that problem rapidly and completely...

Your subconscious mind is reviewing that information thoroughly and understanding that it is okay to resolve that problem for now and forever ... and when your mind has resolved that problem, then your mind will cause your hand to touch your face ...

You are continuing to move into a deeper, more peaceful, more detached state ... It feels good to keep relaxing more ... Your mind is cooperating ... and is reviewing that information, and is working out a very pleasant solution to that problem ... and you are easily and gently moving into a more comfortable state of relaxation ...

Your subconscious mind is hearing every word I say and is working out a pleasant solution without any conscious effort by you ...

Your fingers have spread apart, and your subconscious mind is causing your hand to move toward your face, but your hand will not touch your face until your unconscious mind understands the causes and effects of what has been causing that problem and knows that it is okay for that problem to be resolved completely ...

When your mind knows it is okay for that problem to be resolved (i.e., your body to be healed … your body to reduce down to _______ pounds, etc.,) then your hand will touch your face as a signal that the problem has been resolved ... and you will really be pleased ...

You are in a very deep, very calm, comfortable state now ... By permitting your mind and body to relax through your own ability to concentrate on the words I say, you will notice later, after you awaken form the hypnotic state, that you will feel much better mentally and physically ...

You're doing very well ... It feels good to continue relaxing ... and later, when you awaken from the hypnotic state your whole body will feel good from the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your feet ... Your hands, arms, and shoulders will be relaxed and comfortable ... and you will be confident and happy ...

Your subconscious mind is very sensitive to everything I say, and is hearing and receiving the suggestion I'm telling you ... causing each suggestion to begin working immediately and continue working automatically as you go about your daily activities, and you experience many wonderful benefits from being in this comfortable, relaxed state of hypnosis...

You are continuing to learn more and more that your own subconscious mind is working out the solution to that problem ... Your subconscious mind knows what to do ... and is doing it in just the right way to resolve the problem completely ...

Some of those experiences your mind is reviewing may not seem to make sense ... yet quite often those are the ones that have the most meaningful effect in solving the problem (Healing your body) (Reducing your body down to _____ pounds)...

Past experiences that have been misunderstood unconsciously can now be understood from a different point of view and your mind is able to work out the solution to that problem in ways you do not consciously understand ... So your subconscious mind is causing your hand and arm to continue moving toward your face to indicate that it is reviewing, examining and exploring the information that has been causing that problem and is working out the solution ...

You already have all the ingredients, all the capabilities, all the skills that you need, and all the knowledge that you need to be completely (cured - healed_ (slim and trim and slender)...

(… if hand is moving hesitatingly, you can continue with this … )

Right now it may seem like you are experiencing some kind of a dilemma... You may not be consciously aware of what needs to be done to work out the solution of that problem, but that's one of the amazingly wonderful things about your unconscious mind... because, even though you do not consciously know what to do, your unconscious mind has all the knowledge it needs to work out the solution in a very pleasant way... and you unconscious mind is bringing that important information forward now, and is resolving that problem for now and forever...

Consciously you have decided that you want (Your body to be healed) (Your body to be slender and trim)... and you had the right to make that decision...

In the past there was something keeping that problem from being resolved (Keeping your body from being healthy) (Keeping your body from being slender and trim)... What ever it was that had been causing that problem will soon be changed... Your unconscious mind is understanding it from a more knowledgeable, more mature point of view, and knows that it is okay for that problem to be resolved completely and permanently...

That decision has got to come form you... and form your own mind... There is no need for it to come from me... because it is only when your mind makes that decision that the problem will be resolved...

You know that your mind is the only part of you that can cause the changes that are needed to resolve that problem... and your mind can cause those changes as you go about the activities of your daily life...

Your subconscious mind keeps your heart pumping the blood through your circulatory system, keeps you breathing, enable you digestive system to continue functioning properly, enables you to talk when you decide to talk, walk when you decide to walk, and has been doing thousands of other things that you conscious mind has not been consciously aware of... The importance of all this is realizing that you can trust your own unconscious mind to take care of you... and you can be sure your own mind is causing you to experience pleasant changes that are needed to resolve that problem...

You can trust your own mind to do what is needed to overcome that problem and all other problems when given proper guidance... and that's what you are doing now... Your mind is receiving the proper guidance needed to work out the solution... and you will be noticing the pleasant changes taking place...

(If hand has not touched the client's face by the time it is time for the session to be over, or there’s little to no movement, continue with these suggestions … )

"Therapy Between Sessions."

You are responding properly... Your unconscious mind is doing what is needed to resolve that problem... and it doesn't need to be done in a way you would consciously expect it to be done... You can be pleasantly surprised to find that your unconscious mind will cause it to happen in an easy, natural way...

It will give you a lot of satisfaction to know that your own mind is working out the solution to that problem and your goals can be accomplished satisfactorily...

 (Adapted from a great friend Art Winkler): One of the amazing facts I have learned over the years hypnotizing many, people is that your subconscious mind can continue review, examining, and exploring the storehouse of your mind and work out solutions to problems even after you come out of the hypnotic state... As you proceed with your daily activities, your mind can be assessing information that is contained in the storehouse of your mind. And can understand that information from a completely different point of view than you had when the information went into your mind, and can work out the solution now from a more knowledgeable, more mature point of view.

So even after you come out from this hypnotic state, your subconscious mind can continue reviewing all imprints, impressions, thoughts, ideas and other information that has gone into your mind and had anything to do with causing that problem...And by the time you come back to be hypnotized again, your mind can have a pleasant solution all worked out in a way that easily enables you to overcome that problem... You mind is receiving these suggestions, the guidance and instructions I'm giving to you and is enabling you to continue improving rapidly...

In the past you may have had some doubts...but now those doubts are leaving, and all those doubts are soon gone completely...Those doubts are being replaced with a strong sense of confidence and sureness...You can be surprised at the way your confidence keeps improving more and more each day... As you are continuing to relax now, your subconscious mind can work out a way of revealing that you are in a deep hypnotic trance, and you will not need to consciously recognize it...Your subconscious mind can cause a response that is obvious to me, but not to you... One of your fingers may lift up, or your hand and arm may lift up...It can whatever your subconscious mind want to do to reveal that you are in a deep hypnotic trance without you being consciously aware of it...(Pause for a minute.)

(note: After about a minute, if there has been no noticeable response, continue as follows:)

You are really responding well to everything I tell you... You know and I know that we are having these sessions because you are determined to overcome that problem...It has controlled your way of life long enough, and you are determined that you relax that control and take control...Your subconscious mind understands that now, and realizes that you are serious about overcoming that problem... You have decided that you want your subconscious mind to understand that you are ready to get that problem resolved for now and forever...And you want the solution to be worked out in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to your conscious mind... So you are letting it be worked out by your subconscious mind, and you don't need to be thinking about it consciously anymore... From now on your conscious mind thinks about things that are pleasant and enjoyable to you, because your subconscious mind knows exactly what needs to be done to work out the solution to that problem in a very calm, peaceful way...

When you come back for your next session, you find that you quickly go into a deep hypnotic trance within a minute or two after you sit down in the chair here in my office... In the meantime, you notice some very pleasant changes taking place in your life as your subconscious mind works out the solution to your problem. And now you are ready to come out from the hypnotic state...In just a moment I count to three and you gradually come out a little with each number I say...When I reach the count of five, you open your eyes and feel wonderfully relaxed and refreshed, as though you have just awakened from a deep, sound, peaceful sleep.

(Once their hand DOES touch their face, “wash away” the remainder of the issue with a Waterfall …)

Now let your hand slowly move from your face and come to rest in your lap, and as your hand moves, allow yourself to go deeper relaxed, deeper relaxed, deeper relaxed … and the minute your feel your hand touch your lap, imagine that you are taking a walk in the woods. You are walking along a beautiful path through the woods. As you walk, you maybe experiencing a number of things. Possibly you are aware of tall pine trees; some large, some small. It is a warm but comfortable summer day. Perhaps you feel a comfortable breeze... Gently cooling your face and arms... Maybe you can hear the rustling of the leaves and the crunch of the leaves, twigs, and grass beneath your feet. As you look up through the leaves of the trees, you see a sparkling of sunlight, dwelling in time with the breeze.

You come to an open area with a small pond. At one end of the pond is a beautiful waterfall. At the other end is a stream which runs as far as the eye can see. You look up and see a beautiful blue sky, with a few white fluffy clouds lazily drifting by. you set down by the pond and enjoy the sounds of water... such as the birds singing, the frogs croaking and the water fall.

As you sit there, you sense that there is something special about the waterfall. It seems to be inviting you to come over to it and indeed you do...You reach out and touch the water and the temperature is just right so you walk under the falls... You feel its cleansing flow and you realize that it is not only cleansing your body, but it also is cleansing you. You feel that any anger, bitterness, feeling of rejection, grief, guilt, abuse and all other negative emotion are being cleansed out of your system.

You look down toward your feet and you notice that the water coming from your body in a murky brown and it is flowing across the pond and down the stream at the other end. The more negativity that you release the murkier the water appears to be. As you fell these negative emotions being cleansed from your system, the water around your feet began to clear, but you can see the murky brown water flowing further and further down the stream.

As the murky water flows down the stream, further and further away, you feel more and more comfortable, more at peace with yourself... Your feelings of calmness increases... You feel more at ease... It gives you a strange feeling of relaxation. You are feeling yourself being cleansed of all those negative feelings. The anger, bitterness, feeling of rejection, grief, guilt, abuse and all other negative emotions are being cleansed from your system... Notice the feeling of comfort and peace increase as the murky water flows down the stream further and further away. As the murky brown plots further and further away, you feel your problems dissolving. You feel a sense of release and relief.. You are getting rid of those problems.

The murky brown is following further and further away. It is now beyond your eye sight and you can breathe deeper and exhale slowly a few times and really enjoy the freedom, the relief and powerfulness of being free of those problems... The relief, the calmness, the peacefulness are flowing through you and have replaced the negative feelings. These feelings of comfort, serenity, and well-being remains with you even after you come out of this relaxed state. 

DENTAL PATIENT ANXIETY

Induction of Choice …

Take a deep breath and relax all over.  Starting today, beginning right now, we will transfer this feeling of deep relaxation and comfort to your experiences in a dental office.

Your mind has the capacity to stimulate certain chemicals in your brain. One of those chemicals that the brain produces is the endorphin. Endorphins are a group of proteins with potent analgesic properties that occur naturally in the brain.  They have been documented as being many times more powerful than morphine.  Your mind has the ability to produce them.  When the mind releases these proteins the person experiences a calm, utopic response.  That is, a response where you are in complete calm and relaxation, even a bit giddy with delight.

Let's practice now, and you easily can use this the next time you visit your dentist.  It will eliminate all sense of abnormal fear or stress you used to feel there. So, take a deep breath and feel a warm rush of relaxation flow from your brain throughout your body.  Just say to yourself, “endorphins, endorphins, endorphins" your mind will relax, your body will relax.

You see yourself in a calm, pleasant state of mind.  The dental procedures will be conducted efficiently and quickly.  The time in the chair will seem to go quickly because you are now engaging the endorphic response while you relax in the dental chair.

At all times you will be able to engage in a coherent conversation, follow instructions and feel totally calm and comfortable.  Remember the old axiom "anything the mind can conceive the body can achieve."

We are now embedding these ideas firmly into your subconscious mind so that you can envision a comfortable dental visit. The past does not equal the future. Your past negative experiences and fears are now drifting away and being replaced by these positive healthy suggestions. They now embed themselves into your subconscious mind, melting away any fears like distant memories.  Now, replacing them with this positive technique and image of your next dental visit...

Practice this daily for the next 21 days and you will be in complete comfort and control the next office visit you have.

FEAR OF INJECTIONS

Now as you lie comfortably there with your eyes closed - comfortable and aware that you are here because you want to learn to use your own subconscious abilities to help you to eliminate the anxiety you experience when you visit the doctor's for an injection.

And so, as you begin to relax and to drift down into trance - deeper now - into a deep trance state - I want you to take your time - not go too quickly - yet - because there are some things that you need to first understand – so please listen carefully now.

First you need to understand that you already have the ability to lose an arm - or a hand – that is, to become totally unaware of just where that arm is positioned - or the fingers - and you do have an ability to be unconcerned about exactly where the feelings for that ear or thumb went.

You do have an ability - a subconscious ability - you can learn to use - an ability to turn off the sensation in an arm - a leg - or even your face - your jaw - your gum - in fact - any place.

And once you discover how it feels to feel nothing at all - whenever you want or need that to occur - then you can create a comfortable numb feeling any time - anywhere that is useful for you.

And I don't know if your unconscious mind can allow you to discover that numb feeling in the right hand - or a finger of the left hand first - a tiny area of numbness - a comfortable, tickly feeling - a heavy - enveloping numbness – that seems to spread within time - over the back of the hand - covering that hand – or any part of you that you direct your attention to - it just fades away - but you don't know how it feels to feel that something that is not there - so I would like you to just reach over to that numb, comfortable area - that numb, comfortable hand – now touch it - and feel that touching - as you begin to pinch yourself there - a sensation that you may be aware of at first - but as you continue to pinch yourself - something special happens here - you begin to experience and discover that there are times when you feel nothing at all there - that sensation just seems to fade away - as you learn how to allow your subconscious mind to do that for you - to turn off those sensations and as that ability grows and you become more aware - that you really do know how - to really turn off that part - really know how to switch off those sensations and allow any feelings in that hand to just disappear from that hand - or

from anywhere - your other hand can return to its resting position - and you can drift up towards the surface of wakeful awareness - so go ahead now - as you relax –

Re-experience that numbness more and more clearly - and so you can drift up - and then back down - as you learn even more about your own ability - in your own time - in your own way - you can practice this self learning - this ability to do that for you at any time - at any place.

Now - with your eyes closed - you can relax more deeply than before – aware of that new learning - that new ability to switch off that discomfort - you can visualize now as vividly as you can - see yourself at your next visit to the doctor's office - and notice how calm you are feeling as you stand at the receptionist's desk - in plenty of time for your appointment.

You now sit in the waiting area - feeling calm and unconcerned - confident in your ability to control the sensations - you smile at the others who are waiting with you - pleased to be able to allow your own calm and confident manner to soothe the minds of others - as they wait too be called.

As you sit there, you practice again your ability to turn off the sensations there - and experience that numbness - as the sensation in the arm fades – that numbness spreading - that woolly, thick feeling of no feeling at all - and you relax experiencing a total, inner calm.

When your turn comes to be called into the surgery - you take a long, deep breath - and as you expel all the air from your lungs - you breathe out anxiety - fear - and then breathe in - calm – confident.

As you sit in the chair, you will experience a comfortable sensation as calm fills your mind - as you relax - concentrating now on that switch that will allow you to experience that sensation of no sensation - as your doctor/dentist (or nurse) gently and carefully carries out the work that needs to be done.

And when you roll up your sleeve - ready for the injection - you will be calm and comfortable - but I really don't want you to giggle when you experience that tickle - and I don't want you to drift off too deeply into a trance too quickly - as the numbness begins to develop - you will be pleasurably surprised at how calm and relaxed you will become, as your doctor, appreciating your necessary co-operation - completes his work easily - skillfully - you will enjoy being the person who relaxes

there in that chair - and allows your subconscious to use that special ability that you have learned.

You are no longer bothered or concerned as you now take control of that fear - and unlearn that fear - seeing it now for exactly what it was - no more imagining in that way that tells you that there are things to fear here - as your subconscious mind takes care of you. And it doesn't really matter exactly how you tell your subconscious mind what to do or how your subconscious mind does it for you – the only thing of importance is that you know that you can lose those sensations - the

discomfort - just as easily as opening your eyes - while you drift in your mind and then return when it's time - back to wakeful awareness - quite completely now.   

BRUXISM SCRIPT

Induction of choice …

Stressful situations occur every day, which may cause us to grit our teeth. Whenever one of these anxiety-producing events happens, or is going to happen, such as ...(insert typical problem)... you unconsciously grit your teeth. Now you have a way of handling the situation, by keeping just enough nervous energy to deal with the task perfectly - and letting go of excess tension. When you're ready to go to sleep at night you can practice, saying something like `Nothing is important enough in life to grind me down.'

Most teeth grinding happens during the night. The cause is that the subconscious mind remembers the stressful or anxiety producing situations which have occurred during the day, or threaten to occur in the future, and replays them many times during the night. Now during the night, the abnormal touch of your teeth will waken you - you'll smile - realize that your subconscious is protecting you, turn over, and go right back to sleep, losing no sleep at all. It's so nice when you're feeling tired to just rest your head and drift down into a nice, deep, comfortable physiological sleep, and so delightful to be aware of that comfortable feeling that you experience when there is an appropriate amount of space between your teeth - no contact.

And whenever you drift down into a nice, deep, comfortable physical sleep, there is the possibility that on this night or perhaps on the next night, or that this week or the next week, you might grind your teeth. But from now on, whenever that does occur you will immediately awaken and relax your jaw before drifting back into that nice, deep, comfortable, physiological sleep.

You know, it's a very nice thing to have a good grip of the hand, and people are often so lazy about exercising - they always find a reason not to - but every time you do grind your teeth, you exercise your grip, until you get a really good grip. It's so good to have a nice strong grasp of things. Your unconscious mind knows exactly what I mean and fully grasps every thing that it finds gripping. It's also good to let go and relax - and relaxation is something that now comes naturally to you. Letting go of tension is as easy as can be and each time you feel and experience that sense of `letting go' you deeper into that lovely calm, relaxing feeling.

DENTAL HYPNOSIS SCRIPT

Induction of Choice …

As you continue to breathe create your own relaxation by slowing down your breathing pattern and allowing each breath to reach deeper and deeper into your lungs. As you continue to do so... and when you feel you are ready to ... continue to deepen your relaxation by moving through the key points of your muscle groups . As I name them... allow each muscle group to release stress and tension. Allow deep relaxation to take its place now. Breathing deeply and fully as you allow relaxation to spread from the top of your head, across your forehead and eyebrows, moving down the back of the head as it moves around your ears spreading across your cheeks, your eyes and your nose continuing down your lips, your chin and your jaw allowing yourself to swallow whenever you desire notice as relaxation moves around the front and back of your neck extending down your collar bone, and fully down your chest from the shoulder blades it moves down your full back to the base of your spine from your shoulder it moves to your elbows, ...then on from your elbows to your wrists... and then on to the tip of each and every finger continuing now, around your lower waist and your abdomen, extending down deep into your hips and your buttocks and now it is spreading down your thighs, ...to your calves and your ankles, ...then on to the soles of your feet...and finally reaching each and every toe... deep, deep relaxation. So peaceful, so calm, so relaxed.

When you feel comfortably and totally relaxed now ...begin to direct your attention to your dominant hand. Notice how this hand is so relaxed ...that it also is becoming number and number as you think about it. This numbness may either make the hand very heavy or very light ...which ever is appropriate for you - that is heavy or light... your numb hand will become. This numbness is spreading throughout your entire hand from top to bottom ...from bottom to top...from outside to inside ...from inside to outside, ...numbner and numbner,... from the tips of the fingers to the base of your hand ... all parts very numb now Notice this numbness...how it feels... how it moves through out your hand to become consistently number and number. To test your numbness you may wish to reach with your other hand and pinch the numb hand... notice how numb your hand is... you feel nothing, nothing ...nothing only the sensation of numbness.

Knowing that your hand is now numb ... move your numb hand to that part of your face where the dental procedure is to occur. Place your numb hand over this area and once in place ...allow all the numbness to move from your hand to deep within dental area....All numbness now passing from deep within your hand to your facial skin... moving deeper into your facial tissue... moving deeper still to your gum tissue and even deeper still to the supportive bone and dental structure. Deep, deep numbness now... And when you sense ...feel and know... that all numbness has passed from your hand to the dental area. Allow your hand to drop back into your lap.

Imagine that besides creating your own anesthesia...you can also control the amount of saliva that flows.... Perhaps you would like to imagine a panel with certain dials. One is labeled saliva. Reach out and adjust the flow of saliva by turning the dial in a direction that reduces its flow.

Notice also on this panel there is a dial for blood flow. If your dentists asks you, you can adjust this blood flow dial also by turning it in a direction that reduces blood flow. In addition... notice on the panel a third dial marked discomfort. If you so choose, whenever you want, you can easily adjust this discomfort level dial by turning it to reduce or eliminate any and all discomfort from this procedure.

When the dentist asks you if you are ready to proceed ... nod your head. Breathing deeply and fully as you completely relax while the dentist continues to work. Perhaps from time to time you may feel some pressure but otherwise it is a very comfortable and relaxed experience. It may even surprise you how long your mouth remains comfortably open, allowing the dentist to work, while your mind may wander off somewhere else thinking of other thoughts.

Some people like to use this time to travel to their favorite place, ...perhaps you have a place you recall with pleasant memories... or perhaps you would like to imagine that special place you would like to travel to... seeing... sensing... and feeling all of its interesting features,... its colors... its shapes and forms... and even its atmosphere and temperature. It is all the things that you imagine it to be.

You can also relax even more by repeating the following statements as many times as you desire... “I feel calm, I feel relaxed, I feel in control... I am calm, I am relaxed, I am in control.”

At any time if you are asked to rinse your mouth... know that you can open your eyes...rinse your mouth and remain deeply and completely relaxed. Further...if the dentist requires you to make any other adjustments... know that you comply and when you have done so...you immediately return to deep relaxation without affecting the dental anesthesia that you have created. If at any time... you want more dental anesthesia...just numb your hand again and move it into the area where needed.

When the dentist has completed the work, there will be a tap on your shoulder. This is your indication that in a moment you will return to full conscious alertness. Before you do so, know that all numbness will leave the dental area and will be fully dissipated in one hour's time ... and as the numbness dissipates, natural healing to the area accelerates. All natural healing taking place increasingly as numbness dissipates.

Know also that you need to check your panel and adjust the saliva dial and the blood flow dial back to a comfortable position for yourself.

Return all saliva flow and natural blood flow to the area now...

You may desire to leave the comfort dial right where it is. This comfort dial will only be overridden ... if and when ... proper healing in the dental area is not taking place. And if this occurs, consult with your dentist immediately. Know, sense and feel that you can recreate your dental anesthesia any time you choose, safely and comfortably...Always knowing that all future dental experiences... are relaxed and comfortable experiences with healing taking place quickly and effectively, and without dental discomfort.

YOUR 30-SECOND ELEVATOR SPEECH

How important is your 30-second “elevator” speech?

It can be the difference between working or not working!

So, how do you construct one?

First, don't talk about you. In as short a statement as possible, draw a situation from real life that we all experience (nerves before a speech/test/exam, dental/medical anxiety, weight loss/self-confidence, etc.) and then tell people what measurable results you deliver, and who you deliver them to. Then shut up.

Don't try to tell them EVERYTHING in one breath. Tell them something that is so powerfully grabbing that they just have to ask you for more, and even then when you respond - keep it short - keep them asking for more.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

Try this exercise that can change not only how you present yourself, but often it goes so deep that it will even change your vision of who and what your are

Take out a sheet of paper and create 3 columns. Consider this activity as a work in progress, that will continually change not only as you work your way through it, but it should get you thinking so that you will continually come back to the worksheet to make the answers better and better throughout your career.

At first, don't worry about getting "the perfect" speech as much as just getting something down on paper to start the thinking process. You can re-visit it as many times as you want to make it better and better.

Remember, this isn’t about you … it’s about helping your potential clients meet their goals in life. Avoid going on and on about your training, or telling client stories ad nauseam. Be realistic. If you sound too good to be true, you’ll just sound like another person flogging another “can’t lose deal.”

1st COLUMN - Far left. SERVICES

• List your products, services and/or features down this column. For most people this has been what you have been telling the world that you do or sell. List each and every social and physical issue you work with.

2ND COLUMN - To the right. BENEFITS

1. 1)For every item in the column to the left, directly across from each one write what the benefit of that service, or technique. After you’ve written down why someone should invest in your services, ask yourself why someone would even want whatever it was you wrote down there. Keep asking yourself why, why, why until you've gotten down to the real bottom-line of why someone should use your services.

3RD COLUMN – MEASURABLE RESULTS

• This is the most powerful statement for your marketing. Consider the measurements and how you will present them. You can state a fact that a client typically gets ___, or, you guarantee a minimum result of ______, etc.

• I tell people that AT A MINIMUM, I GUARANTEE they’ll walk out of my office feeling measurably better than they did when they came in, naturally, without drugs, PLUS I show them how to do it for themselves.

• Making your results immediately measurable gives a very visual perceived value for what you do for your clients. People buy your services based on the value they perceive you will deliver, so vividly show them that value, and make it so visual that they don't have to guess.

It helps to go back to "Why buy the service?" and revise it. Once you start to revise the benefits of self-hypnosis, you’ll come up with more measurable results. So feel free to review, change, and go through it again. And get out there and use it! Over the next few weeks keep looking for the ideal measurement, and come back to revise over and over. It'll keep getting better.

When I give my 30-second introduction at an event, or a social gathering, I always but always have people approach me afterwards and ask, “Can you really help someone (insert issue) that easily?"

One of my elevator speeches is:

• It’s estimated that 80% of all North Americans avoid going to their dentist due to anxiety. By using self-hypnosis, you can quickly, comfortably and easily drift off to your favourite holiday spot for an hour every time you relax in the dentist’s chair. You can probably hear the relaxing sound of that beach in the back of your mind right now, can’t you? So rather than avoiding the dentist, we show you how to easily summon up a holiday and bring it to life. Does that sound like something you’d like to do?

Don't hesitate to play with what you say at social events. Try it one way and watch the results. Practice, practice, practice. Do it in front of a mirror, repeat it emphasizing different words while driving, or tease your friends with it.

Measure the results of your elevator speech by

• The noise level of the room after you say it

• How many people approach you during the event

• How many approach you when they see you in the future.

Change the words just a little each time you deliver it, and keep track of the ones that work the best, and watch your business, and referrals, grow quickly.

The ease by which you verbalize the imagery of your 30-second elevator speech will also change your vision about who you are and who you can become!