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:

1. Establish trance
2. Develop rapport with the unconscious mind
3. Access and integrate the appropriate resources
4. Apply them to context
5. 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

1. 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).
2. 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?
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

This still doesn’t seem to display widescreen correctly … so I’ll keep looking for a solution … but in the meantime, it’s a good start.

SuperVision 2012: Generative Trance And The Emerging Self

Imagine a warm and supportive community of therapists, changeworkers, hypnotists and coaches – “people helpers” like you – gathered together in an intimate circle to learn and share with one another … developing new skills, revitalizing old ones, getting direct feedback and support while exploring creative and exciting new approaches.

Release Your Hypnotic Genius

Perhaps you already realize that hypnosis is a natural state, and that means that you have a natural ability to enter into and out of trance easily. But hypnosis is also a relationship and that means that you can awaken your own innate abilities … your own hypnotic genius … so that the trancework you do with others can flow effortlessly. The first aim of SuperVision is to open up the connections that allow you to access that genius and bring it out into the world and into your work.

The Value of SuperVision

Once you’ve completed your training in NLP or Hypnosis and you’ve got a certificate

• What do you do to make sure that you continue to learn?

• What avenues do you keep open for further exploration and experimentation?

• Where do you get valuable feedback that will help you polish your skills?

• Who do you consult with about your difficult clients or other concerns in hypnosis?

• How do you keep track of the new and exciting “cutting-edge” approaches that are being developed all the time?

• How can you create your own innovations and share them with other professionals?

• How will your work benefit from collaboration with like-minded practitioners?

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. And in spite of the best intentions, your continued growth and development needs get pushed aside or deferred til later. Lives are so busy and seem to be going on 24/7. That’s the beauty of a concentrated program that offer you a place to check in on the field, keep yourself current and your practice fresh, as you hone your skills and make connections with other Practitioners. All under the watchful eye and skillful direction of a genuine expert who is committed to your success. That’s that beauty of SuperVision.

“I got so much more than I’d expected! The exercises helped me uncover some talents that I didn’t even know I had. I left with confidence, comfort and a level of enthusiasm that I hadn’t experienced since I began my practice. Thank you for bringing this program to us.” JD – Clinical Hypnotherapist.

SuperVision is especially important after you’ve completed your training and you’re off on your own. Perhaps you’re still waiting to get started, or maybe you’re building a business, or possibly you have a full-time practice that keeps you busier than you’d ever expected. Wherever you are in your unfolding hypnotic journey, it’s good to step back from time to time and get recharged.

It’s a unique opportunity to get centered, connect with others and take your skills to the next level. You’ll enjoy processes and practices that will help you gather the resources that you need to get greater satisfaction and success in your hypnotic work.

“I’ve been attending annual supervision every year since I began my therapy practice twelve years ago. I nourishes me and it always gives me something new and important to take back to my clients.” SF – Family Therapist

It isn’t everyday that you get to spend time with a group like this. So you’ll really want to take full advantage of all the useful insights and understanding that you get. And with expert coaching and an array of dynamic modeling processes, SuperVision will help you learn and integrate even more than you can imagine. In fact, we use hypnotic processes to help you incorporate what you’re learning.

Learn from other Professionals

You’ll enjoy the added benefit of decades worth of accumulated experience by sharing with your peers. Through general discussion, round robin exercises, break out sessions and demonstration you’ll be able to tap into the wisdom of others and learn from their efforts as you model their special talents and skills. You’ll have the opportunity to form professional relationships that will last a lifetime and enrich you for years to come.

Get Direct Supervision From a Master

We know that you can get the most out of a program like this when it offers you direct supervision from a highly respected expert. That’s why we’re so fortunate to offer this program with Michael Watson – a caring teacher and mentor with a casual and lighthearted manner who brings over 30 years worth of experience to coach and guide you through the program.

“Michael’s gentle and engaging style makes learning the joyful adventure it ought to be!” Tom Dotz, President, NLP Comprehensive

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to train with Michael, you’re in for a real treat! But you’ll have to discover that for yourself. Before your opinion becomes biased by his charisma and charm, here are the facts:

• He’s been practicing hypnosis and hypnotherapy since 1981

• He was certified in NLP in 1984 through NLP Comprehensive under the direction of Steve and Connirae Andreas.

• He’s completed several NLP Master Practitioner Programs and advanced trainings with John Grinder, Richard Bandler, Robert Dilts and studied with numerous other luminaries including Timothy Leary and Ram Dass.

• He’s a Certified Trainer of NLP through NLP Comprehensive and is on the training staff of that organization.

• His primary hypnosis teacher is Stephen Gilligan, one of Milton Erickson’s long term students and the developer of several new and innovative models for therapy. (Stephen is the author of “Therapeutic Trances” and “The Courage to Love”.)

• Michael has been a regular part of Salad’s training team since 2007.

• He’s a Certfied Instructor of Hypnotherapy through the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) and his commitment to students and a high quality training was acknowledged by IACT who recognized him as “Educator of the Year” in 2009.

• He’s a frequent presenter at conferences and a regular contributor to several professional journals.

• Michael has recently joined the faculty of HPTI – The Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute.

• He is the Director of Phoenix Services for Personal Development in Orlando, Florida where he offers classes and workshops and maintains a private practice

• Because he actually works with clients on a daily basis, he knows what working with clients is really like and and his perspective makes him a real practitioner’s trainer.

“Michael Watson is a world class trainer … who shares his skills and experience professionally, generously, congruently, genuinely with a caring and nurturing twinkle in the eye. He has made a significant, profound and lasting impact on me for which I will be forever grateful. He is a master of masters.” Tony M. Recent Graduate

Learn New Skills

The field of hypnosis is vibrantly alive and well. Its continued growth gives rise to contemporary understandings and insights as new and fresh approaches are emerging at a faster pace than ever before. We make every effort to keep up with these changes and to integrate them into our NeoEricksonian Hypnotherapy Certification (offered annually at Salad). SuperVision provides a unequaled opportunity to update your skillbase by sharing the latest and most promising of these recent developments.

Explore Third Generation Hypnosis

The first generation of hypnosis were the traditional, pre-Ericksonian, authoritarians whose methods are often still in practice today. The second generation came into being with Erickson’s new understanding of the unconscious – genuinely respectful of it’s great creativity and resourcefulness. The Third generation of hypnosis are the Neo-Eriksonians and Generative Hypnotists whose understandings of the relationship between conscious and unconscious processes and a less “righteous”model of human behavior leads to a more permissive stance. This view afford still greater respect for all aspects of the client – including quirks and nuances and individual uniqueness, which are more highly prized and more readily utilized in this generation. It is characterized by generative trance and the utilization of evolutionary processes.

What’s all this I hear about Third Generation Hypnosis? This message from Michael will put you in loop.

Generative Trance and The Emerging Self

SiuperVision 2012 will put you right in the middle of the third generation and just might revolutionize the way you work with clients. Unlike the last two generations of hypnosis, Generative Trance involves the utlization of a natural state that is designed to generate change. It trusts the unconscious mind to work in relationship with the conscious mind and in collaboration with the hypnotherapist’s for a more evolutionary outcome. In this approach, change is not specified and demanded. It is invited in response to a universal process of emergence. As creatures in evolution, this model proposes that we are constantly engaged in the process of “coming out” into the world. When this process doesn’t go smootly, symptoms might emerge as expressions of brilliant, but not-yet-fully-formed creatures that we are becoming. Unlike the former approaches it has no agenda, nor does it attempt to put things “right”. (It doesn’t even know what right is!) It allows the unconscious mind to re-evaluate and re-synthesize … and find new expression. You will learn to facilitate this “Emergence” and the new perspectives will allow you to work more effortlessly as you engage the client in the process of finding further (and more evolved) expression in the world

So, who is this training for?
This training is for people helpers of all types – therapists, counselors, coaches, and other changeworkers. The only prerequisite is that you have been certified in Hypnotherapy OR NLP and are ready to kick it up a notch and come into the new millenium with a modern, though well tested, approach to change. This approach will get you greater results with less effort and greater reward than you’ve ever known.

To ensure the best experience for all our participants and to make ceretain that you can get the direct SuperVision that you came for, we are limiting the size of this class. Close up attention means fewer places are available on this course, so we cannot accept more than 15 delegates. That’s it. Period! So if you want to take advantage of this valuable offering (and get it at a great rate) be sure to register as early as you can to get seated.

So the usual questions are: where, when and how much?

The second generation of hypnosis was the task of Erickson.  Milton had a great respect for the unconscious mind, but was still imited with the mistrust of consious processes which needed to be “depotentiated”

The third generation of hypnosis is generative trance, in which the creative unconscious mind works collaboratively with the conscious mind to produce results.

There are additional new processes available, including Quantum Focusing.  To assist in understanding this, I’ve included the following audio file.

Michael Watson – Basic Exercise – One