Hypnosis used to be thought of as a rather delicate state, something to be protected, and so should happen in a quiet, climate-controlled environment, with soft lighting and peaceful music playing in the background. We now see that hypnosis is not like an anaesthetic, and more like an experience of focused attention, familiar to all of us in our everyday life. And so we can look to see how we can facilitate attentiveness and absorption rather than avoiding any minute potential distraction.

While some find focusing on reading, learning, etc., easier in a silent environment, others don’t mind or even prefer some background activity, doing homework better while watching TV. Also the quieter the environment, the louder any noise seems, so it can be useful to have everyday experiences including potential disruptions and noises be part of the hypnotic experiences. If someone comes in from a hot day into an air-conditioned office, enjoys the coolness and has to return to the heat, how long does the coolness last. My preference is to connect the hypnotic experience to everyday life as much as possible, and for most of us, this includes noise, concerns and a multitude of potential distractions.

Incorporation is a wonderful expression of the principles in the Ericksonian approach – accept what the client brings and use it – and extends the acceptance and utilisation to include potential external distractions, client and therapist concerns. 

It is a process that can achieve an acceptance and inclusion of external sounds, and concerns of the client and therapist. Instead of being disruptive, they can become part of the hypnotic experience. When more potential disruptions are included as legitimate components of the hypnotic session, the experience becomes fuller and rounder, making the translation and transportation of the experience with us into their own living smoother and more real. This can keep the therapist alert, and so add to their attentiveness and delight.

Incorporating externals:

We can offer a direct suggestion that the louder the external sound becomes, the more absorbed the client can be in their experience of hypnosis. This can be helpful when we know something is disturbing, but risks introducing a disturbance by bringing a client’s attention to it when they may not have noticed it. We can be more indirect and playful by alluding to an experience [phone ringing, plane overhead] with comments such as “This experience can ring true to you,” “Your learning can go to a higher plain [plane].”

Incorporating client concerns:

Clients have concerns which can distract them from their experience. They might be thinking “Am I doing the right thing?” or “How should I be behaving?” or “Is this hypnosis?” We can reassure individuals if these concerns are expressed or we can pre-empt them by suggesting “Feel free to do what you need to do at any time, recognising that you will at any moment be doing exactly what you need to do to achieve what is useful to you.” or “Hypnosis is different for different individuals. It’s more important for you to have the experience you are having so you can learn what you need to learn, so you can be unconcerned.”

Should a client be concerned that they don’t understand, we can say, “Your understandings are yours and you can reach them in your own time, at your own pace, in any way that feels right to you.”

If a client has some fear of losing control, we can offer “I’m talking, but this is your experience and you can respond in any way that is helpful to you. I can suggest that you close your eyes, but you can let your eyes close when you are ready.”

If someone is worried they might not remember the content of the session and so lose any benefit, we can suggest “You can be unconcerned knowing that you will only recall what is relevant to you and your learning.”

Concerns about going deeply enough can be addressed with “You won’t go any deeper than you need to.”

Incorporating therapist’s concerns:

As therapists, we find ourselves getting stuck, having doubts, feeling uncertain. We could just suffer, stutter, and hope; we could say, “I’m stuck”, or “I’m uncertain,” etc., and while this may provide some personal respite, it is hardly helpful to the client. It can, however, be extremely helpful if we express our concern, externalise it, but in a way that can aid the process rather than hinder it.

If we are thinking “What do I say next?” we can say, “I don’t need to talk all the time.”

If we are stuck on what to do next, we can offer “What I do is much less important than the way you can use this experience for your own benefit and betterment.”

If we feel uncertain about how we are doing, articulating, “You don’t need to attend to me except [accept] in ways that can be useful to you,” or “This is your experience, not mine; is happening for you, not for me; so you can look forward to discovering how you can make your own good use of this experience” can be a relief to us AND benefit the client.

Incorporation can take care of our shared mood, so a potential block is averted, doubts are averted, and the hypnotic process can proceed towards the client’s goal with mutual satisfaction.