Ripples on a pond

I get asked all the time to analyse a beginner Hypnotist’s pre-talk or the exact mechanics of an induction they have worked out, usually with a “Will this work?” question tagged on.

The truth is nobody can tell you exactly what will work for you and your subject at any given time.
Hypnosis happens, quite simply, when your intent converges with the subject’s expectancy.

For the scientifically minded amongst you, it might help to think of the experiments you did in high school physics with a ripple tank.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_tank

You and your subject can be seen as adjacent point sources, each producing concentric waves or ripples.

Under the right circumstances (when the ripples are in phase with each other) when the peaks of those ripples collide, they combine to give what is known as constructive interference, making those peaks twice as strong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interference_(wave_propagation)

Of course, the converse can happen. Where the ripples are out of phase, we get destructive interference and therefore, nothing.

Think of your ripples as ripples of Hypnotic intent, built on (amongst other things) your own belief and confidence that the methods you have learned will work.

The subject’s ripples of expectancy are a little more complex.

In my opinion they are built on their belief and confidence in your abilities to deliver a successful suggestion, but there are also many other things that can cause those same ripples and help you to simply “get lucky” as is the case with many unexpected, shock, covert or informal Hypnotic phenomena.