Releasing Your Inner Power
Symbolic Resource Integration in Generative Trance
by Michael Watson
While reading his recent book, Effortless Evolution, I was surprised and delighted to find that my good friend and author Jamie Smart had quoted me. I was especially pleased that he had remembered my words from a number of years earlier and considered them important enough to share with his readers. What I’d said was:
“Somewhere in there, in you, is a being greater than you can imagine, that is seeking expression in the world.”
One of the hallmarks of generative trance is that, unlike more traditional approaches the generative hypnotist doesn’t try to offer solutions. He doesn’t try to program behavior. He doesn’t .attempt to put ideas into the mind of the client. Instead, he initiates an inner exploration intended to invite to the surface those hidden solutions and resources that are already there and to activate them in the client’s experience – either to solve problems, rise to challenges, or simply to continue on the path of personal evolution and unfoldment.
This thought, certainly not original to me, is a guiding principle of my work in hypnosis. Marianne Williams, in a quote often mistakenly attributed to Nelson Mandela, says that we are “powerful beyond measure.” Patti Labelle reminds us, “There’s a Winner in You.” The great family therapist Virginia Satir tells us that we have all the resources we need. And Milton Erickson’s work is rooted in the notion of accessing hidden, often dormant unconscious wisdom.
For many people, hypnotic trance is thought of as a spacy, dreamlike, often unconscious state. Sometimes described by clients as, “I was so deep, I didn’t hear a word you said.” People often practice self-hypnosis or meditation or they listen to new age music or they watch mindless television programs or alter their state with drugs as a means of “checking out”. But generative trance is a means of “checking IN” and making contact with ourselves in a rich and deep way. Dr Erickson pointed out that psychiatric patients had lost rapport with their own unconscious mind, and that the task of therapy was to redevelop that relationship. Once a new connection with the unconscious becomes available, then the hidden resources can be accessed and begin to come forward in the patient’s life.
Of course, the theories of hypnosis are rich and complex. And I wouldn’t want to oversimplify them, But for the purposes of this article it might be useful to think about trance as the container in which the work of transformation occurs. And transformation can be brought about by accessing that deep inner resourcefulness and calling it forward. As this evocation can take many forms, an understanding of the concepts involved provide a framework for the creation of a wide variety of hypnotic techniques or rituals.
The guidelines implied by these ideas give direction to the hypnotist who can develop his approach in collaboration with the client using this basic outline:
- Establish trance
- Develop rapport with the unconscious mind
- Access and integrate the appropriate resources
- Apply them to context
- Carry them into the future
In a simple guided process, a hypnotist could lead a client through an experience in which they symbolically tap into and activate resources. These resources might be certain skills, qualities, or understandings that could make a real transformational difference. They could, for example, come in the form of imparted wisdom from an inner sage or higher self who they meet in trance … or an inner archeology expedition might find meaningful cave paintings or artifacts … or perhaps a treasure chest might contain some object of power or a magical crystal that radiates strengths or virtues … or perhaps an investiture to some mystical society can convey “gifts” on the inductee. The important thing in the process is that at some point, the qualities being evoked can be experienced in a “felt sense” and, as a result of this indirect suggestion, can remain available post-hypnotically.
In Papua, New Guinea there is an expression that says, “Knowledge is only a rumor until it’s in the muscle.” And John Grinder, co-creator with Richard Bandler of NLP says, “Change doesn’t occur until you get it in your neurology.” This is why it’s important that the client be able to access the state desired and “feel the feelings” if it … to activate it in the neurology and the future pace it by direct or indirect suggestion into the client’s life.
One such ritual that I use in my practice is the symbolic resource integration. If you have some skill with self hypnosis or even creative meditation, you might like top try it for yourself.
Symbolic Resource Integration
- Establish a light trance and extend a welcoming invitation to the creative unconscious mind (and any other aspects of yourself that might be useful in the process).
- Consider the intentions you have for this process. What do you want? What are you trying to accomplish as a result of this trance? Is there a problem or challenge to be addressed? Are you looking to evolve in some way?
- Develop an imaginary energetic sphere in space a few feet in front of yourself. Some people imagine a large crystal ball, or a field of energy, or some just sense the space in front of them. This space has the potential for the development and amplification of whatever inner experiences you might need to generate.
- Get a symbol. What are the particular qualities you want to access? Ask for the assistance of your unconscious mind to develop, there in the space before you, a symbolic representation of the desired resources. Let the symbol evolve as the creative unconscious mind takes some time to work on it. It may contain one, or several qualities brought together in a special combination appropriate to the desired outcome.
- Feel the energy and bring it in to the body. I like to have the symbol radiate with energy … surrounded by an aura of what it represents, so that as you look at it you can begin to feel it. Then, if you like it and want to take it in, just allow yourself to relax and become receptive as you allow it to find it’s place within your body and being. Where does it want to live within you? Let it in so that you can feel it in the appropriate place and then let it expand to fill your entire being.
- Take it into context. Feeling these feeling, imagine being in the context where you’re going to want access to this, and notice the difference that comes as a result of having this new quality available.
- Go into the future. Mentally begin to move out into the future taking this resourcefulness with you. Start with the near future and explore the usefulness of this later on today, then tomorrow, then some time next week, and then apply it to numerous future examples. Let yourself feel the power as you go through these scenes. Think of it as a real dress rehearsal so you’ll know how to act when the time comes.
This is, of course only one way, and I hope you’ll explore it and create variations of your own. (I’d love to hear about them so feel free to email me at FLHypno@msn.com if you’ve got something to share.) In developing your own rituals and incantations, I might have said that you are only limited by your imagination. But in truth, you’re only freed by it. The brilliance that you are is seeking it’s way out into the world. Use your creative unconscious to take a step forward on your journey of emergence.
