Hypnosis for Beginners

Title: Hypnosis for Beginners
Author: William W. Hewitt
Format: Book
Source: Half-Price Books
Price: $9.32 (Amazon)
Rating: poor

Hypnosis for Beginners was the first how-to book on hypnosis I read, and to this day, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

One of the things I love about this book is that the author's personality shines through in his writing; for the most part, Hewitt comes off as a kind, warm, caring individual who is looking back on a long career in hypnosis and offering what advice he can. Perhaps my favorite portions of the book are the anecdotes he relates about interesting, amusing, and sometimes astounding experiences he had as a hypnotist. These stories, such as one that involves helping a young woman recover from sexual assault or one that involves using self-hypnosis to perform near-miraculous healing, can be extremely inspiring to the aspiring hypnotist. Similarly, the author works to impart an ethical sense to his reader, arguing against exorbitant fees and stating that he maintains a strict rule of no more than six sessions for any one issue. He also describes with considerable revulsion an electric shock machine, intended for aversion therapy, he inherited when he took over another hypnotist's office; in fact, he refused to sign for it and insisted it be removed before he would move in.

Another fine quality of this book is that the initial chapter lays out the bare basics of how to be a hypnotist, from how to set up an office to what tone of voice to use, in simple terms, thus living up to its title. It does not delve into complicated definitions of hypnosis or explore debate about what is actually happening during hypnosis. This book keeps it simple.

Besides the introduction and the anecdotes, most of the book consists of scripts, and that is its biggest downfall in my opinion. Though the scripts are carefully organized into subsections called 'routines,' which the author advises keeping on 4 x 6-inch note cards for easy organization, this filing system is overly laborious and makes for onerous reading. Even worse, most of the suggestions, deepeners and even the inductions are ninety to one-hundred percent direct suggestion. Complex issues such as weight loss are handled by handing the client a strict diet and hypnotizing him or her to follow it; in one case, the author used hypnosis to make a client repulsed by her favorite snack food, so that she actually gagged when trying to eat it. When compared to other methods I've encountered, Hewitt's seem antiquated, overly simplistic, and in some cases cruel.

Despite the flaws in the scripts, I did find a few gold nuggets in the mud; several techniques I gleaned from his book have proved useful. One of the best involves the client visualizing a beach on which important affirmations are slowly written in the sand by the client. Another is a deepener in which the client releases balloons one at a time. (The balloons are in the colors of the chakras, though the author does not admit to this in the book.)

The scripts and techniques are not the only archaic part of the book. Though published in 1997, this text reflects the author's experiences dating from the 1970s to his retirement in 1992, so all technology described was nearly out-of-date even at the time of publication. He advocates the use of cassette tapes and apparently has never heard of the Internet or even a personal computer. His section on what to charge is similarly dated, though his admonitions against greed are timeless and admirable. Interestingly, he does advise the hypnotist to insist on payment in advance.

Perhaps the greatest flaw in this book is a flaw of omission. While the author briefly dispels a number of the common hypnosis myths, he fails to mention that many people remember their first session in its entirety, and that the subject typically remains aware throughout the process. These may seem like basic concepts to an experienced hypnotist, but to someone who has only this book to work with, who is following the author's instructions to the letter, omitting this information can make success feel like failure. In my case, it may have set back my study of hypnosis by several years.

All in all, the book was probably worth the bargain price I paid at the used book store. The simple introduction to hypnosis is concise if incomplete. The practical instructions are generally out-of-date, but the inspiring anecdotes make up for it. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to a new hypnotist, at least not without several caveats. Considering the low price of the book, the fact that it is published by Llewellyn, and the frequency with which it keeps turning up at used book stores, I suspect it may befuddle new hypnotists for years to come.